We Cycled To Work Every Day For A Month & This Is What Happened!

four weeks ago we set ourselves and you a challenge to commute by bike for a month could you do it for every trip absolutely epic sunrise this morning would it make us healthier wealthier and happier or exhausted sore soggy and late love England today we're going to find out what happened [Music] loads of you took part and shared your experiences with us and it was brilliant to see you all rise to the challenge or for many of us just continuing with that usual day-to-day on the bike here at gcnhq we also had a load of very willing volunteers what do you mean I have to do it too each with different levels of cycling experience work timetables and commutes from Harriet who was looking to build confidence on her Urban commute to Steve whose ride was nearly two hours each way firstly though has relative newcomer deciding Ali finally managed to conquer that climb I did make out of the Hill you did brilliant but not only that I have tried about three other Hills instead of it feeling a bit like doing Groundhog Day a route every you know the same route every single day so I did it but it's now like will I keep going up that hill jubilant Hill dance I just um manage this Steep Hill that I really didn't think I would do so pretty pleased with myself um and off to have some tea I just saw the hill and I know I can't do that but because I had this challenge set I was like I have to do it so there's a bit of um psychological mind over matter and really in my fitness so a bit of combination of the both the thing I didn't realize about Community is the fact my bike is getting so dirty really quickly were there any low points over the last month um a low point was probably today and essentially cheap rain a tidal wave from the cast and I came in and I hadn't actually brought any um like anything else to change into so I think that was a rookie error and going forward if I'm going to be going in the Autumn winter I need to pack like the day before or something in my rocks that I can change into right that's day one in done I forgot to set my garden officer no date for today try again all right Harry yours was a particularly big commuter challenge wasn't it five days a week quite a long commute here's with the stats yeah so it came out a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be so it's 682 kilometers in total 10 251 meters climbing everested like three or four days ago which was good I've learned 16 942 calories nice and how many of those meters climbed we're on bastard Hill play up yeah yeah I do that it's about 200 meters and I've done it 20 times so I guess that's about 4 000 meters I think so I started off just like grinding up in the last gear now I'm one gear higher at least so yeah try a different way we're gonna go up here which is I don't know what two minutes later I haven't actually done any cycling and one of the things that you were concerned about when we spoke four weeks ago was getting enough calories in have you managed that yeah I did so it's about a thousand I need to eat extra every day on top of the 2600 to maintain so the first two weeks I had an extra lunch and an extra breakfast and then I realized I was spending way too much money so now I've switched that for a meal replacement shake which is 400 calories a thing and then it was there have there been any like particular low points the um the problem was one day I just I just really couldn't be bothered and there's a few bits in my Vogue I'm just like I just can't be bothered by it evening I can't be asked tonight last thing I wanted was she going up the hill and get burnt if I do all these on eBay Now Fair Play to them glad they're outside soon actually I'm not in the mood they're like keep going you'll get there oh I think if I just you know had a car next now they've been straight in it like that yeah yeah and what have you learned over the last four weeks just just get to it like try not to overthink it you know as long as you've got a bike and some clothes that you can ride in just just do it flood in another situation that occurs after rain gonna have to deal with this one with my body I've learned to turn my brain off a bit so like I found just waking up getting dressed making my lunch getting on my back and going without thinking about it really is the best way because as soon as I start thinking about stuff that's when I'll I'll check out a bit yeah it's the first day that climb almost killed me I think I'm gonna just push up for my bike today it's a walk of shame will I ever be able to do this giant climb I don't know Harriet is no stranger to GCM viewers she's new to cycling but game to try anything her City commute wasn't long but it was busy and particularly nerve-wracking right Harriet we've made it to the end of the commuting challenge I didn't die that's a success for me how has it been for you it's been okay actually I um yeah I've learned a lot actually and I have become more confident so that's good yes and I did save money good have you enjoyed it I have I have enjoyed it although there have been some parts that I definitely definitely did not enjoy um there was one bit where I had to descend a very steep hill and it was wet and my back brakes started to make me skid a bit and I kind of bumped into a parked car but it was fine it was genuinely so scary but I am walking my bike down the same Hill because it's actually a lot wetter it wasn't damaged only wasn't damaged there was no one in this but that was scary I haven't been able to to send that Hill since oh God did that Knock You confidence a little bit yes yes it did but I carried on riding even though some of the way I did walk with my bike on the pavement but the like the truth of matter is as long as you're getting out there and with your bike exactly it doesn't matter why am I sweating so much I've got like the shortest route and I feel like I'm probably complaining the most do you think you've impressed yourself with how you've done in this challenge yes yes I didn't think that I would actually make it to the end so I'm very glad honestly the challenged aspect definitely motivated me and when we first started on this challenge you said you were quite nervous about cars riding traffic yeah how has that been for you I am able to ride in traffic now which is great um but I do vastly prefer riding on the path um I've got to say uh I am okay with some of the traffic in central but off um that road that we cycled on in the first video I can do that now perfectly fine I can change lanes all good all fine but um I don't really like it when it's too busy or when it's raining how do you get rid of helmet hurts that is becoming a problem I'd like to look someone professional [Music] well this definitely beats the train this morning beautiful look at that quite right so you have a pretty solid Community don't you about 16 miles each way that's right did you manage it I did yeah I managed three times a week every week I think yeah ended up doing pretty much 100 miles each week got Santa the first week and had some sore legs definitely and I promised that I would find you a road bike and I didn't so you've done it all on a mountain bike yeah uh my Mountain bike's plus size has got big old like three inch tires on it so yeah that was interesting but I don't know I got used to it now uh put some extra air in the tires and it's done the track three inch tires which I believe is about 76 millimeters a bit different to what your gcn guys used to ride in but it's pretty fun I'd say okay one of the big things for you I think before you started was you're looking to save money train 10 quid a day on that equivalent to how much have you saved yeah I think it's like 120 pounds that I've saved so uh yeah it's pretty nice should have got the train have you got any advice for anyone that might be looking to do what you've been doing yeah so the main thing I found difficult was having the weight on my back going forward I'd try and figure out a way to have that weight on the bike or at least some of it the main years this evening is that we're on eBay now it's not mine I'm off on a shoot tomorrow carrying lots of camera equipment going on big hills and stuff so you could do the extra assistance Grace at work when I make you complete the challenge nice one [Music] Alice has the same long commute as Kai but less of a background in cycling her motivation was less about Fitness or saving money and more about just making the most of life rather than being sat in a car well Alice the end of the month you've completed your community challenge how has it been for you really really good yeah really positive and added a lot to be a lot more social than I thought on with Alice this morning both in the office today so we're coming together putting up with people to kind of Ride Along the railway path and yeah it's been nice we made some new friends yeah yeah absolutely which wasn't an aspect of it that I was really anticipating whew about halfway along the railway line just bumped into my colleague Matt and what would you say your biggest challenge is when you commuting because I've not found the distance and the physical side of it too challenging it's been the getting organized getting my bike prepped ahead of riding tomorrow uh feeling annoyed for the extra organization having to pump up my tires and charge my lights and stuff also just remember don't have any other time to exercise this week so kind of pleased about that and it totally is like you just gotta have your routine nailed like I literally like put all my stuff on the sofa the night before like I've text whoever I'm meeting up with to do it with if the stuff isn't on the sofa it's not getting packed like yeah so it's just the personal organization side of things and if I've got that down then it's easy peasy you know but the past started getting up this early is a really pretty sunrise and it's not raining so I can't really complain and what's been the most enjoyable aspect of the community and the satisfaction of challenging myself to do something to do something new and like all aspects of that like not just like pushing myself physically but like pushing myself to like add this like extra factor into my day and like be organized like meet up with other people and that kind of thing like yeah the satisfaction of kind of managing to do all that that's probably the best bit but just for a little insight in what I've been dealing with here for the last four Gates and quick Crush around to the cute houseboats I've officially reached local Legend status on here I've never had that before on Strava so that's ridiculously exciting news and lastly what of Steve our extreme commuter with a truly epic ride in each Direction Steve I'm dying to know as the person who had the longest most epic commute out of anyone did you manage it I did uh technically I managed it yes what does that mean um it means that the the four weeks took me slightly longer it took me about six weeks um so yeah in its purest form I failed but actually I feel I completed it I think that's the first scientist I've seen in three weeks okay and how they're asking why did the four weeks take six weeks um I had a kind of period in the middle I think I got a bit run down and so I I took a week off basically just to try and recover um which was definitely the right thing to do and then yeah just kind of other things around you know just managing life you know kids and all that sort of stuff so yeah just had to be quite flexible because how long did the commute take actually um it took well my day it changed I actually tried to get more uh time for the commute to avoid traffic so it it I mean and it's the worst example it probably took I had a 14-hour day from sort of 6 a.m getting out the door and coming back at eight working late tonight so I didn't ride in uh and I've got a bit of a cold to be honest so I'm staying in bath with my sisters which means I can work late which is good because I'll be honest with you uh the commute has definitely affected my working day I don't I get really tired of the afternoon so I'm quite enjoying this rest you know the commute probably is I don't know just three and a half 3 45 you know total um but yeah with the fat thing I decide you know easily for four and a half hours so it was you know it's chunky and Dare I ask then were there any high points there were many high points yeah there was um you know I lost a bit of weight I was out on my bike more which is the whole point um and but the best one by far was was for the first time ever getting local Legend status on a sectional Road I'd like to think it's because of my awesome power speed but I think the reality is given that I haven't seen any other cyclists during any of the days I've been commuting I think it's because I'm the only cyclist riding it did your time at Old Bristol Hill do you know what I haven't actually that's that's the final that's the final goal to to get up there without rucksack I'm just going to smash I I will beat it I can already feel I'm going to be faster are you gonna ever ride to work again definitely um I think I would just I'm gonna cherry pick is what I'm gonna do okay million dollar question are you gonna carry on yes yes the big question are you going to carry on commuting yeah yeah yeah yeah buy them million dollar question Harry yeah are you gonna carry on yes definitely thanks man so Ali million dollar question are you gonna carry on cycling to work maybe perhaps okay you need to qualify that um if it's snowing or if it's anything like today it will probably be a no but all other days I think yeah certainly I'm gonna like it saves me money and um the fitness side of it so yeah um it's probably perhaps yes great right million pound question am I going to continue rolling to work my answer is yeah eventually you think I want a ride to work while all the roads are really wet and it's really dark out disgusting well fair play to all of our commuters there and I don't blame Steve it's got to be said for not doing that every day because that is a pretty extreme commute if you do a longer one we want to hear from you in the comments section but let us know down in the comments section below if you have been commuting to work and how it's been going or if this video has inspired you to take your commute on by bike that's right and give it a big thumbs up as well if you enjoyed it and also say Well done to everyone who's been cycling to work enjoy coming at home on this side thanks don't join the umbrella for the road back yeah that's right yeah thanks

Channel: Global Cycling Network

Views: 182,013

Keywords: commute, commuting, commuter challenge, commuting by bike, commute by bike, bike commute, cycle commute, cycling to work, cycle to work, riding to work, challenge, commute with gcn, harriet gcn, gcn staff, gcn challenge, commuter bikes, job, work, employee, beginner, beginner cyclist, GCN, Global Cycling Network, Sports, Cycling, Bike, Bikes, Bicycle (Product Category), Road Bike, Cyclist, Road Bicycle, GCN Cycling, velo, sec-feature, sca15, ិ, c1, Ղ, n1, ሙ, ସ, ଙ, ホ, パ, ළ, Ꮽ, Ա, Լ, Ծ, Ձ, ፕ15, サ, ኾ, ጎ, 4863

Id: fnwr6YziBrE

Length: 16min 47sec (1007 seconds)

Published: Sat Oct 29 2022