Tag: bike commuting

Time Vulture

Today was a good day for commuting. Not too windy, sort of sunny, warm. The only thing I could have used more of was time. I would have loved to have ridden for another hour or more. Alas, I had dinner to get home to, and my route home took a lot less time than I thought it would.

My ride to work was straight there, with no detours. Right out the Goose to Wale Rd, then over to work. Coming home I thought I would do Munns Rd backward from the way I normally do it. The climb to the highest point was pretty hard, and I ended up taking a quick breather at one point. I should have kept pushing, but I wimped out. I didn’t exactly have a good nutrition day at work, and I was huffing pretty hard coming up the hill.

The descent was a lot of fun though. Wow. Makes the hard work worth it for sure.

At one point I was approaching a guy who was standing beside a truck. At first I thought he was breaking into it, then I realized he was watching something. When I looked over to the other side of the road, there was a turkey vulture standing there watching me zip by. Boy, those are big birds!

After Munns I got onto the Goose and zipped home at a pretty good clip.


View Commuting June 13, 2012 in a larger map

Commute to work:
Total distance: 13.20 km (8.2 mi)
Total time: 38:12
Moving time: 33:17
Average speed: 20.73 km/h (12.9 mi/h)
Average moving speed: 23.80 km/h (14.8 mi/h)
Max speed: 51.79 km/h (32.2 mi/h)
Average pace: 2.89 min/km (4.7 min/mi)
Average moving pace: 2.52 min/km (4.1 min/mi)
Min pace: 1.16 min/km (1.9 min/mi)
Max elevation: 83 m (272 ft)
Min elevation: -8 m (-26 ft)
Elevation gain: 206 m (677 ft)
Max grade: 13 %
Min grade: -14 %
Recorded: 13/06/2012 8:07 AM

Commute home from work:
Total distance: 32.70 km (20.3 mi)
Total time: 1:23:41
Moving time: 1:16:01
Average speed: 23.44 km/h (14.6 mi/h)
Average moving speed: 25.81 km/h (16.0 mi/h)
Max speed: 55.39 km/h (34.4 mi/h)
Average pace: 2.56 min/km (4.1 min/mi)
Average moving pace: 2.32 min/km (3.7 min/mi)
Min pace: 1.08 min/km (1.7 min/mi)
Max elevation: 253 m (829 ft)
Min elevation: -17 m (-56 ft)
Elevation gain: 724 m (2375 ft)
Max grade: 46 %
Min grade: -34 %

Commutes Future

I had two great commutes this week. Both of them started with me taking the long way to work. Instead of just heading out the goose to Colwood, I went along the water by Esquimalt Lagoon. Lagoon Rd is such a nice hill to tackle, I had to throw it in my commute. Tuesday after Lagoon Rd hill, I turned right and headed in to work. Wednesday though, I had more time and turned left. This way took me to My Chosin Cafe, where I turned onto Happy Valley Rd and took that to work.

Tuesday’s route home took me home along the Old Island Highway, then I turned onto Admirals and went straight home. Wednesday I thought I would try taking the Goose all the way to the trestle, and go home that way. Neither way is all that enjoyable really. Not sure which one I will take in the future.


View Commute 05/06/2012 7:47 AM in a larger map

Tuesday Commute to work Stats:
Total distance: 22.68 km (14.1 mi)
Total time: 1:04:06
Moving time: 57:39
Average speed: 21.23 km/h (13.2 mi/h)
Average moving speed: 23.61 km/h (14.7 mi/h)
Max speed: 54.04 km/h (33.6 mi/h)
Average pace: 2.83 min/km (4.5 min/mi)
Average moving pace: 2.54 min/km (4.1 min/mi)
Min pace: 1.11 min/km (1.8 min/mi)
Max elevation: 122 m (399 ft)
Min elevation: -38 m (-126 ft)
Elevation gain: 565 m (1854 ft)
Max grade: 43 %
Min grade: -25 %
Recorded: 05/06/2012 7:47 AM

Tuesday Commute home stats:
Total distance: 12.63 km (7.9 mi)
Total time: 32:06
Moving time: 27:13
Average speed: 23.61 km/h (14.7 mi/h)
Average moving speed: 27.85 km/h (17.3 mi/h)
Max speed: 58.32 km/h (36.2 mi/h)
Average pace: 2.54 min/km (4.1 min/mi)
Average moving pace: 2.15 min/km (3.5 min/mi)
Min pace: 1.03 min/km (1.7 min/mi)
Max elevation: 72 m (237 ft)
Min elevation: -7 m (-24 ft)
Elevation gain: 193 m (632 ft)
Max grade: 12 %
Min grade: -11 %


View Longer Commute 06/06/2012 in a larger map

Wednesday Commute to work stats:
Total distance: 31.28 km (19.4 mi)
Total time: 1:15:39
Moving time: 1:12:23
Average speed: 24.80 km/h (15.4 mi/h)
Average moving speed: 25.93 km/h (16.1 mi/h)
Max speed: 54.04 km/h (33.6 mi/h)
Average pace: 2.42 min/km (3.9 min/mi)
Average moving pace: 2.31 min/km (3.7 min/mi)
Min pace: 1.11 min/km (1.8 min/mi)
Max elevation: 103 m (339 ft)
Min elevation: -28 m (-91 ft)
Elevation gain: 593 m (1944 ft)
Max grade: 22 %
Min grade: -21 %

Wednesday Commute home stats:
Total distance: 19.30 km (12.0 mi)
Total time: 48:57
Moving time: 42:44
Average speed: 23.66 km/h (14.7 mi/h)
Average moving speed: 27.10 km/h (16.8 mi/h)
Max speed: 51.57 km/h (32.0 mi/h)
Average pace: 2.54 min/km (4.1 min/mi)
Average moving pace: 2.21 min/km (3.6 min/mi)
Min pace: 1.16 min/km (1.9 min/mi)
Max elevation: 121 m (398 ft)
Min elevation: -14 m (-46 ft)
Elevation gain: 231 m (757 ft)
Max grade: 11 %
Min grade: -10 %

Slowing Intersection

I don’t know why, but when I am out on the roads, I seem to come across lots of morons.

Yesterday I saw this guy on a scooter running a red light. More than once. He turned right on to the road I was on without slowing down at all. I know he had a red then. He approached another light that was also red (the instersection of Head and Old Esquimalt). Instead of slowing, he turns right, then noticing there is no traffic, pulls a u-turn so that he is on Head, facing Old Esquimalt. He guns it and turns right to get back on to Old Esquimalt. The same a running a red.

Today while riding to work I was moving along at a pretty good clip and some car pulls out of a driveway to get into traffic. Only there isn’t room so they hit the brakes and end up blocking the bike lane. I then have to hit the brakes and weave around them. A little later some truck stops in the bike lane and double parks so he could drop off his wife. I wanted to give him a mean look (oooooh), but he was shielding his eyes with his hand. He knew he was doing something he shouldn’t.

On the way home today I was coming down a hill to an intersection and I had a green light. A cyclist decided to try and zip across the red, and through the traffic, nearly t-boning me.

Finally, as I was climbing a hill on Esquimalt Ave, a red and white taxi blew past me pretty quickly at less than a foot from my shoulder. There was a whole other lane they could have mover over in to, but no, he had to stay in his lane.

After experiences like this, it’s

no wonder more people don’t cycle commute.