Now that the weather is improving and there is a decent amount of daylight early in the morning, I’ve started to get into the habit of pre-work rides. It’s a great way to get a solid hour in before starting work!

It’s taken a bit of logistics and forward planning though. I ride my motorbike to/from work so I’ve had to leave one of my road bikes (luckily I own a few) at the office, along with some spare clothes, kit and basic bike stuff like chain lube, track pump, etc. I’m lucky in that respect too as I am able to have a good setup at the office.

I’ve commandeered this spare office to be my bike workshop!

There’s no shortage of testing climbs within a 10 minute warm-up ride, including some of Hobart’s Top 10 Climbs such as Mount Nelson (Cat 2), Strickland Avenue (Cat 3) and The Domain (Cat 4). But currently my favourite morning ride is a rolling blast along the  Inner City Cycleway, which provides a relatively smooth and car-free out and back course from the centre of town.

It’s a two-way shared path that roughly follows the old railway track. When it’s not busy it can provide an even tempo effort for the majority of the route – although the many intersections, road crossings and morning runners can mess with that! ;-)

So now a few times a week I get in early and smash out a solid hour on the bike before starting work. I get to beat the morning rush hour, get the endorphins flowing and set myself up nicely for the day ahead, something I miss from my cycle commuting days.