Going to give commuting a go!
 

I have been riding for nearly 25yrs, I average 250 mile per week with trips ranging from 10 to 85 miles depending on the time I have. I want to ride more and the only way it seems for me to do so is to park the car and get on the bike!

My commute will be 26 miles of flat pavement. I live in southwest Florida where afternoon heat can be a killer!

I am looking for any and all imput. I know how to prepare for my rides, but this is a little different.

The one thing I have on my side, is I work where not showering won't be an issue. I work outside, but not in the direct sun!

Thanks for the help!

Rich

26 round trip?

26 miles, each way! The morning I will be starting at 6am. Afternoon will be Starting about 4pm.

I can ride forever at 18mph, and that does depend how much headwind I have. Funny thing, it's not going to take me much longer to ride then to drive!

a flat commute....in my dreams. That's a nice distance when flat.

And it's along the Gulf of Mexico to boot!

And though it may be flat, the heat and wind can be exhausting.... I have be lucky enough to log many miles all over this country and Canada, and there have been many times I wish I could have supplemented our humid heat and wind for some dry heat and hills! lol

It sounds like you're already in shape to handle the mileage. So that leaves preparations and your skill handling traffic.

Not showering all day after getting all sweaty is not good. You'll end up with jock itch, I bet. It is a nasty fungus you don't want to have. At a minimum, you may want to get some baby wipes or Sure Wipes to clea up that area.

There is an oft-recommended book around here, The Art of Cycling. I'm reading it now and learning a few things. It is mostly about urban cycling, but a lot of it can apply in suburbs too. There are some good techniques mentioned in there that I want to try some day when I'm feeling brave, such as artful curb-hopping.

Bring some Powerade or Gatorade and some extra food. You'll need it if you don't want to be beat before you even start work.

I assume you have bright jerseys and proper biker shorts?

How about a way to carry luggage? Do you have a rack and a rack bag? In FL, that is probably the way to go, as you will sweat up a messenger bag or backpack pretty quickly.

That is awesome that you get to work outside in the shade. I guess it doesn't matter that you'll stink either? :)

On the flipside, humid air is easier to breathe.

I hear ya on the " Jock Itch" don't want that! I make it a point to always whipe those areas with baby wipes.

I ride a Trek Madone so am going to use a backpack. My pack is Goretex, so the goods inside are safe. It also has a pouch in the back for an icepack, it lays right across my lower back! I have uniforms at work, which is a big plus. Also have a water cooler, so I will bring Gatorade mix with me. So, really the only thing I need to cary is food and my gear!

I will have to check out the book!

Thanks for the imput!

About the only thing different for a commute as compared to your normal rec rides is what you have to carry. So let me ask you a few questions before trying to give you any answers. ;)

1. What kind of bike do you ride?
2. Do you want to change clothes at work, or are you going to ride in your work clothes?
3. Are you going to take your lunch to work or do you purchase it on-site?
4. Do you have a place to store clothing, food, toiletries, etc. at work?
5. Is there anything that you might need to carry daily to/from work, like a laptop, tools, etc?

Agreed!

sounds great. you might try it on a Sunday morning as a test / shake down ride. that's what most of us do. (did)

This ride to work is actually right along one of my normal rides! It's just the routine is different! When I right for recreation, I tend to push hard. But, if I push too hard, I can just take off a day our two! That won't work if I want to do this long term! I will just have to save the hard work for Friday's ride home!

I just don't want to have one of those " I wish I would have though of that" moments....like wishing I had a rain jacket! lol

Hi, I don't know if you saw my other post, but, this is what I have,

1. Trek Madone
2. I wear uniforms that are at work already. I am thinking two pairs of bibs per day may be the way to go! Not a fan of bacteria! lol
3. Most of my food will be with me, or already at work.
4.Yes!
5 No

My main concern is nutrition! If I don't eat right, and ride at the right pace, over training is a sure thing!

Eating the day before, and the morning of, is a pretty much how I would prepare for any long ride. But now, in an 8 hr period, I have to recover, and load up.

I also take vitimans and supplements, but that is based on a once a day workout. Two a days are going to require a little extra!

Thanks, again for your, and anyone elses feedack!

!!!!

So you have a super-safe place to store your bike, I assume?

Yes, very safe!

With 26 miles one way under Florida heat, you will just delay the inevitable.... rear bike rack! I cannot imagine riding around under the sun for that long and unable to let the sweat evap from the back thanks to a backpack. If you still want to use the Trek Madone, you might want to look into P-clips if your Madone is non-carbon.

For that I can recommend Highway 74 rising out of the Coachella Valley on a late July afternoon. ;)

Wow, Trek Madone, safe place to store bike, no need to shower, no need to change, and no office equipment to carry. Some people have all the luck, I say go for it :)

The only other thing I can think of is to prepare a backup plan to be able to get to work in case of a non roadside fixable mechanical breakdown. A route that fairly close to a public transportation will just about do it.

Well, I will have to change from my riding clothes and back again! lol

I guess maybe I do have it really good. I pass two high end bike stores along the route, at least a dozens places to stop for something to drink or whatever, and there is a free bus ( bike friendly) that run the entire route that starts at 5am and goes until 10pm!

The bus thing may come in handy if I "bonk" on the way home.lol

I am not a fan of having anything on my back at anytime! My bike is full Carbon, so I really don't know what my options are right now.

The Madone may not be the best choice for a commute, but it is the one I love to ride more then anything else.

What are your other choices? You may want to get something less fun to ride but also less fragile. When you go back to the Madone, you'll be that much faster for it.

I have a 1998 Schwinn Peloton! lol...Nice bike in it's day, but not this day!

I know what your saying, the whole idea for me is to spend as much time as I can, riding the way I enjoy most. If I had to cary your typical commuters assortment of items, I would really need to look at a more suitable ride.

Well, No need to put things off, I am going to start commuting Wednesday. I will give it to next Friday and look at things again, and make changes as needed.

I would definetly look into getting some kind of rack for that distance. You may also look to store essentials at your work so you don't carry to much when you do commute. It doesn't sound like the distance will be a problem since you average over 250 miles in the florida heat and humidity. Will you try and commute everyday, or 2-3 times a week plus try to get your 250 miles in?

I also suggest you get handy with a wrench if you are not already. It also sounds like you have multiple modes of transportation available to you (bus/car). At first you may want to ride half the distance then use some other means of transportation to finish off.

Thanks for the reply....

Mornings are normally in the mid to high 70's, even through summer.. It's that afternoon sun that get ya!

If that happens, we have free buses along my commute!

I am looking to get my miles in commuting! 5 days, and recover on weekends! Funny thing, unless I have a really strong head wind, I can do this in an 1 1\2 hrs.. It takes me an 1 hr by car ... The traffic is very slow moving here...It's a tourist area!

I much rather be on the bike then in the car!

I big thing is the nutrition! I have to learn to recover and fuel up in the 8hrs between rides!

Nutrition wise you might want to start increasing your carb intake. Before your ride a slower burning carb like oatmeal may be a good idea. During your ride something along the lines of simple sugars may help (gatorade, dextrose, and such). After your ride perhaps a simple sugar again then back to a slower burning carb.

Sometimes it may just be trial and error as well, where you prefer a faster carb before a ride and then a slower carb afterwards. I also believe their is a training and nutrition subforum or try the search function for nutrition, refeuling, or recovery. From my readings everyone is different and you might need to experiment (i.e. large breakfast, coffee/orange juice only then refeul at job, protien/carb shake, etc.).