Wednesday, December 31, 2008

2008 Wrap Up



Kind of a weird year, as my urge to ride greatly subsided later in the year.  Still, I had many good rides, even though I missed my goal. 

Total Miles Ridden: 1,427.9
Secret Goal: 1,800

Total Rides: 121
Commutes: 64
Utility: 9
Morning: 13
Other: 35

I'm surprised at how few utility rides I have.  While I really enjoy riding to stores, I'm not sure why I don't do it more.

It's interesting that for a 2nd year in a row my miles on each bike is almost identical.  701 on the 820, and 706 on the Pilot (and a few more on a rental).

Here's to a 2009 filled with fun rides!

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Last Chance

The Wabash is High Today

I've ridden at least once every month for the past few years, and I was getting a little worried about getting out in December. Luckily, everything fell in place today: good weather, vacation day, free time, equipment working. Just a ride to the bridge and back - the usual - but it felt good to get out.

Even before I went to the garage, I felt out of practice as I had a tough time choosing my clothing. I ended up just a little overdressed; not bad. After I grabbed some water, pumped up the tires and checked the chain, I headed out.

The bike felt a little weird. Was the seat lower than usual? The handlebars in a different position? No, it's just me not being used to riding. I remembered how to shift, but it took a couple of minutes to remember when to do it. (I'm even a little rusty with the blog posting routine!)

Also, I was very aware of all of the sand on the roads - especially in the bike lane.

I could have gone longer on flat ground, but the slight hills and the increasing wind let me know that I am seriously out of shape. I need to do this more often.

No matter. December is covered.

Miles Ridden: 9.0

Sunday, December 07, 2008

Extreme Beginnings

Found on behance.net