Daily Commuting Tip: Mix it up and keep it fresh

Posted: 17th Sept 2009 | Eddie Allen

Do something every day and it gets boring. You know the drill - drive to work the same way every day and you see the same miserable rush-hour faces. Have the same type of breakfast cereal every day and it soon turns stale. In life, routine is always quick to enslave you and the same goes for commuting by bike. Good news is, it's easy to break the monotony. Here are a few ideas.

• Have ‘fast' and ‘slow' days - On Monday, dress in your cycling kit and try to set your commuting personal best - sprint from every traffic light and attack the hills. This is great on wet weather days, when you'll want to get off the road quick and when you've got a change of clothes. Next day, if the weather is fine, dress in your street clothes, give yourself extra time and enjoy the sights and sounds of the city - stop for a cappuccino on the way.
• Vary your route - Crank up Google Maps and check out three or four distinct routes into work. Alternate between them and avoid Groundhog Commuter Syndrome
• Don't be afraid to have a ‘day off' - If your bike commute gets monotonous, take a break - get the bus or train, walk or (dare I say it) use the car for one day a week. If there's one thing that will get you back into your commute, it's spending a day or two behind the wheel, stuck in a traffic jam
• If you've got more than two bikes, use them - not at the same time obviously... but taking the fast road bike one day and the old 3 speed roadster the next really gives you a different perspective on the ‘same old same old.'

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