For the past two weeks, I’ve been trying to replicate my commute experience at Oracle. In San Francisco, I was one of dozens to put my bike on Caltrain at 22nd Street, and, when I wanted some exercise, I would get off at Burlingame or San Mateo and bike the eight+ miles to Oracle. It was a beautiful way to start the day: all but 1 mile of the ride was on a bike path hugging the shoreline of the San Francisco Bay. No car traffic, completely level, and a peaceful 30-minute ride. I averaged 19 mph, sometimes higher, and got a wonderful work out.
In Seattle, I strap my bike onto the front of the 545 express bus to Redmond. There’s only space for three bikes (as opposed to 36 on CalTrain) but I’ve only been bumped once, and that was going home. I get off at Evergreen Point just across the 520 bridge, and take off. I have a choice for the first mile or two: ride along an extremely narrow and bumpy jogging trail through the woods along the north side of 520, or take a residential street with wide shoulders on the south side of 520. Recently, I’ve been taking the side street: not only is it smoother, but the hills are less… hilly. Then I cross back to the north side of 520, go up another residential street, which turns into an incredibly long, steep downhill. Fastest I’ve gone is 38 mph. Then another couple of miles on secondary (non-residential streets) with barely a shoulder to speak of. And all uphill.
Finally, I’m on the bike trail that runs along 520 all the way into Redmond. Of course, Microsoft is just barely in Redmond so I’m only on that trail for a couple of miles. It’s almost all uphill, of course, and my average speed for the whole ride is 10 to 12 mph.
It’s a good workout, and I do like starting the day with a ride. But
it’s not as picturesque as riding along San Francisco Bay, and I get
caught at a lot of really long stoplights.
What’s humiliating about the morning rides are the hills. Well, the
hills aren’t really humiliating. It’s the old guys with gray hair who
are blowing past me on the uphills. I had three in one morning. Nobody
passed me on the trail along the Bay.
"Why don’t you take the ride after work, when it’s all downhill?" I hear you cry.
I do, actually. When I bike in the morning, I almost always bike back in the evening. That’s mainly because there is so much demand at the Microsoft bus stop, one bike is almost always bumped. And even if you’re not bumped, by the time your bike is on the rack on the front of the bus, every spare seat is taken. Standing in the aisle as the bus lurches in the agonizingly slow, stop-and-go traffic at the 405 interchange is murder on my knees. Plus, at Evergreen Point, I can take buses other than the 545 to Stewart and Denny.
But the evening ride isn’t quite enough of a workout. It’s only 6.75 miles, so with all the down hills, it only takes 22 minutes–just barely an aerobic workout.