Straight to Work or the long way; at the usual pace or Time Trial?
 

Just starting a new thread because I've read all the others... How many go straight to work (or straight home) as opposed to taking a longer route and does the pace change, the usual versus an accelerated clip?

Since this winter was exceptionally normal here in Minnesota as opposed to our unseasonably snowless and warm in recent years I have stuck to the straight to work and straight home deal. I have stretched it recently but not as much as I will when "biking weather" is more fully upon us. A few times a week I will glance at my watch and work a bit more on the ride to run a time challenge of sorts. Because I rode a 29'er SS this winter I tend to spin out. I have a more heavily geared old steel Bridgestone SS that I'll clip into when I switch and this will be more of a challenge on both ends. I will roll my original commuter (old steel geard Bianchi) but do love the SS...

How's about anyone else?

For the year I've averaged 17.6 mph at 132bpm (62% HRR) for my commutes. The easiest commute was 110 bpm (47%HRR) and the hardest was 158 bpm (80% HRR). The slowest was 13.5 mph and the fastest was 22.3 mph, incidentally they weren't the easiest or the hardest ones due to wind conditions.

My commute is net downhill to work and net uphill from work. So my averages for the morning are 18.1 mph @ 60%HRR while my evening rides average out 17 mph @ 64% HRR. I never take a detour but I do ride at lunch on most days 10-20 miles depending on the day.

I'm a runner so cycling is just a way to burn some extra calories and cross train. I usually run 70-80 mpw but right now I'm dealing with an injury so I barely run. YTD I'm at 273 miles ran and 1,318 miles rode. Doesn't look like I'm much of a runner, does it? Last year I ran 3,456 miles and rode 7.

When I use to commute I took the fastest most direct route to work, but at night I took a detour home. This was so I wouldn't arrive at work smelling like the cat who just killed and ate a carp. Just make sure you use full lighting in case work lets out when it's dark or it will become dark as you ride.

Through the winter, I too have been stuck on the most direct route most of the time.

I prefer other routes and like to use different ones for the variety. I like to use a different route going to work and coming home, and I don't like repeating any route on two consecutive days. But for the most part, that's a three-seasons thing.

Since during winter my home-bound trip is after dark, that's almost always straight home. I can think of only one or two exceptions this winter. In fair weather, I'll generally take a medium-length route home.

It's going to work when I'm most likely to take a longer route, and even in winter it shows in my figures. Forty percent of my commuting miles so far this year are coming home, 60% are going to work. By the end of the year, that spread is typically 70-30.

As for speed, stoplights and traffic really limit that. Weather too. I keep track of personal bests on each route in each direction, but few of them are due to extra effort on my part. It's just how things have worked out on that particular day--more green lights and less traffic than usual. Although I do like to race the cars, especially coming home.

It's dead flat around here except for a line of hills along the city's southern edge. One of my favorite routes chains the hills together, which of course, kills average speed.

While I like to move along at a good clip, and have been known to race cars, it's not really speed that I'm looking for on my commute. For the most part, I keep track of the numbers just to establish a "par" time for the whole route and key waypoints along it, so that I know I'm going to be on time, and can re-route if not. After that, it's about enjoying the ride. The variety keeps that part up. All my longer routes involve something interesting along the way, not just distance for the sake of distance.

In the winter I take the fastest way to work about ten miles, but when the sun comes out I take the long way home about twenty miles one way. Some times even thirty if I have the time. In the NW he summers are brilliant and needs to be savored.

Oh, btw my commute the straight way is 15+ miles.

My direct route to work is 9 miles, and I always take that going into work, I find it hard to muster up the extra energy at 5:00am. On the way home I have 4 different routes that I take ranging from straight home to 32 miles with 2,000' gain. It is nice to have variety to the weekday rides, when I need to get home quick its less than 1/2 hour from my work to my front door, but when I have time after work it is nice to spend 2 hours enjoying the afternoon.

this year ive decided to take the long way to work which effectively doubles my distance

only times that are different is if im feeling lazy in the morning so i sleep in and take the (now) short way, or if im feeling tired and/or have something to do after work to again take the short way

and every day is a time trial, always trying to beat yesterday

I usually go a direct route. However, I have a gym at work so I either work out after I get there or before I leave my house. If I feel like only riding for my workout, I usually ride longer. If I'm doing upper body lift days, I will push it pretty good. Yesterday I squatted so I took a leisurely pace today. Riding is an "extra" on top of whatever other workout I do.

Depends. I use the commute for training several times a week. Sometimes it's intervals, sometimes it's tempo, often it's recovery. My direct route between home and office is only 4 miles, so any training ride/commute typically involves a detour of 5-25 miles.

My winter commute used to be a 30 km round trip... in the summer that was often 60km as I really liked to take the long way there and back and would sometimes hit some single track before and after work or get in some road miles.

+1, except there is no clock or speedometer. I'm always trying to increase my cadence.

Up until now I have taken the shortest safe route. Looking to start taking a longer route as my weight loss has plateaued over the past few weeks.

This is what I do. 4.3 miles in, and anywhere between 9 and 15 miles home.

This was my first winter of biking (very limited though, only 5 days between Jan 1 and the end of last week) and due to the (as another poster said it) "normal" winter of much snow, a lack of studded tires or even decent knobbies, and an unwillingness to compete with cars for space on the snowy, icy, slippery roads, I took the shortest route and along the sidewalks (4km each way). However, the roads are wider now, the snow at the edges of the roads is receding with the milder temperatures (and the warmth of the sun) and this week I've been riding on the roads but still the 4km route.

My regular route is 16km each way although, because of cycling goals I wish to achieve, I will do a 27km route on the way home every couple of days, and then there is the "after Friday's work" 60km trip to the camp during the summer months, not exactly a commuting route but better than 4km to the car for the ride to camp.

I have different routes I can take but all average about the same distance 11-12miles. I can take a short cut off road through some trails at the golf course when the snow leaves and that shortens it up some. I use that shorter route in the summer as it usually is warm out and I like to shorten up the trip some. Saving my energy for the weekend rides if I can fit them in.

Every day I commute by bike, it's a time trial because I'm a chronic oversleeper. ;)

Minnesota rider too. In the winter it is always the most direct route that is plowed best and safest in the dark. Once it gets nice out I'll go longer whenever I have the time or make the time.

I always ride at a good pace, but those real head down time trials on the commuter only happen on days when I messed up and need to get home soon. I do the hard and long rides on the weekends either on road rides or mountain biking.

i have two basic routes to work. one is super-direct, 12 miles straight as an arrow, and 100% on crowded, congested city streets. the other route, the scenic route, is only a little longer at 14.5 miles, but the middle 7.5 mile section of it takes me along chicago's glorious lake shore. the lakeshore route almost always wins unless it's obnoxiously windy out on the lakefront. i generally try to hit it fairly hard just because of the distances involved and the fact that there never seems to be enough hours in the day.

as for stretching my commute route even further, at around an hour each way, i figure that's enough selfish me-time as it is everyday; I don't want to push it with other commitments.

My main goal is to maintain a high cadence during the morning 3-9% climb. When I am feeling energetic I will add a detour to council crest (1070 feet) or do repeats up Tabor (636 feet). My average speed including stops hovers in the 19 range. My top speed is around 40. I have been passed only 5 times on my commute in the past decade. The most interesting humiliation was a woman who absolutely smoked me on a light blue and white Trek 1.2 WSD single speed conversion.

I usually take the shortest/fastest option which works out to about 16 mi. round trip cycling. However . . . my commute is split by 11 miles on the Metro rail, and there really aren't any scenic or climbing options on the Los Angeles end.

On the Norwalk to La Mirada end I do have some options, and a few short climbs, but it's all in the midst (or beside) of evening commute auto traffic, so not that much fun. If I want to do some bonus miles and real climbing I can detour into Whittier hills and climb Turnbull Canyon, etc. but if I'm going to do that I'll stop by home and drop off my back-pack first.

Pace wise, there really are too many stop lights and parked cars (watch for doors!) to hammer too much, but occasionally do stop-light intervals.

Rick / OCRR

Minneapolis commuter here as well - downtown Minneapolis to Burnsville. Straight home it is. Because of my slower pace in the winter due to the studded tires, I get my "extra" riding in without even trying. I really enjoyed the whole winter riding thing for a bout two months - but the last month and a half has been kind of a grind. I feel like I've been getting slower as the winter has dragged on, which is hard to take.

Hoping spring weather is the antidote to burnout.

Since I got my new bike, I take the scenic route 9 times out of 10. This increases my miles for 6 to 8-10, so it is not really a big deal. On days like today, when it is in the70s and absolutely gorgeous or, I got 3 rides in totaling 39 miles. Commuting to and from work, and a nice lunch time ride with a friend. The mid day ride was the only push it ride, otherwise I average 16-17 mph.

My commute is a bit less than 4 miles, slight net downhill in the morning and slight net uphill in the afternoon. In the morning I always take the most direct route, as it is 5:00 am there is no traffic and just a couple of lights, which I actually stop at, and I do it in about 10 minutes. My favorite part is riding west on NE Couch which is slightly downhill, then taking the S curve onto the Burnside Bridge, where I usually sprint as hard as I can to the center of the bridge. I get to work with my heart rate elevated and feeling great. I actually like it best when it is raining, it is particularly invigorating.

On the way home, I don't go far out of my way but there are a couple different routes that I do. Depends on which bridge I feel like crossing, if I want to stop at VeloCult for a beer or City Bikes to look for a used part, or go to the gym.

I'm somewhat motivated to not be passed and to pass, but I use the Silly Commuter Racing "rules". Which basically means I "have" to pass anyone but a roadie in Lycra. I'm not adamant about it, and am willing to hang behind someone for awhile if the lane is crowded. I fail to catch someone, or get passed, maybe once a month. When summer comes, I seem to lose a bit more often.

It is almost impossible for me to leave the house earlier than I need to. I am always leaving at the last minute and just don't have time to meander off losing valuable time. When I get off from work I sometimes take a different route, but nothing much longer than my normal route.

I almost never take any other than 2 routes going to work, both of which have the same exact ~9mi start. I just don't like having to get up early, bother thinking about it, or deviate from what I think is the safest/easiest/simplest way to get there. Sometimes I will get the itch to do something special in the morning though, and before those days I thoroughly plan it out first. I am much more likely, however, to take alternates/side trips/long way heading home, and much more likely to do so on a whim.