The Time-Crunched Cyclist, 2nd Edition: Fit, Fast, and Powerful in 6 Hours a Week by Chris Carmichael & Jim Rutberg

Author:Chris Carmichael & Jim Rutberg
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781937716202
Publisher: VeloPress

The Commuter’s Plan for Race-Ready Fitness

Almost immediately after publishing the first edition of this book, I started getting questions about commuting—which for our purposes refers to riding one’s bike to and from work. The questions came from two distinct perspectives: the committed commuter who was already riding to and from work 4 to 5 days per week, and the athlete who was so busy that commuting a few times per week was the only way to fit in any training time whatsoever. For the sake of convenience, I’ll call the latter group “occasional commuters.”

Committed commuters have always faced a problem when it comes to effective training. Riding 4 to 5 round trips to work each week can generate a significant amount of fatigue, making it difficult to commit to additional training-focused rides. To evaluate the workload of commuting, we put a power meter on a coach’s commuter bike in Colorado Springs, Colorado. His commute is 4.5 miles, generally flat (about 100 feet of climbing each way), and 80 percent is on a bike path. On average, he accumulates 170 kilojoules of work during his commute, which means 1,700 kilojoules a week if he commutes all 5 days. Assuming 20 workdays in a month, that’s 6,800 kilojoules a month. Remember, kilojoules accumulated on the bike are roughly equivalent to the calories burned to accomplish that work, and 1,700 calories a week—nearly 7,000 calories a month—is lot of energy.

Of course, you can look at the energy expenditure of commuting in two ways. From a training perspective you have to consider that 1,700 kilojoule commuting workload when you plan for your total weekly workload. Too often, committed commuters underestimate the impact that their commute will have on their training. They disregard the commute because it feels too short and too easy. But if you were just training and not commuting, and I put an extra 1,700 kilojoules of work into your training plan every week, there’s a good chance your training performance would suffer. That’s why it’s difficult to just add your training on top of a 4- or 5-day-a-week commuting plan.

The other way to look at the energy expenditure of commuting is from a weight management standpoint. Two pounds of fat contains 7,000 calories, and even though you’re only burning them in 170-calorie chunks, the cumulative monthly total can be very significant. There’s also something to be said for burning calories on a frequent basis instead of one weekly 3-hour ride that burns 2,000 calories. Short commutes burn energy but are less likely to trigger the pre- or post-workout eating habits that often overcompensate for your actual energy expenditure. In other words, for commutes lasting 20 minutes or less most people just get it done and go on with their day without adding extra calories to their meals and snacks.

Occasional commuters, however, have a much easier time integrating training into their commutes. Since the primary purpose of commuting is to find time for training, their commuting days during the week can be scheduled for maximum effectiveness and optimal recovery.

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