Dwayne

My ride home is always faster than my ride in, that's how I let out the workday stress that accumulated.

Doohickie

If that was me, I'd report him to HR. That's just as bad as going out to the parking lot and letting 3/4 of the air out of someone's tires. If the guy was a friend of mine, I'd at least tell him I'm reporting him to HR and let him sweat it out.

As for the rest of it, my commute is 17 miles each way, with only a few miles on a trail. When I first started it, I found that riding a significant number of miles, then taking a break of 8-9-10 hours, then riding that same distance back in the same day, is probably worse that riding 3x the commute distance (i.e., it was harder to ride 17 miles to work, work the whole day, then ride 17 miles home, than to ride 50 miles straight through). I think after an hour or two, the body goes into repair mode and to exert it again while it's still recovering from the commute in makes it harder to ride home. It is, however, something your body adjusts to. HTFU, you'll get used to it.

Also, if you're like I am, and the commute home is almost always into the wind, I feel for you. That part of my commute really sucks.


Disclaimer: I don't really commute to work by bike anymore; I found I prefer to be home earlier to do afternoon tasks and get face time with the wife, and ride later in the evening.

RichardGlover

One wonders how much energy was lost to a loose saddle. Your legs are working harder because you don't have a stable saddle; your lower back and abs are working harder to keep you in position; your arms and shoulders are probably working harder for the same reason. That's gotta be significant after 19 miles.

No wonder you were miserable.

cooker

It's fun to fantasize about getting even, but starting a vendetta is not going to end well. I'd suggest simply telling him to his face that he caused you serious inconvenience and risk of injury, and point out that if you had let air out of his tires as a friendly joke, he probably would not have seen the humour. Hopefully he will be embarrassed and apologetic.

Bike Gremlin

Ignorance. Riding motorcycle in the raind beats the whole purpouse of riding motorcycle. If it's wet, you can't go fast, can't lean into bends, so it's not nearly as fun. I consider myself a biker, thank you, and avoid riding in the rain.

I ride bicycle during rain and winter days. Have no car.

Still, both bicycle and motorcycle are a choice.

OT: 22 miles in 2 hours is a decent time. That's over 17 kilometres per hour on average. Very good man! It takes me some 30 to 45 minutes to do my 11 kilometre commute, on flat paved road. 44 mile round trip every day is some challenge, even in fair weather. No wonder you felt tired. Think it's natural. Listen to your body, push yourself, but don't overdo it (and get exhausted or injured). Enjoy your ride.

The idea of driving one way is also very good. 44 miles, like 4 hours on the bicycle every day seems like on the edge of anti-social. Friends and family will be hard to have time for. 8 hour work, plus 4 hour commute. Hmm...

dalegribble

Same for me. I get home about 7-10 minutes quicker and my average speed is better by 2-3mph

dalegribble

It's not ignorance you're just not as tough as I am. I rode int the wind, rain, sleet, snow, with temps as low as 19F all the way thru 109F. Sorry you can't have fun on your motorcycle unless their are ideal conditions. I don't have that problem.

GFish

Commuting is about getting from point A to point B. It's not about speed.

This, is what I keep telling myself when I commute on an old heavy steel MTB. The MTB is slower than my lighter road bike and on a 28 mile round trip commute on back to back days, I too feel the fatigue. But, it is getting a little easier the more I ride. That is, until the wind really picks up.

You didn't say what bike your using and if you switch off between two bikes, that could make a difference. And someone mentioned pacing, that's important. Ride at a comfortable pace, a speed that would feel easy on a normal road or group ride. I find my low and high speed on commutes is apx. 2-4 mph slower then when on faster rides with the road bike.

tarwheel 

This ^^^^ ... Also, with friends like that, who needs enemies!

Commuting is whole different beast than recreational riding. It's almost like loaded touring. The loads aren't as heavy but you are doing a lot more starting and stopping. I have become a much stronger rider since I started commuting. I was already riding a lot recreationally when I started commuting, but it still wore me out. One thing I found out very quickly is that I had to slow down my pace. I was wearing myself out trying to ride as fast as I do on recreational rides with no loads, drafting other riders and not getting caught by so many red lights.

Bike Gremlin

I also ride (BICYCLE) in the snow and I also think I'm tough! ARRR! But motorcycle is a different beast.

Riding motorcycle is not about being tough. Not for all the people. But it is a way of life for some. Ideal conditions are only on the race track, apart from that they're far from ideal, but to have some fun without risking too much, it takes a dry day and decent pavement. From your post I'd guess you haven't done more than 100 kilometres on a motorcycle.

Breathegood

I think all the advice that needs to be given already has been, so I'll just answer your question. How do I keep doing it? I view the bicycle as transportion and not recreational equipment. It is the most efficient means of transportation that mankind has come up with yet. Until I started working from home two years ago, I always thought recreational riding was silly. I much prefer to have a destination than riding for the sake of riding, so commuting on the bike has always been a no-brainer for me.

My last regular commute was 23 miles each way. As far as 26 if I felt like taking the scenic route. I still have occassion to go to that office, but only about once every two weeks, so I've learned to embrace the joy of riding for the sake of the ride. As much as I enjoy riding 3-4 hours a day, others have brought up the point that long commutes start to be consuming and cut into family and social life. If you are comfortable leaving your car or bike overnight at your place of work, alternating one-way commutes are a good compromise to get used to the distance and ride time.

sm1960

I would start by putting a tiny pebble in one or more of the valve cover caps on your co-workers tire(s). Create a slow leak, he can get a flat part way home. Real funny.

cooker

This thread isn't about you two.

ratdog

One tire is replaceable with the spare, make sure you let the air out of two of them...

Dwayne

A box of raisins?! No wonder you're slower going home than coming in! I've got my afternoon mocha, sometimes with a brownie added on (like today). That makes me look forward to putting the proverbial pedal to the floor on the ride home.

mrleft2000

I think first you have to truly identify if this coworker is a "friend", "colleague", or "bully" and what his real intentions were. If a bully, you have to stand up to him otherwise you will look like a sissy and propagate the image that cyclists are sissies. And if standing up to a bully, it is not enough to just let air out of his tires, all he has to do is drive slowly to the nearest gas station. You have to leave him stranded, like he left you stranded; you have to slash his tires. If you don't want to do the deed, then you can leave some barbed wire in front of his tires or spill a jar of nails in his parking spot and be too lazy to clean it up for him to drive over. Make sure to disable 2 tires.

gregjones

Iced??

I drink straight up black, no-frilly French, Roasted or any fancy thing else, Maxwell House or Foldgers (although in these times Wal-Mart brand is just fine!!). Hot.

Is there an advantage to iced coffee that I don't know about?

Thanks,
Greg

BassNotBass

This is a great idea. I was thinking of a slice in his coolant line but the leaky valve isn't as malicious yet still an inconvenience and oh so funny as payback.

Ns1

I can consume 16oz of iced coffee in 30 seconds; trying the same thing with hot coffee results in 2nd degree burns on the insides of my mouth.


you drink folgers straight black? that's a real man right there

cyclokitty 

Iced coffee means people around me may live a bit longer.

That co-worker is a lousy fink. I can't imagine ever sabotaging another person's car, bike, or even tie somebody's shoelaces together. The OP should pull the fink aside and recommend he stick to fake snacks in cans of mixed nuts because that prank was dangerous and unnecessary.

silmarillion

Yeah, that's a pretty good ride to start off with even if you are seasoned. I push my rides to 17 each way if it's nice out. Were you riding hard on the way in?

I agree, may have been too much too soon.

As far as the co-worker... Well the ideas here are really good ones. But I like to return the favor; relentlessly. Not to do something that would cause him trouble at work or harm him or his property.

Here's what I would do. Go out and buy a small jar of honey or heavy syrup. ( A spoonful of honey is great anytime before or after a ride BTW...)

Anyway, when he is not looking, find an inconspicuous place to place just a single small drop of the honey/syrup. Remember, just a little drop. Eventually he will place a body part there, and then the fun begins. They may go wash it off...come back sit down and reapply it to themselves again. The key thing to do is to make sure they do not know you have the evidence. The other is to make sure you place a small enough amount they can't figure where the heck they keep getting something sticky on them. Man I tell you the fun can last several days just on a single drop!

I had a guy I work with replace my splenda in my tupperware shaker with popcorn salt. I couldn't tell the difference. Tasted awful. Swallowed a whole gulp before I knew I had been had.

I'm the only one in the office who knows where the sticky stuff is coming from. My co-worker will eventually need to be committed. He cleans his desk, his chair, his keyboard etc. Everybody thinks he's loosing his mind. Funny as heck, non-harmful (other than the psychosis) and I only do it every once in a while. It's awesome poetic justice.

wphamilton

I don't think I'd legitimize what the guy did by engaging in a prank war. I'd take him aside and tell him to never touch the bike again.

44 mile commute, your first time? You're a monster!

chefisaac

get some aero bars. It will help.

seenoweevil

Geez people, tell the guy not to do it again, don't jeopardize his job! It sounds like he made a bad decision at a prank, not meant with venom. The OP would know more about that.
To me, what Silmarillion is doing is different. At work here, we mess with each other all the time, but no one touches the vehicle - ever.
To the OP - Same advice as others here. Shorten the distance one way or the other and build it up for comfort. You've already kicked butt by doing the 44 mile commute once!

arsprod 

I don't know what's too far for someone else, but I like the comments about the amount of time. My commute is about 12 miles each way and with traffic takes just under an hour. If it was longer than that I probably wouldn't do it - the hour spent on the way to work and especially afterwards is really good for me. There are times during the day that I can't wait to leave work just to have that ride home. I agree to work up to it but if you don't really enjoy it, don't do it