I have finally settled into a hotel with my preferred commute–the one that takes me through a ritzy neighborhood, and is predominantly on bike lanes.  There is a slight incline on the way to work, but not enough to cause me to perspire.  Just enough for my circulatory system to kick into a higher gear.  The ride home, too, feels fantastic, as I feel super human going downhill on a visibly flat road.  All-in-all, when in comes to this hotel choice, I am a happy camper.

Now that I have my route down, I sometimes find myself completely zoning out during the commute.  I still stop at lights and do my usual hand signals as I turn, even when nobody is around to watch me.  But, one moment I am on street X, and another moment I am  wondering, “when did I turn onto street Y.”  Street Y would be on the right path along the commute, but not remembering how I got there worries me.

This phenomenon of going on “auto-pilot” is common to car commuters, but given the more physically demanding nature of the bicycle commute, I would not expect the same thing to happen to cyclists.  With my most recent experience, I stand corrected.

Has this happened to you during your bike commute?  Do you go on auto-pilot?