As I tweeted yesterday, Emma picked up an awesome bicycle on Friday so that I can get started on cycling to work. I have two motivations for doing it; to get fit and to save some money on petrol each month. Getting fitter is the reason I am looking forward to doing it though.
Today being a Sunday, I figured it would be a good chance to do a trial run before the commute tomorrow, so that I have an idea of how long it will realistically take me. It takes 30 minutes in the car to travel the six miles to work, so I am hoping on the bike it will take about the same time, as traffic will be less of an issue. Will update below the fold when I return.
Just got back from the ride, and I'm totally exhausted. This was the first bit of cycling I have done in over two years, so it was going to be a challenge starting out with a 12-mile run to the office and back. I managed to do the first six miles there in about 35 minutes, which I was definitely pleased with. When using the car it takes about 30 minutes due mostly to the traffic, so an extra five on the bike seems pretty good to me.
After a long rest and a drink of water I turned around and headed back home. This felt much harder, as all the steep hills I had sailed down on the way there became punishing uphill climbs. My house is 55 feet higher than the office, but there are a lot of hills along the route and the roads go up and down a lot along the way. I completed the journey home in 40 minutes, and had the satisfaction of sailing past all the cars stuck in traffic. Hopefully the journey tomorrow will not be such a struggle.
