Something you like about your commute.

[markharry66]

Easy to focus on negative aspects of your commute, getting cut up, abuse etc (yes I am guilty as charged) so how about positive post for a change.

Something I enjoy as I eat breakfast when I get into work, half into my journey there is a small bakers its been there forever and its small family run business.
Every morning with out fail you can smell fresh bread being made makes me hungry and want to ride faster as by this point I am starving.

 

[Drago]

Arriving home alive.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

 

[FrankCrank]

I'll add a seasonal memory of my commute during my apprenticeship days, if I may.
When I say commute, it was really only a couple of miles at most from home to factory.
In the run up to Xmas one year, they were feeling in generous mood, and as a bonus we were each given a turkey and a bottle of sherry.
Wish I had a video of me trying to ride home with both these hanging from the handlebars, precariously cycling home to delighted parents.

 

[fossyant]

Arriving home alive.

You are retired !

 

[fossyant]

Morning commute is much nicer as it's 90% off road, and you just see regular walkers. Riding through misty fields is great, as is riding past a small lake every morning with various wildlife, despite it being very close to City Centre of Manchester. Home route less nice as the scallywags are out.

 

[biking_fox]

Changing season on the off-road section. Trees are in their final autumn colours now, but the verdant brilliance of spring is always amazing. Wildlife too, especially the occasional cheeky fox or fluttering bat on the dusk rides.

 

[Sharky]

Commuting days are long over, but I do remember the first evenings home after the clocks had just been moved forward and thinking that I've got a whole summer of riding home in the warm weather and light nights.

 

[Dadam]

Mine is not a particularly pleasant ride in itself, 50/50 busy suburban traffic filled roads, or broken glass strewn cycle paths but at least I get to work energised. I nearly went in the car this morning as it's a Monday I thought traffic might be lighter, until I saw google maps suggesting the 5 mile drive would take 25-30 mins. Sod that, 17 min on the bike thank you very much.

 

[fossyant]

I'm fairly lucky that I do have a few options to commute into the city off road - lovely routes through parks, traffic free old rail lines and a couple of canals. Get to see lots of wildlife you wouldn't see on a road commute, and a few of the human 'variety'.

The pure joy, of crossing the motorway bridge near home and seeing six lanes of standstill traffic that I'm not caught in (if I was car commuting, I'd be sat in that), the tails of cancelled trains, late busses etc. The absolute worst case of being 'late' for me was recent - a tyre exploded. Walked two miles to the bike shop, waited ten minutes for it to open at 8:30am, and I was sat at my desk, changed and clean before 9:30am, just an hour later than usual.

Even when it's howling a gale, chucking it down with rain, I'd rather get on my bike.

It's 'time free' training built into your day.

 

[Moodyman]

The pretty lady I see and nod to every morning around the same stretch of road. I’m sure I light up her day too.

 

[wafter]

Thanks mostly to the bulk of the commute being on the tow path:

Flora and fauna
Peace and quiet
Pleasant, respectful people
Friendly ladies
A marked reduction in my constant, underlying desire to take a flamethrower to my fellow man


Not intrinsic qualities of the route iteself but other bonusses:

Shaving a third off my annual car mileage with corresponding cost savings
Pushing me to ride when I otherwise wouldn't and increasing my annual bike mileage by a factor of two or three..

 

[Drago]

Commuting home through the lanes at 2am used to bring me sights that others would miss. Riding alongside a badger as it trotted along, the owl on the gate post that would eye me warily, the doggers going at it, all enjoyable sights.

When I changed stations and my commute was cut from 18 miles to 10 I was at first a bit aggrieved, but it soon sank in the the bit of the commute I'd lost was the crap part through town and I still had the country lanes to myself at oh my God O'clock.

 

[matticus]

On the wide bit of the Sustrans section, the friendly dog-walkers. (Not the other ones, nor the narrow bit.)

 

[palinurus]

• The mist in the frost hollow at Gypsy Lane during the autumn.
• Riding the very straight road through the posh estate and focussing on the illuminated bollard 0.7 miles ahead (I don't know why I like this)
• Taking my hands off the bars when there's no traffic
• Singing stupid made-up songs as I ride along
• Low sun on the trees on the Bedmond Road
• (In the spring) seeing the tree that appears to give both red and white blossom (two intertwined trees on close inspection)
• Taking different routes when the evenings are lighter
• Riding the quietest possible route when there's a dusting of fresh snow to leave the first tracks.
• Seeing my regular cats
• (During November) stopping to photograph abandoned pumpkins (for some reason they get dumped alongside lanes- I've no idea why)
• Seeing the first blackthorn blossom in February
• Filtering through heavy traffic on a late shopping day in December.

So many things...