I don't understand it.

• home is higher elevation by a bit
• I'm pumping harder in the mornings
• I like my job and have no dread about it
• ride home has stop signs and stop lights at the bottom of the biggest descents

...and yet I'm consistently getting better time going home.

The only factors I can think of are: heavier traffic going to work, so longer waits at stoplights, I'm more warmed up from spending 9 hours sitting in front of a computer screen?

Thoughts?

I'd bet it is the traffic slowing you down.

Yup, traffic.

For me it's just the opposite. I'm almost always faster going to work in the mornings. There's little traffic at that time.

I shower almost every morning, unless I did just before bed.

Do you eat brekkie and have time for it to digest a while before the morning commute?

i am also slower in the morning. according to a doctor friend of mine it could be just a case of not being fully awake...
how much faster are you in the afternoon?

I know that I compare actual riding times. How are you comparing the two? How are you measuring your ride times? With the 510 and 810 I use I am able to break down actual moving time vs elapsed time. This seems to be the best way to compare the two for me, not to mention you can pull up both trips and break down durations on particular segments (To/ from). I am fairly even on a commute that has similar ending elevations when I take the elapsed time out of the equation. Lights run on different schedules so you have to figure that can cause longer overall time for one or the other.

I know I'm slower in the morning, quite a bit slower even if I push it. For me it's a combination of not being warmed up and habit and training. I used to take mornings easy deliberately, to stay relatively fresh, and the body adjusts to that.

Also as a couple of people mentioned, no breakfast no coffee, it's just get up and go. That probably has something to do with it.

How about wind direction or wind strength? That's the biggest time difference factor for me.

The only way to find out anything is gather hard data. If that doesn't work, submit your question to the '41, throwing in bits about tires, air density, and average speed. Just kidding. :-)

Measure the time moving vs the time not moving would be the first and easiest test. Use 2 different pieces of equipment and methods, maybe 3. Might go like this:

Total moving time measurement: Regular bike computer with autostop.
Non-moving time measurement: get a cheap stopwatch on your bars or wrist for every time you are stopped in traffic, collecting the total time stopped.
Lap times or segment times: Use your smartphone with an app like Endomondo, Strava, etc that records lap times along with a mapped chart showing your speeds, also with autostop.

Now you have 3 different pieces of data, from 3 different devices, and there should be a strong correlation between the data. Do this for a week so you can get 5 points / 5 runs. Now you have total ride time (measured), total non-moving time (measured and calculated), lap times, and speed / time charts from your app.

Actually, I'm really curious how this works out. Love to see the results.

I'm always slower with " distractions" on the bike path. Or headwind.

I'm fairly consistent I suppose...but that has only been once I started eating a little before leaving. I notice that too when I do Saturday morning rides...I just ride better after eating a little something. Though my speed commuting doesn't really bother me or matter to me. I'll be slow some days, faster other days...I just try to enjoy the ride. I know the parts where I have to dig down and push myself if I want to do better time wise, but really a few minutes is a few minutes. There isn't any real difference to me if it takes me 42 minutes vs 46 minutes.

Seems to be more headwind in the afternoon, adding to the mystery.

As for my data gathering, that's through an app (Map My Ride). Difference isn't huge, maybe a minute on a 23 minute commute, but curious nevertheless.

I was going to say my morning commutes are slow because I'm a little tired and I like to avoid getting to work all worn out. Then I looked at my spreadsheet (I'm a geek, feel free to judge if you must), I found my mornings are slightly faster this year - I was surprised.

For the record, I averaged only rides that were on the same route using the same time standard (moving time for my spreadsheet). I noticed I like to use the 'direct' route more in the morning than afternoon (2014: 49 vs 22), I run errands on the way home from work and mix up my routes for fun.

My route is North/South, so winds are equally varied. If your commute is East/West you could see a consistent wind-effect on your commutes, assuming dominate winds out of the West.

The only way to get a good feel for your commute times is to look at statistics over a long period of time over the exact same route. By using a larger sample, you minimize the wind, lights, traffic, and other variable issues.

I'm always slower in the morning. The ride seems harder, and my heart rate is higher.

Going home is faster, seems easy, and my heart rate is lower.

Clearly something to do with physiology. There are studies which show that this holds true for many people. Possibly our ancestors didn't have to run so fast in the morning while the lions were still asleep.

Oh...wait - 1 (one) minute on 23 minute commute? 4.3%? NM. I consider at least twice that an allowable variation, so any input I have isn't really worth the effort... sorry.

You use Strava or any other tracking app? They should also give you an estimate of "moving time", which is what I typically use to compare my rides as it should (theoretically) remove the impact of *JUST* missing a few lights on the commute. Word of warning though; if you're using strictly a GPS-based tracker, these moving time estimates may be a bit wonky, so take them with a grain of salt (unless your commute is long enough to average some error out). If you've got a wheel magnet, the moving time vs elapsed time difference should be more reliable.

+1

The other advantage I find to tracking Strava segments using my 510 is that even if I miss traffic lights or something, I can see how I'm doing on individual segments from one day to another (presumably unaffected or less affected by lights). Slightly tangential to the OP's morning vs afternoon question.

Warmed up later in the day, as well as fuel in your belly.

That's it for me. You said it best.

The only thing that ever really slows me down consistently is traffic & !%$#@# drivers that cut me off or make illegal moves so that i have to slow or stop or wait for another cycle at a light. People that pull way in front of the stop line also screw u the traffic light senors in the road, creating headaches for multiple parties. I've ridden one particular route in all kinds of weather, with or without groceries, and the traffic volume & pattern is always always always the main, if not singular variable in determining trip time.

Perhaps you could try being a bit more assertive & see if you can shave a bit of time off while not inciting motorist ire?

- Andy

I haven't been cycling that long, but I am definitely way slower running in the morning than the afternoon. It is still better than not working out at all that day and my running race times improve even with only morning runs. If you read the running message boards, most people agree that the best time of day to run is when it fits in your schedule.

I'm faster in the morning. I'm usually running late, because I'm not a morning person. Arriving late isn't an option, so I'm always trying to make up time anywhere I can along the route. Going home, I'm less hurried, so I don't have to push myself so hard.

I am faster in the morning, but I'm not sure why. I don't have any breakfast, just 16 oz of water and 40 minutes after getting out of bed, I am on the bike and heading for work. Perhaps the breeze is always in the same direction and aids the morning ride. I wouldn't be surprised if it's just a matter of being better rested in the morning.

My time is just about the same going to and from work unless there is a significant headwind, construction projects, etc. But, going home always feels faster (unless there is a really bad headwind). For me, I think it is related to being happy to leave work and work out the days stresses. Though, another factor is that I am stiffer in the morning. I feel like it takes me longer to warm up, compared to the ride home.