I set off from my home around 6-6.15am and arrive at work around 7am. I travel from the suburb of Blackalls Park to Cardiff and back each day. The first part is on cycleway, followed by quiet roads then a main road with another short cycleway stretch, much of it alongside the shores of Lake Macquarie. There is an option to take a slightly longer route via a 4km lakeside cycleway but this takes me back onto a main road and a very steep hill. On the way home I often go the longer way as the hill is not as steep out of Cardiff as it is in and the descent the other side is a wonderful adrenalin rush!
I am aged 53 and married. My wife often commuted by bike until she quit work around three years ago. We still ride on Sundays with the local cycling group and Helena rides on Wednesdays too with another group. In the past three years we have ridden overseas on holidays in the USA (even rode one day in New York for the hell of it!) Ireland, Scotland, England, Holland, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, staying at Youth Hostels and with family and friends. We hope to do the UK's Land's End to John O'Groats in 2004 taking a "leisurely" six weeks to do it.
People often ask why do I commute by bike? There are many reasons. The first is that I enjoy it - a great way to start and finish a working day. Secondly health reasons - haven't seen a doctor for ages. Thirdly it saves me money on public transport fares and/or running a car and this saving actually pays for our air fares to Europe every two yearsand fourth it is good for the environment. There are other reasons and I could go on for hours...