Today is Cycle To Work Day in the UK, and we’re all being encouraged to try riding to work. Yes, you all ride mountain bikes (if you don’t, how did you get here?). But we wonder if you ride to work? And if you don’t, why?
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Maybe you’d love to ride to work but can’t see how to fit it in? Maybe you can’t quite get round to bothering. Here are a few reasons why we think you should. Though we can’t promise that you’ll have quite so much fun as Phil The Horse is having in this video from Morvelo.
You can’t stop and look at the view when you’re in the car. Well, you could, but you’d probably get beeped at. The views from your bike can be really quite nice – and taking a scenic photo is always a good excuse for a rest after a stiff climb.
The water should not be all the way down there – in fact there have been times where there would have been waves splashing up to this point. We should all be worried about climate change, and riding to work might just help save the planet.
Sitting in traffic is rubbish. Waiting for the train to be assigned a platform is also rubbish. Finding your way round a herd of cows can be an adventure – or you can just wave your arms and they’ll move on. You can’t do that with roadworks.
When was the last time your commute was fun? Actual grin inducing whooping fun? If you can achieve that in a car, you probably need a speeding ticket.
Ok, we know we’re really lucky to have pleasant off road options for getting to work, but even the on road option has its benefits. Not least that we can justifiably have a second breakfast once we get to work.
If you’re not riding to work, what’s holding you back? Let us know in the poll, or the comments below.
Comments (22)
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I’m unemployed!
should be an option for I Do, but not every day. because I’m lazy. 🙂
Needs an option for work from home. Although I guess riding the stairs could fall into the too dangerous/too hilly categories.
I do, as much as I can, 3-4 times a week usually. Got a nice 12-mile route that’s about 1/3 back roads, 1/3 farm tracks and 1/3 singletrack, is 100% legal and works year-round. My employer provides loads of bike parking, showers and lockers. Loads of options for XC return routes up to 33miles to come the long way home! Pretty lucky and couldn’t wish for more really (well, apart from more-considerate car drivers, but let’s not started on that one …)
Working from home. I suppose I could ride the 5 metres or so to the garden gate and back…
My bed is 4 metres from my desk. There is no space for a bike in there.
I do when I can i.e. not having to pick children up on the way home. I’m not going to lie though I often wimp out when the weather is pants. Not always but enough to mention it. P.S. I’m loving this summer we’re having.
Retired option required, but cycle from home to Home by various routes regularly, even see the Singletrack workers out working
38 miles each way.
Rode home the quick way once, but took 3.5h on an MTB – 34 miles.
I used to ride to work always – even in the coldest winter, record being -32 Celsius for the 26 km commute.
Lately I´ve had some motivational problems getting on the bike in the mornings (thats what you may get when also wrenching on other peoples bikes all day long – sometimes you just feel like you don´t even want to see bikes) – but this summer I got an E-MTB. Commuting on that machine is a whole different thing…When I don´t feel like riding, I just take that and put it on maximum assist 🙂
Need an option for those of us who don’t go to an office, carry a lot of stuff, visit several sites in a day
I live on one island and work on a different island. But I do cycle to the ferry pier…
Every job till this one has been local, and I commuted everyday off road. Work balance is key for me, to the point if the job is not local I am not very interested, my salary would almost double if I went to London. Thankfully the current role is remote working, so mostly commute to my living room. We could cut congestion by half, all these people walk out of their house past the computer and phone to undertake a miserable expensive commute to arrive at a dull office and then sit in front of another computer and phone. That’s madness. We have all the technology to be entirely remote based. I am in the office today, because they like to see my smiling face, apart from 5min of pleasantries I will spend the entire day on conference calls or my computers with no other interaction. Yesterday I worked from home, did my work, exercised, saw friends at lunch and was ready for my evening ride. etc
Picking up kids, dropping off kids, doing the shopping on the way home, got to be home quick to get out later.
That’s my week stuffed. :-/
Ride every day because it’s quicker than walking the mile. Excited to be moving further from work so I’ll get a nine mile, largely off-road commute each way! Hope the kids enjoy it as much as I will 😀
12 mile round commute (ish) into Manchester along the canals. Only road bits are 500m or so from my house to the canal and about 100m at the other end. Absolutely love it, particularly the lack of traffic lights (which are more of a bugbear than motorists, most of the time), though already eyeing up a “gravel” bike as my racer is getting a bit beaten up by the cobbled sections and can only get 25mm tyres with mudguards in it..
I do ride everyday, however my way to work is not far and only through the city so it’s not really exciting and doesn’t feel like exercising to me.. 😉
30 miles to work on main roads to do 7.30 to 17.00 for 12 days in row, sadly not really pratical for me.
Plus as work in scrap yard with no wash facilities or changing room or safe place for a bike I will use car for work and bike for relaxation 🙂
My commute is between 15 and 20 minutes, and just around 3 miles. I’ve bought waterproof shorts – a revelation, despite the great summer we’ve had. I have managed to keep it fun by practicing my wheelies through a quiet park, improving my trackstands to the extent that I can now generally do the journey with no dabs, and have found some steps that I’ve been attempting to ride up, getting closer to the full set with each attempt. Love it.
It takes longer to get the bike out and lock it up when I get there than it saves compared to walking in. I’d quite like a slightly longer commute.
Several of the vote options:
It’s too far – 20 miles each way with no off road option. Which leads to…
Not enough time
Nowhere safe to keep a bike at work.
Plus I share the car with my partner who works nearby.
Despite that, I’m working up to trying the bike trip at least once to see how it goes.
I live in Southampton and work in Manchester – airplane is easier