My Bike To Work Initiative
My morning routine goes something like this: Wake. Tea. Check email. Delete spam. Read RSS feeds. Shower. Tea. Blog. Work.
The trouble with having so little between bed and desk is that I invariably arrive at work half asleep and spend the first hour or so trying to get my brain in gear. Not at all productive!
To combat this I've devised a new routine, which I started this morning: Wake. Tea. Check email. Delete spam. Read RSS feeds. Bike ride. Shower. Tea. Blog. Work.
This morning's bike ride took me half an hour. Partly this time will come out of time spent reading RSS feeds I don't need to. The rest will be made up for by a sharp increase in productivity. There's nothing like a bit of exercise in the morning to get the brain ticking over. Already I feel energised and ready to code.
Previously I've done most of my riding mid-to-late afternoon. It's amazing what affect this can have on my work. Before riding I can be staring at the monitor, clueless as to how I'm going to solve a problem. Following the ride the code just flows.
So, technically, I am now riding to work, which means I qualify (in theory) for the Cycle to Work Scheme and, as my employer, can give myself a tax-free loan to buy a new bike. This is something we talked about this weekend in Scotland. 
For me though it sounds like more hassle than it's worth. I prefer the easy life and knowing where I am with everything.
It's too late for that anyway. Yesterday I placed a deposit on my new bike (pictured). It's a 2007 Trek Fuel EX 8 and one of the first in the country. Should arrive mid October.
Anyway, I've got work to do. Bring it on...
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I try to do the same Jake - it wakes you up plus you know you have got some daylight and fresh air in your lungs!
Working at home has a lot of challenges - whilst it saves time and stress not commuting - its that commute that used to wake me up!
I do 30 minutes downhill to work on a bike, and just under an hour uphill home on the bike every day. There's a shower at work, I get some "time off" work and home whilst on the bike and am getting my home-time down every week. I tried driving once - never again. It took much longer than the bike and you have to pay for parking. No thank you!
Jake, I've worked from home for 10 years now and although I also like riding my bike my solution to the wake up problem has always been my dog. Two or three walks a day round the fields and through the woods does wonders for problem solving. And the walk first thing in the morning is great for waking me up. And dogs are great companions for home-workers too. As I type this, he is by my feet snoring...
Welcome to the "Bike To Work" family ;). I use my bike to drive to my work. It took me 20-30min to work and 40-50min back to home (depending on the traffic). We have also a shower at work so that I can take a shower and have some Min's to relax before I go to my work (with much more power I think *g*).
With a 48 mile commute by freeway, I'll probably never be able to sofely or in a timely fashion ride my bike to work unless the work from home idea catches on more. Our roads here really aren't that safe in the morning for such things anyway - almost no shoulder to speak of on most roads where biking is permitted. Bicycles do have the right of way on Ohio roads, but you take your life in your hands trusting the teenagers with rusty beaters will observe it. Sounds great though.
After my commute I have a 10 minute (brisk pace) walk to work from where I pay to park which usually serves to get my brain ticking over. :-)
It won't be long until I add the 'shovel the driveway' effort to my routine in the winter. I have a 20 min. country drive into work as my client is located on the edge of the city. It's the next best thing to working at home.
I ride my bike to work almost every day. It is a nice distance of 34 km...
However, I don't have to do much... 800cc gives me enough power to go uphill ...
Hey, do I miss the point? :D
Hi, I usually do something similar: 30mins. on a 650cc motorbike in the streets of Rome during peak hours (20km twice a day, all-weather). Get in the office *very* energised, ready to do the dirty job and (due to traffic) angry enough to "kick" the world..... :-)
Good to see it isn't just Australian traffic/drivers that make people angry when riding a Motorbike.
I used to get so mad at times, when I first started riding. But after about 6 months just learnt to accept it and move on.
Sorry for getting off the push bike topic Jake.
I wish I had a workplace that was this close. I get up early in morning and travel for 2 long hours to work. Its not the distance that makes it so long, but the traffic. By the time I reach office, I had already had one round of nap and sometimes have to drag myself out of the car. But once inside and after a cup of coffee I do feel charged enough.
So if you cycled to work then I ran. Do you know if I can get a tax free loan for a pair of trainers?
[OT] One "good" thing in living in Rome is that all places in town are max 25km (that's the diameter of the town) far away: the old continent is....small!
Too bad you can't predict how long it will take to you to get there. Even traffic has a randomic behavior. On m-byke it may take 30min. today; tomorrow.....who knows? 40? 60? 90?.....120? (yes even 120 on the same route)
[/OT (sorry x OT!)]
One word for you "Triathlon". Training for one of these babies gives you the options of swim, cycle or run to wake up to. Over the summer months open water swimming has beaten everything else hands down. Try it, you can obviously ride a bike.
Where do the other 4 blokes sit?
Join the c t w crowd Jake. I'm currently doing a round trip of 28 miles each day. Only thing I'd say is to use an old bike with as few bits as possible, suspension on the road just wastes energy, as do knobblies.
Also, it's a good idea to carry a foldable tyre and spare tubes so a puncture is easy to fix.