Exercise... or not?

en route to Lake Louise... looking back after a bit of a climb

I've asked myself this question regarding my daily commute: is it exercise? Well, of course, it's exercise, I know that. But does it qualify as a workout? From time to time I think about this, and after reading this post on the Let's Go Ride a Bike blog, I thought about it some more.

This lovely lady lives in Chicago, a city I love. (How's that for alliteration?) I lived in Chicago for about 4 1/2 years. I met my husband there. I ate many a piece of Giordano's pizza and a few Number Ones at Mr. J's. I rode the El daily and walked and cycled along the lake shore. I even swam in Lake Michigan. I never set out chairs to mark my parking spot in the winter, but that was only because I had an assigned parking spot in my apartment's driveway. (I didn't really drive in Chicago, anyway -- maybe twice, but we did have a car.) All in all, it's quite fun to read about this woman's cycling adventures in the Windy City.

But back to the question at hand: is daily bicycle commuting really exercise? 
My short answer is: it depends. 

I've seen a few cycle commuters who proceed at a very leisurely pace; I daresay I could walk faster than they ride. I do walk fast (7.5+ km/hour), but that doesn't mean they are not riding slowly. For these people, I can answer the question with a confident NO. Perhaps what they're doing is better than sitting on a bus or behind a steering wheel, but if you ride like this, don't expect dramatic results when it comes to weight loss or improved fitness.

Most of us don't ride like this, however. I started riding my bike to work late in the winter of 2010. My commute was 7.5 km each way on city streets, punctuated with traffic lights and stop signs. In those early days, I rode a refurbished mountain bike and carried a moderately heavy backpack. I didn't exactly race to work, but like most commuters, I rode at a steady speed and didn't slack. 

After riding every day for six or seven months, in mid-September, I decided to join Oldest Son and Youngest Son cycling the Icefields Parkway from Jasper to Lake Louise -- a distance of about 230 km through the mountains. The plan was to divide the ride over two days. I was slightly apprehensive. I knew I was in decent shape -- in addition to riding every day, Hubby and I also took the dog for a walk every evening, and I had a regular routine of ab exercises and lifting light weights. But this ride would be like nothing I'd ever attempted. I had never ridden more than 20-25 km in a single day. 

cloudy skies -- we had a bit of rain on the second day

Well, I had a very pleasant surprise. Not only did I complete the ride, it was not even all that hard. Yes, there were two or three difficult climbs, but I kept pedaling and downshifting, and didn't have to walk my bike once. The gorgeous scenery and the sense of accomplishment helped to alleviate any pain I might have felt.

I wasn't even particularly tired at the end of the ride. The worst part came on the second day when I couldn't figure out what clothing to wear -- I started out too cold, rapidly became too hot, then was too cold again. It took a while, but once I figured out the proper combination of layers, I was comfy and happy. So, yes, I think I can safely say that my bicycle commute served as training for a much longer and much more challenging ride.

I was especially proud of myself that I stayed in a hostel -- no electricity, no running water!