Zoning Out: Taking it Easy On Your Bike Commute Can Pay Off
For a little while now I’ve puzzled over why people rush to work. It started when I was guiding a charity bike ride from Glasgow to London in 2015. The quiet leafy lanes that we had carefully selected on the recce turned into treacherous ‘rat runs’ at commuter time in the mornings. It’s not just cars, I see the same mentality on the commute into central London. People riding like they’re on a stage at Le Tour. Got to sprint through those lights; get through that junction and can’t let my ego take a dent with someone riding behind me. Push, push, push.
If you’ve never ridden and commuted in Amsterdam, it’s bliss. Yes there are dedicated cycle lanes and the whole system is geared towards cycling but there is something about the way the Dutch cruise around. Effortless cycling getting to and from work. Admittedly most people are dressed in civvies and ride ‘Klunkers’ but the end result is little or no stress. You arrive at work or back at home calm. There’s no road rage fuelled cortisol cursing through your veins.
When I started commuting by bike in London I had come from Amsterdam and I decided to adopt the same approach. I was wearing lycra and riding a road bike but the outcome was the same. I would ride easy into and back from work. For the data geeks - zone 1. I’ve continued this approach now for 5 years and there are 2 lessons I want to share, which can apply to any cycle commute and commuter.
Less stress
Just riding easy means the whole commute has way less stress. I’m not rushing or racing lights, or junctions. It’s way easier to anticipate bad driving, foolish pedestrians and yes even crazy cyclists. I’ve got time to calmly react to things happening around me. I find I have way fewer incidents than other cycling commuters who have shared horror stories with me. I can look around, take in the sights and be present. The end result being a healthy calmness arriving at work and a vital decompression when getting home.
Definitely not junk miles
The typical refrain I get from other cyclists is that my commutes in zone 1 are junk miles. I’m not getting my heart rate up into the red zone. I’m not pushing. I’m just simply not doing any good. Absolute rubbish. False notions based on a lack of understanding of physiology and a ridiculous doctrine of ‘no pain, no gain’.
The truth is, the easy, zone 1 riding I do on my commute have an important job in building my aerobic engine and helping to keep my immune system in good shape. It all comes down to mitochondria.
We know the physiological stress generated by easy training is characteristically different from the physiological stress generated above it. For example, we know that the autonomic stress generated is lower, reducing the recovery required following the session compared to exercise in the heavy or severe-intensity domains above the lactate threshold. This was borne out in a controlled laboratory study of athletes by Prof. Stephen Seiler. Marco Altini and Dr Dan Plews recently demonstrated the same effect in a big data study of HRV4Training users. Therefore, regulating and controlling a significant portion of our training hours below the lactate threshold in Zone 1 & 2 facilitates the accumulation of a larger overall training volume, as these sessions do not require significant recovery periods. All this means I can ride day after day.
We also know that more training volume leads to enhanced and more mitrochondria protein content. More mitochondria will likely allow us to achieve higher power outputs and cycling/running speeds at the physiological thresholds and, therefore, faster sustainable paces for our endurance events. It also allow us to metabolise fat at faster rates during exercise - all useful for an endurance athlete.
Mitochondria are important because they are the "powerhouses" of the cell, playing a role in regulating cell growth, death, and the cell cycle. We now know that regular exercise provides immune-boosting and anti-inflammatory effects with exertion-induced muscle inflammation triggering the action of inflammation-countering T cells, termed Tregs. These Tregs help muscles use energy more efficiently and boost exercise endurance. Tregs are known to counter abnormal inflammation and boost the expression of genes that regulate muscle structure, metabolism, and the activity of mitochondria.
So in short my easy commute rides boost my mitrochondria which in turn helps my fat oxidation ability and strengthens my aerobic engine, all whilst keeping me healthy. A win, win.
Whilst I may arrive a few minutes later than the person who has shredded themselves riding at breakneck speed but I know which one of us is in a healthier condition.
Try it. You won’t look back.