Folks, the first month of 2016 has NOT been the greatest ever. The weather has remembered it is supposed to be cold, or wet or cold AND wet. Not the best conditions for our hero to be pedaling in.
I also had one of my hardest crashes in quite a while, the back wheel hit slippery metal on the trail
and I crashed and burned.
And I unexpectedly lost a dear friend. Yeah, January was not so great, but I kept the wheels a turning… Continue reading “Racking Up the Miles: January 2016”
November in the Pacific Northwest is greeted with a bid a trepidation. It is generally our wettest month of the year. It is also, pure and simple, often the wildest weather month of the year. I have seen pounding rain, flooding , major windstorms, and freezing butt cold, ALL in the same month. Wait, that was THIS year! We had all four!
The only thing we didn’t have, much to my wife’s displeasure, is any snow. Though in past years some of the most crippling snows in Seattle have occurred in November.
For cycling Tony, with this type of weather, one would assume the cycling sucked…. Continue reading “Racking Up the Miles: November 2015”
Thinking back to last year at this time, I remember stressing some about the miles I was getting. To clarify a bit, I am not one of those who sets a goal for a year of a number of miles to hit, then come hell or high water I make it. To me, miles mean exercise, and exercise means staying in shape.
Last year, as the fall hit, I was spending entirely too much time in Spokane training new hires. Since I was in a hotel, I was eating out, and when I eat out I enjoy my food and when I enjoy my food I don’t work out as much (especially when I don’t have a bike) and ,,,,
Yeah, I was a mess. So this year, even though I am NOT away, I have a shorter bike commute, so I was worried about the total miles… Continue reading “Racking up the Miles: Oct 2015”
I saw a post today from a lady in Sacramento who finished a Century ride on Saturday. Now with this Facebook page, that is a common occurrence, it has about 3000 + riders who love to share pictures, encouragement and achievements. We cyclists are just darn nice people!
What made this stand out was she had issues with leg cramps at 85 miles, and wasn’t sure she’d finish. But she dug deep, overcame the pain, and cross the finish line! (Cue crowd roar!)
In reading her post, it triggered memories of quite a few of my rides over the last few years. All of the ones that came to mind we ones where I struggled hard and, yep, even though about giving up… Continue reading “Them’s that are the Hardest are the one’s you remember the Mostest!”
Wow, I know every year we say this, but DAMN the year has gone by fast. Suddenly, the way too hot days of summer are over, and the longer rides start become races against the setting sun.
September was a fun month Continue reading “Racking Up the Miles: September 2015”
Before I get into this post too far, I need to point something out. Miles are not everything!
Unless you are a cyclist, this may not mean much, so let me try to explain. I keep track of my miles, because I am a math geek and like numbers. I really like knows how far I travel on any given ride (even the 1.5 mile ride to the store today), how far I travel each year and since 2008 when I started riding. Its fun for me, and it helps me make sure I am on track for big rides each year.
Much more important than the miles are the experiences, adventures and thoughts, you have during these miles, not to mention the stuff you see while riding. I love all of these.
All this being said, I hit 3000 miles for the year last week, and that just made me smile Continue reading “The difference 8 years makes…”
Normally, I do my end of the month posts almost as soon as the last ride of the month occurs. (Yep Michelle tells me I am very much a creature of habit!) However, August ended with a great vacation, a huge storm, and major clean up afterwards (not to mention loss of power and interwebs!) So now, with a day of relaxation, I can get caught up! Continue reading “Racking Up the Miles: August 2015”
