… but I don’t know if I can be @rsed. Cirencester to Swindon (yes, to Nationwide of woods behind fame).

I used to do a ten mile commute which was fine, but I don’t know if 20 will be too long in time and/or distance. It’s got to take about an hour and a quarter, plus shower/change time, so that’s an hour and a half door-to-desk time.

Maybe I’ll try the drive in, ride back, ride in, drive back for a week or two see how that goes. Hmm…

It’ll be on country lanes, converted railway lines and roads, on a probably 32c tyred crosser. Sorry, ‘gravel bike’.

I used to. I found it pretty wearing doing it every day and that was when I was fit.

two or three times a week was better.

I do, but not all the time. I did it quite regularly and the time really starts to add up. But it’s nice to do it a few times a week.

used to do 18 each way now it’s 14 or 15 each way, 2 days a week is great and I end up going the long way home where I can, 3 days works too but 4 or 5 becomes a chore

Yep 25 miles here, love it! but I’ve got sympathetic boss and colleagues.
Started off doing drive in cycle home as you suggest for a few months to get the fitness up now happily doing 150 miles a week (3 days per week). Great way to get the fitness up but plays havoc with family commitments as it’s essentially a 12 hr day!

I used to do 16 each way but couldn’t be arsed to ride on the weekend after a full week so took the train Mondays and Fridays.

As I don’t need a car in the evenings and I am single I work my commuting like this –

Monday drive to work then ride home
Tuesday ride both ways
Wednesday ride in then drive home
Thursday drive in then ride home
Friday ride in then drive home

Minimum distance is 20 miles but I did a couple of 65 mile rides home last month. I was riding anywhere between 125 and 200 miles a week. When I first started this job I was riding in excess of 250 miles a week, commuting both ways every day. But I was 13 years younger, fitter and more stupid!

So yes, it’s perfectly possible but a lot depends on your life outside the bike.

20 miles here, but I get the train in the morning, which seems to work quite nicely. Also gives me the option of picking and choosing if the weather is crappy in an afternoon. Tend to end up riding home 3 or 4 days a week at the moment, though will probably increase with nicer weather.

Did 17 miles each way, on a 24hr shift pattern, every day for about 9 months including through some winter months. Stopped in January when work moved me further away (25ish and a rotten route) and missed it, just moved back to my original base so will be doing it again. when I do a set of 7 days in a row I wont be doing all 7 as I’ll be too broken to do fun rides on my rest days!

If you have the ability then the alternating drive/ride method is ideal IMHO as you can cover your logistics (pre-transporting food/clothing) and avoid fatigue of riding daily (and avoid poor weather) and still get the benefit of exercise/financial savings, but that isn’t an option where I am.

Try some of the morning ride-ins as a fasted ride (no brekkie, just a black coffee to start the metabolism), don’t smash it in and have some food waiting (and with you in case you bonk), trains your body to burn fat stores apparently.

Used to and like some others I found it tiring so used to alternate going in on train with bike/cycling back or going both ways depending on how I’m feeling. It made a big difference time wise being on a nice bike and on roads rather than lanes and paths although it obviously depends on your route and what’s available

you do get in great shape though 🙂

I did 25 miles each way all last year.I live pretty high up so am was a recovery spin and pm was pretty hard work.
I’d do it 4 or 5 times a week and ride another 1 or 2 days (to make 6 days riding).
But I’m single and had nothing else to do except get up at 6,ride,work,ride and get home at 8,eat and go to bed.
This year I’ve ridden about 100 miles in total! 🙂

Yep, 22 miles each way into client site in London. I try and do three days a week, I’ve done four a couple of times but it’s really tiring for me to do it consistently on top of work and family life. It also stuffs up riding for fun at the weekends if you’re shattered from commuting, so don’t overdo it.

How long does your commute take in the car? For me I’m about 15-20mins longer than on public transport so the justification is easy in terms of time, although the effort has been wearing through the winter and I’ve had weeks when I didn’t ride at all. I’m hoping that now we have lighter evenings (and mornings) and slightly improved weather I’ll be more consistent and will see the benefits.

I do 20 miles each way 3 to 5 days a week all year round. 5 days this week, and even though I’ve been doing it for nearly 9 years my legs still get tired mid week, but are usually fine again for Thursday.

Doing Monday/Wednesday/Friday is ideal but I’ve got to take the opportunity when I can as work gets in the way at times as I need to be down south now and again or in an early meeting.

It’s got to take about an hour and a quarter

It takes me on average over the year 1h 15m ride time so there you go, but by the time lock my bike, go to locker, get stuff, shower put stuff away I’m usually at my desk about 8:45, and I leave at 7am.

To be honest I don’t find it that tiring, I try to take it easy at least one way but I’ve always got a headwind home. High cadence works for me. I’ve still got plenty energy and desire to ride about 50 miles most weekends.

I love it, can’t wait for the ride home. Now is a great time of year for the year round long distance commuter as all the racers are emerging from a winter of resting – there’s lots of folk to be chased down and they get quite a surprise when the guy on the full mudguarded bike rattled by. They’re there for the taking 🙂

I’m 47 btw and fitter now than I’ve ever been.

I do 23 miles each way 1 day and 10 miles each way 4 days a week. Anymore and it effects my mountain biking at the weekend.

I used to do 15, doesn’t sound like much but it soon got fatigueing. Took about 3 months to aclimatise to doing that and still going for a ride once at the weekend and once mid week (about 14 hours a week in the saddle).

20 miles would be doable, but I suspect you’d have to build upto doing it daily between now and September, and by October you’d be tapering back down again as the weather turns.

and by October you’d be tapering back down again as the weather turns.

Pah, no need for that nonsense 🙂

I drive/ride, ride/drive on my 18 mile commute. Work bike storage is woeful so I don’t want to ride both ways, plus storage of kit etc would also be a pita. Only once a week at the mo as I do other stuff on some midweek evenings so riding as well would eat too much time/energy.

Interesting reading, start a new job on monday which could be a 14 mile canal towpath commute,but through some rough areas of Birmingham 🙁 ….. looking at maybe 2-3 times a week once ive settled in, may build a SS crosser for it 🙂 .. any excuse

17 miles for me. Bolton to Preston. Hardest thing is getting up and out, but once out, I love it. Aim for 3 times a week.

I do 17 miles each way twice a week. It OK in the morning, but coming home is difficult not least because of the headwind and the amount of traffic and lights. Also after a long day at work, its not something I enjoy and takes up to 1hr 45 mins in winter.

even 5 miles 10 times a week can be tough: no recovery.

I spent a short time doing 15 miles e/w. was shattered by the weekend – but as above the time adds up; especially of you have long unpredictable hours.

I decided that 15 was about the maximum i’d want to do 3-4 days a week; didn’t matter as we only moved 6 miles from work (9 by my route)

I used too when I worked in the office.
I’ve changed jobs now, so my Truck is my office, and I’m all over the place, so can’t.
I miss it.
( The riding, not the job..)

My commute is 21Km each way. Did a long stretch of 5 days a week last year but it took a little while to build up to that. It’s a mixture of 1/3rd rural, 1/3rd urban, 1/3rd canal towpath. I was definitely getting tired later in the year and dropped it to four days per week.

All depends on how hilly the route is.. I do 10 miles each way to work usually 3 times a week.. There’s more or less 1000ft of climbing each way. Wouldn’t really want to do it more

I can stretch my commute to 19 miles each way- flat, along towpaths and river banks – when I want to. Usual route is 12 miles each way.

Twice a week is usually enough, normally just to ride home along the river after yet another shit day, pausing for rehydration at a canal side hostelry.

Frankly, even a flat commute that length kills me if I do it too often, spoils my weekend rides.

45-50 mile round trip which takes up 3 hours of my time which would otherwise be spent lard-arsing in a car – it tkes the same time to cycle as ride due to traffic. Haven’t driven once in the last two years even mid winter and heavy rain… over 10,000 miles a year is a lot of disel and a hell of a saving I can spend on bikes 🙂

I did 15 miles each way for three months a few years ago tues, we’d and thurs only. Amazingly was only rained on once during those three months. Absolutely loved it. Felt great at work. Was as fit as I’d been for ages. Would love to be able to do that again. Probably helped that I knew it was for limited time though (and no rain!).

I often do c. 30km off road commute although it’s actually only 2km in a direct line. live in millhouses and commute via eccy, Blacka woods, Houndkirk, or drop to hathersage and go over stanage and/or porter valley to the top end of ringinglow. As its usually early there are some ‘quite nice’ cheeky alterantives. Sometimes go on the road for a couple of hours, although usually on the MTB.

In my last job it was about 7 miles across town, even using all of the traffic free cycle paths I could find it still took less time than sitting in the car in traffic. Not sure I could face a commute any longer.

Not sure how helpful any of the above is to the OP. It’s doable i guess but depends on your fitness, You’ll possibly need to drop other riding for a few weeks until you’ve adapted to it.

A flat 15 mile each way for me averaging 2-3 times per week over the last 2 years but I’m bored of it now so I’m having a break. The winter’s hard work as well.

I actually feel like it hasn’t been making me any fitter, I got very good at riding 15 miles but had lost fitness for longer, hilly rides so this year I’ve cut it right back and have been spending my energy on evening/night mtb and long weekend road rides instead.

28 miles each way with 1600 foot of climbing. At least twice a week sometimes three. Done this for the last two years, my fitness has rocketed. Be prepared and have the right mindset, as others, I love the ride in on a fresh morning and sometimes extend it. Ridden in some hellish conditions like.

I actually feel like it hasn’t been making me any fitter, I got very good at riding 15 miles

Good point. I can ride a flat 12 mile route at a steady pace any day. Just need to find a club that specialises in those kind of rides…..

It can be tough. Mines 25 miles each way, I can’t do it for the full week as it builds up to a unbearable point on day 4 and makes riding a chore. I then need around 3 days to recover. I do work 12 hr shifts too, which may make it worse.

I’m once again amazed at how fit people on here are. I used to do 13 miles a day total 3 or 4 times a week. I was ok, but if I did 5 then I was gubbed.

For the last 4 months I’ve been doing 25 miles a day 2 or 3 days a week, and that is hard work. I once did 4 days and it nearly killed me.

I can’t understand how people can do 20+ per day for 4 or 5 days a week. I just don’t get it. They must be machines.

24 miles each way here. Great when the weather’s good, depressing when not. Totally knackered by Friday so a rest day or two is advisable otherwise it becomes a real chore.

In my late 30s/early 40s I did 20 miles in and 20 back but it was quite wearing so I reverted to every other day and that was comfortable. Then I went to 25 miles in and 25 miles back and that was uncomfortable but manageable. Then circumstances led to 10 miles in and 10 miles back and that was sustainable on a daily basis.
That was all on a 26″ hard tail with nobblies for the most part.

More recently I was doing 2 miles, then train, then 11 miles and then the reverse home, on a Brompton, three consecutive days a week and that was doable, although the London traffic took some getting used to!

I think the answer is to try it, and see what is comfortable for you. I’d suggest, every other day might be the best starting point.

I used to do 12 on my HT ok but we moved & It’s now 15. Last time I tried it was when I was on nights about 2 years ago, by Thursday morning it was taking me 1 1/2 hours to get home, my legs just wouldn’t work & I was knackered. I don’t do it at all now.

17.5 miles each way but it’s straight down a major road into Manchester and can be pretty horrible so I only do it if the weather’s good and I can go outside the really busy times. It’s quicker door to door than the train but I probably only do it once a week on average.

I did 17 in 13 back for a while. Usually 6 days a week. No alternative so you became accustomed to it. Knew a guy that used to do about 15 miles each way but would run into work once a week. Knew few who did low 20s each way. I think the biggest thing is becoming accustomed to the time it takes. I was living in a part of London with poor public transport so it was quicker to do 17 mile on the bike. Same for the guys I knew who did 20 ish miles. You learn to plod along even when very tired.

I think the difficulty for Cirencester to Swindon is that it is all to easy to have a lie in and drive in and take it easy. For me I had to get up at the same time, or would arrive home if I cycled or took the train, plus it would cost me more money and be crowded.

Just started doing 16 each way into London following the Thames from Surrey so pretty flat. I’ll do it when I’m in the office which will be 3/4 times a week but is every day for the next month or so at least, quicker than commuting by train even allowing for a shower and change. 20 miles each way would be hard graft as a daily ride.

Just started doing 16 each way into London again following the Thames from Surrey so pretty flat. I’ll do it when I’m in the office which will be 3/4 times a week but it’s every day for the next month or so at least, quicker than commuting by train even allowing for a shower and change. 20 miles each way would be hard graft as a daily ride but you do get used to it.