Bicycle Network Victoria: Your riding

Nick Shugg's Ride to Work Story

Nick has lost 15kg simply by riding to work! 

Nick received a bike for Christmas in 2007 and has been riding regularly since January 2008. Having been an occasional runner for many years he took up riding as it was a lower impact sport and wanted to set himself a personal physical challenge to ride in the ‘Around the Bay in a day’.

Nick lives in Blackburn (Victoria) and rides into work in Melbourne CBD twice a week along the Eastern Freeway bike track which is a 26km, one hour, one way commute. If Nick were to catch the train into work it would take him the same amount of time, door to door.

Nick has been riding to work since January 2008 and during this time he hasn’t changed his diet at all but lost 15kg simply by riding twice a week. He notices that he arrives to work with more energy and also sleeps better on the days that he rides.

Within his workplace at Money Managers there is a cycle friendly culture with shower facilities and bike storage.

The only influencing factors that alter Nick’s decision to ride into work is the weather and if he has early morning meetings.

Nick’s wife has also taken up riding again and rides a hybrid. She drives part way into the city, drops the kids at school and then rides into work in the city.

Nicks’ advice to new riders is to:
• Plan your route
• Decide what kind of bike you will ride according to your route (e.g. some road bikes are better off kept on the road rather than on some of the bike tracks)
• Leave a change of clothes at work so you don’t have to carry as many things in with you.