For the past ten years, I was lucky enough to work for an employer with flexible working hours - not true flexitime, we still had to do 7.5 hours each day, but within reasonable limits I was able to choose my own start and finish times. Given this I fairly consistently worked from 8am to 4pm, home well before 5 and out of the door at 5pm. Great, as it meant I could easily get in a 2 hour ride without needing lights till early October, and still be back in time for tea 🙂
New job is a little more restrictive though and I'm not leaving till 5pm, sometimes later. I don't like eating too late (I normally eat around 6 to 6.30pm if not riding), so it's a toss-up between riding early and being hungry, or eating a quick tea before riding. I actually find that if I skip tea it will affect my riding, I can't concentrate and make simple mistakes.
I know some people would think I'm pretty odd, eating at 6.30 (yes, some people would consider me pretty odd anyway thanks Binners / pook / hora et al before you get in there), but hey, that's the way I amm I've managed for the best part of 40 years so I'm not going to change too drastically now!
Anyway, I was just idly wondering how other people balance the work / ride / eat scenario?
I eat some nuts and raisons or a banana before the ride and maybe have some energy stuff during.
Am more of a late eater usually though.
sandwich 5ish
ride 7 for a couple of hours
beers/crisps
home for 10 and dinner in the microwave. 😀
My work pretty flexible with this sort of thing. Im only 10 mins walk from my home so can be out of the office at 5 and out on the bike by half past. Prob tomorrow night if the weather continues to play nicely.
I can't eat much more than a piece of toast or a banana before I ride, if I'm going to have anything substantial I make sure I eat 3-4 hours before I ride otherwise I end up with trail pizza! I can eat at work though so can just work out when I need to eat and have my food accordingly! I work shifts so this is not a problem I come across often though.
home for 10 and dinner in the microwave.
😯 I'm normally yawning and heading upstairs shortly after that, 11pm is a late night for me. Couldn't start eating at 10pm!
True flexi here. Takes me 45 mins to get home though. I was out on the Chameleon at 4:45 yesterday for a quick Water Parks scoot. Back for soup at 7pm.
Working til 6:30 today and then off to the Track Champs (free entry!)
11pm? Too late? Whats wrong with you man! 11pm is still technically before last orders
Go out and ride, a few pints after (til last orders, obviously), then a kebab on the way home. Hey... I don't make the rules 😀
I ride with a bunch of friends and we meet at 7.30pm, giving most folks time to get home and grab some food. I tend to eat a light (or half portion) meal before I go and then something when I get back.
The down side of it is that I'm often not home till 10pm and am usually wide awake for the next couple of hours... Trying to ride to work more at the mo to make the most of the (just) light evenings for now.
I don't ride very long in the evenings [1 - 1.5hrs]. Finish work at 5 and I will ride from my door so leave at 6-6.15 if I got things ready to go before I left for work. Then back for food which has hopefully been cooked for me. Unfortunately that rarely happens so didn't eat until 8.15 last night 👿
Finish at 17:00hrs, home for 17:30. Eat about 18:30, then out and riding at 19:00hrs..
Not ideal, but better than riding out then eating late on IMHO...
Having said that, I can be often be found riding Delmere at 04:30hrs before work...
Home for 07:00hrs, S.S.S then work for 08:45..
Night shift this week so like to get a couple of rides in. Get off around 7.00 and get to work around 10.00
Machine pie, huge coffee and off we go.
Had a brill one last night. Clear and warm 🙂
I know some people would think I'm pretty odd, eating at 6.30
What d'you mean?
Tea time init? - main meal of the day for the civilised
I would agree uplink, but I know people who don't start cooking til 8pm!
I finish at 5pm and am back at my flat for 6pm (13mile ride home) when it's lighter I'll go out after that for a couple of hours.
Eating wise, if I'm going out after my ride home I'll have a decent lunch and then a snack at around 4pm, when I get in I'll generally have a banana and a forgoodness shake or similar, then off to bed.
Get up at 6am and ride back into work 🙄 eat brekkie adn carry on as normal
I don't usually leave work until about 7pm - then it's either dinner and not ride (my usual choice) or ride and not eat... Or not eat until 11 or so. Trying to be a little more organised about it this winter though.
Finish work at 18:30. Quick bite to eat then meet at 20:00 for riding. Usually don't finish riding until around 23:00. By the time i've got home washed the bike and had a shower and some supper it's close to 1:00.
Work at 8:00 the next day 🙁
iam quite lucky my work allows for quite flexiable starts and finishes so like tonite i knew i was going out for a ride tonite so started early and finished early(16:00)sandwich and couple of coffees,out at 18:00 2hr ride home get washed and changed have tea after that.
p.s thanks too posting on here iam now running late 😳
I can't eat anything solid for at least 3 hours before a hard ride otherwise I feel like cack.
Usually its:
late afternoon drink something evil and stimulating
finish work get changed ( get strange itchy sensation form evil drink), chuck bikes in car (get twitchy and slightly manic from aforementioned brew)
and meet up with other riders in a pub car park or dogging hotspot about 6 ish (wait for the late comers, who are usually the ones who live closest) ride for a few hours, find pub go home for a nice banana smoothie to help make me sleepy like a baby
i eat after around 11.00pm.its the only way i can do it .
normally a pizza in the oven whilst i hose the bike down .yes homlmfirth is filty all year round .
Leave work at 5.30ish - back home by 6.00 - out on bike by 6.30ish.
May grab a few biscuits or a slice of toast before the ride and will eat afterwards at 9ish.
I always eat with the family anyway so it's a 6-6:30 main meal for us
I rarely go out riding after that but occasionally [tomorrow] I will
I tend to stick to weekend only rides and running in the Winter
In the Summer, I'll mainly do very early 4-5 am and back for breakfast
Finish work at 4.45, on Mam Tor by 4.55.
I really dont make enough of where i work
We are usually riding for 7 in my group. But for tonights solo I was out for 5.30!!!
Got in at 6.30 and just got back from a quick ride this second. Them woods are getting dark!
I'm self employed so I work/ride whenever suits me best, today as it was so nice, I started early and downed tools around 2 to spend the rest of the avo riding. Tomorrow will no doubt be the same!
I'm still at work. Night rides are a thing of the past for me in my current job.
Will be home for around 10pm, in work again for just after 7am.
Still, at least I love my job.**
[i]**This may or may not be utter cobblers[/i]
I am pretty lucky in that i finish work 1600hrs Mon and Wed and 12 on Friday, always have bike with me so ride starts when i finish, eat when i get back.
If i finished later (1700hr) then i would eat main meal at lunch, snake before ride and something light when i got in.
Self employed 😛
Finish by 2-3 most days, spent this arvo drinking Bud and playing geetar...
eat main meal at lunch, snake before ride and something light when i got in.
exotic!
I do a week on/week off shift, and really struggle to motivate myself to ride after work. Not ideal as I have week on/week off exercise. I'm on my feet for all of my 12hr shift. Any tips on how to get my ass outta the door? Back on shift tomorrow. I always feel so much better if I do have a spin after work, but it's rare I choose bike over dinner.
Finish at 4pm, home by 4:40, quick snack, bike on car by 17:30, Rivington Pike by 18:00, back to the car by 19:30 and home at 20:00.
Ride to work, Ride home via local spot. Most nights there by 5.30ish can be earlier if I can knock off a bit early. Started carrying lights this week, dark under the trees by 7 now.
Have a sandwich at lunch, and a SIS energy drink on the ride. Dinner at 8.30ish normally. I found without the drink I have a rubbish ride and just kind of turn the wheels, with the drink I zip around and enjoy myself much more
When I'm feeling super keen I'll ride in via the woods, normally early in the year when the mornings are getting lighter.
I too keep telling myself how lucky I am everytime I moan about my job...
For me with the benefit of flexitime, finsh at 4, home by 5.20 out on the bike by half 5 at the moment to make the most of the remaining light. Am going to try and find some trails near work (Halifax) so i can do some rides from there straight after work and get more light.
If I'm riding in the evening I'll slope out of work at 4.30pm, bus home and then out on my bike at 5.45pm til about 8.30pm.
I just stuff my face with whatever between getting home and heading out- usually a cadburys elevenses bar or something. Then have a full meal when I get back.
No 'proper' lights though, so the rides are now getting shorter and also faster.
As for food, I honestly think I could eat a full sunday roast and then go out riding, my only fear is getting hungry when I'm out, not the other way round. Not tried this yet though tbf.
finish work at 5:15 but don't usually head out for a ride until my son's on his way to bed around 7 - 7:15 so get back 9ish and then have dinner. I do have a snack before heading out though.
finish at 4.45, 30 min ride home, scrambled eggs(4) and a tin of beans, pint of orange juice, shower and ride 7.30 til 10 ish....
I'm a house husband with a busy self-employed pregnant partner..
so my working day is usually about 7am - 8pm, 7 days per week..
normally riding by 7.30-8
jelly babies and coke(-a cola) to keep me going
tea about 10.30
Midweek rides...usually get home, do the tea, hand over to Wife & put mine in the oven. On the Chase for 7pm usually. Cant eat before a ride. Riding pal does, but I'll usually grab a banana then eat around 9 - 9:30. Works for me.
When I was working in that London (recently) and catching the 06:37 train then getting back home over 12 hrs later I was going to bed between 21:30 and 22:00 😯
Now I'm 15 mins bike commute from home and pushing the boat out with craaaaaazy 22:30 bedtimes 🙂
home from work anytime between 5 and 6pm usually, food and bedtime stories for the girls, change and out on trails around 7.30pm.
For food I usually try and eat a big lunch if I know I am going for a night ride and will then just have beans on toast/sandwich with family before I go out and then some cereal when I get back.
If travelling for a night ride usually home a bit earlier, grab a snack pick up mates and on the road to meet the chain gang for a 7pm start, ride for usually 2 hours then to pub for a debrief, home usually around midnight 😯 I can't wait to get fit again to start it all 😉
i often cant get home before 6.30pm and by this time i sometimes find it difficult to get out on the bike unless i go straight from the door as i like a bit of grub before i leave and some time to settle.
This means making to any club rides around here fairly difficult. I do the odd morning ride and this friday i'll cycle to work and take the scenic route home but i find fitting in rides especially over winter fairly difficult and find it easier to go for a run with the misues instead.
Blimey, i rarely eat before 8/8:30pm.
Try and finish work 6ish and ride straight away for a couple of hours on a Wednesday, Usualy ride twice at 6am a week as well, once into work for an hour of singletrack lushness and then the other way which is about 1.5hrs.
I always try and eat a snacklette at 4ish if I am going for a decent ride on the way home then cook when i get home. Takes a bit of prep to get organised.
I'm riding to and from work a lot lately, just to get rides in before the clocks change. Work is 6 miles from home to the North East and I usually do 10 miles in the morning and 12 to 15 in the evening. Trouble is, the sun seems to be bang in front of me in the morning and evening. I guess that's what the peak on an MTB lid is for.