February Total

Just one ride this month at 10.9 miles. Last year at this time I was able to get in 18.1 miles in two rides. The total for this year is 37.5 miles, with the 2006 YTD total at 114.

I've been playing with the stats tonight (apparently instead of riding), and based on the last two years, I've computed the percentage of the annual total achieved per month on average. Then I computed how much of my secret total miles goal I need to reach each month to match the average pace. Confusing? I think so.

Anyway, last January was an outstanding month, so that percentage is higher than most will be. Because of that, my January total for this year was pretty far off the mark, while this month's miles are at the average. For the year, I'm down by 27 miles already.

(Next month, I'll try to include averages for commuting, utility, and morning rides.)

March will be tough this year, since I'll be out of town for two of the four weeks. However, I only need to get in around four rides to keep the pace going; two more if I want to catch up. It all depends on the weather.

The Rear View

I love bike mounted camera videos!

The Streak Continues

I finally got a ride in this month (24th month in a row). The neighbor and I went to Martell Forest and back. The roads are staying pretty wet as the snow melts, so I built up a pretty strong "Davis Stripe" on my back. My legs were a little wobbly at the beginning, but we got into the groove pretty quickly.

For some reason, we named sections of the route based on past roadkill sightings. We passed Lester's corner, skunk kill hill, and severed raccoon head road. I guess we were a little loopy after work today.

Miles Ridden: 10.9

Snow Ride (Take It Easy)

Tom asked for spinner miles this week. While I didn't get a real ride in, I did strap the camera on my son's bike and ride the cul-du-sac in the snow. The dog came along for fun.

Here's the movie:

My First Bike

It's a dark green Spiegel - presumably from the catalog. My parents picked it up at a garage sale. I remember this day well. The bike had been around with training wheels for a while, and I had been tooling up and down the 30 foot sidewalk in front of the house. I'm not sure why I decided it was time to take off the training wheels on the same day they had brought home a new puppy. On my first two wheeled ride, I proceeded to run over said puppy. He was fine; I was in tears.

What amazes me most about this shot is that it is over 40 years old!

(Check out the Ford Country Squire Wagon with the woodgrain trim! Barely visible in the background is a late-50s/early-60s Chevy.)

Remember Warm Weather?

Bridge Over the Wabash at Independence - September 3, 2006

Updates

Here are some updates on recent posts:

I ordered the reflective vest from Alert Shirt as promised so that I can ride more in the mornings before work.

I told my sister I would ride with her in RAGBRAI this year. We'll do at least two days - three or four if we're in the mood. Now, I'm thinking about all the things I need to buy: sleeping bag, tent, pad, rack, panniers, what else? (I'll probably over pack and leave half of it in my car before the ride!)

I'm not quite happy with the way the new domain is working. No changes just yet, but I am putting more research into it. (Thanks to Roger for the kind words. He promises a new look soon for his site.)

No riding yet this month because it is as cold as cold can be. Maybe after V-day.

That's all for now.