Liz's Home and Garden Blog: Farewell and Adieu

Someone said to me the other day that I should blog about cycling to work. It seems like an opportune time to do it now, as I've just got rid of the bike that I've been cycling on for the past ten years - have just ordered a new one, very excited! - and have just moved out of the building I've been cycling to for the past ten years - we started in a brand new, beautiful, purpose-built work building on Monday.

So - I cycle to work. It's 5 miles each way, and takes 20-30 minutes on the way, and 35-45 minutes on the way back (it's hilly). I know the times because I used to have a little computer on my bike which told me exciting things like speed, distance, average speed etc. I used to race to see if I could beat my time to get in/home every day. I got the to work journey down to 19 minutes once. To digress slightly, I don't do speed. I'm very far from a runner, and even when I was at my fittest with non-knackered knees I could only run 9.30 minute miles. When I did the Great Notts Bikeride - 82.5 miles, although it was meant to be 75 - I was overtaken by every other person in the 75 mile category, and a fair few in the 50 mile category (although they were racers rather than normal cyclists, were wearing unnaturally tight lycra and were not carrying six litres of water and a substantial picnic in their panniers like I was). What I do do is stamina. I have walked over 20 miles in a day before, and I pottered very happily around the 80 mile Great Notts Bikeride at my own pace. It's my ambition to do 100 miles in a day on the bike.

Anyway, to return to cycling to work. When I see people in the corridors when I'm dressed in my cycling gear they usually ask me how far I cycle. When I tell them, they gasp and say "you must be so fit!". Er, no! Anyone under the age of about 60 who's in relatively good health can cycle 5 miles, even if they don't think they can, so cycling to work and back every day doesn't make me fit at all. It's a nice baseline, but I try to do other exercise as well (am in a bit of a hiatus other exercise-wise due to lack of classes in Durham...but that's a tale for another time). While you don't need to be fit to cycle 5 miles to work and 5 miles back, you do need to be a) organised, b) not bothered by not looking your best at work and c) determined. Regarding a) and b), cycling to work is a pain. You have to pack your clothes for the day, in my case in the old building you have to have a wipe-down with wet-wipes when you get to work and go around with helmet hair all day as there's no shower, and you have to get changed in a random disabled toilet as there are no changing rooms. The new building has showers and changing rooms - I'm so excited. Regardng c), most of the time when I cycle to work in Spring, Autumn and Winter, it's hideous. Cold, windy, rainy, dark...eugh. However, the Summer makes up for it all, and even in bad weather it's a brilliant feeling to get to work feeling all exercised and smug, and it's a brilliant buffer between a day at work and home.

I took some photos of my old bike and the old work building the other day to show you the cycling-to-worok routine.

After getting showered and having breakfast, it's time to lay out the work clothes (you'll see why I didn't need a whole outfit later).