I cycle, I quit counting miles on my bicycle at 150K. Have toured, self guided and self-contained, along with my wife, every state east if the big muddy most of western Europe a a chunk of Eastern Europe.
I cycle competitively - my "specialty" is time trialing. I ride about 200-250 miles/week on a combination of my time trial bike, road bike and a fat bike (great for breaking up the winter monotony of riding indoors on the trainer). When I was a teenager in the '70s (pre-driver's license), I used to tour (self-contained) around New England. Still feel like the cycling equivalent of Jonathan Livingston Seagull every time I get on the bike!
My I was never competitive, more Zen, you know; I ride my bike to ride my bike. There was a time, about a dozen years ago, when I was cycling 250 miles a week then I began breaking bones a bit too easily. Spoke with the doctor and he sorta blew it off but l presisted and he ordered a bone scan. I went back a week later for the results and he said he was very surprised at the results and then said "these are not the bones we want to so in a 50 year old male." It seems that by doing 250+ a week was deplesting calcium at a greater rate than I could replace it. He put on regular over the counter calcium and told me that because no one was waiting at the finish line with a big check maybe I may want to cut back some on my mileage. So I'm down to100 to 150 a week now.
As an "age grouper", I think it's important to realize that no matter how good you are competitively , it's kind of like being the tallest pygmy... and nobody cares except you! Since less than 5% of the miles we ride are "in competition", you'd better love the other 95% or it'd get old fast!
I tried street riding for a couple years but never got into it. Then a few years go a buddy talked me into going mountain biking with him to help train for the hare scrambles we did on our dirt bikes. I found out I liked mountain biking almost as much as trail riding on the dirt bike. I ended up selling the dirt bike this past fall but will keep the mountain bike around. It's easy to load the mountain bike on the car and hit the trails after work, but riding a dirt bike took so much more planning that after buying a house and having kids I only rode once a year at best.
I'm out of the habit, but used to do longish day rides and the occasional multi-day organized group tour. I rode the now-defunct TASSLE (Tour Along the South Shore of Lake Erie) way back in high school, and did the GOBA (Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure) a few years ago. For a while I was entranced with the idea of longer-distance touring and camping from a bike, but it's seeming unlikely now. When I was paring down possessions to move to Pittsburgh I made the mistake of selling my super-customized Trek hybrid and keeping a vintage Cannondale that isn't quite set up for me. All it needs is a change of handlebars, stem, tape and maybe brake levers, but I haven't gotten around to it so the bike still hangs pointlessly in the basement while I make resolutions.
I started a thread about running and cycling a little while back, but I just got into cycling last year. It is secondary to running for me, plus I work long days and my days off I typically have my son, so I don't get a lot of miles in. I bike for recreation and fitness, so only in 50ºF+ nicer weather. I hit 1150 miles for my first full year, I'm happy with that. I am trying to get a bit faster and maybe try a duathlon this year. And I did get a set of rollers to try to keep in biking shape through the winter. I am hoping to do a tour a few days long early this summer, I have a few days off while my son will be out of state so I may get the chance to actually do something overnight... pretty excited! Though a little nervous go so far by myself, but I don't have any friends who bike.
My coldes day cycling was -23 in Columbia County, NY, late December in maybe 2005 or so. Rode about 25 miles that day. Trust me, the miles don't matter, you're out there and enjoying it, that's the best part.
I just realized I haven't had my mountain bike out once this year! I've got a little one at home now and suddenly it's harder to find the time for that stuff. I did pick up a couple cruisers and a trailer this spring. My wife and I found a good parking spot near a bike path where we ride to a town near us for lunch and drinks then back to the truck for a whopping total of 15 miles! It's a nice little outing and the baby seems to enjoy sitting in the trailer, we just went a couple weekends ago when I took these pictures. We haven't made the trip with my 8 year old step daughter yet, she seems to tucker out after 8 miles so I'm not sure she could do the whole trip, even with a break in the middle. Last weekend I did change out the tires on her mountain bike from knobbies to smooth beach cruiser type tires, I'm hoping that helps her on those "long" rides as I'd really like to make the trip with her before the summer is over.
Not sure how I missed this thread for so long. Sorry about that. I have loved riding bike for so long, it is difficult to stop. However, it seems my riding days may be numbered. I still try though. Not sure if I have 1,000 miles on the bike this summer or not but at least the few miles I've rode have been mostly nice except for the weakness in the legs. That does take a little fun out of it. When I was a little boy, the polio bug got me. Was a cripple for a time but later I remember hearing the doctor constantly after my folks to, "Get that boy a bicycle!" They did finally get one. I think it was given to them and wasn't much. But I rode and rode and rode. I remember the first time I rode 10 miles and thought that was beyond my imagination. Ha! I also remember the first 100 miler. Then I also remember back in the early 1980's when ABC's Wide World of Sports aired the Great American Bike Race. That day the bug really hit me. I wanted to ride in that race. However, although for years it was a goal, I have accepted the fact that it is never to be. But, I did have the satisfaction of being on the crew of several riders in the Race Across America. That was both fun and exciting and all the way across I imagined myself on the bike! At least it was a substitute for being in the race itself. And I got to see a lot of country and made many new friends. Today I ride only occasionally every week rather than daily and I have not nor will I ride a 100 miler this summer even though I had hoped to ride a couple of 200 milers. One does what he can. Sadly, my legs are getting weaker and weaker and I had an emg a couple weeks ago and i guess it is a wonder that I can ride. For sure my average speed is super low but it is still enjoyable when I can ride. For those that do ride, I say keep at it and enjoy it. If you can ride with family, that is great too. If only alone, that is fine. I've always been a loner when riding. I am also blessed in that I do not have to ride in a town or city as we live in the country and I can ride for hours on end without having to go into a city. It is nice! Here is my present bike:
I don't know how I missed this thread? I am ashamed to say that I have not had my bike out this year yet. And I love riding my bike. The heat is going to break Friday so this weekend the bikes come out. Thanks for the encouragement guys.
Good for you Minnesota Marty. I went on a nice little 25 miler yesterday. Was going to go today but work got in the way... Maybe tomorrow.
Years ago I was a serious recreational mountain biker. Rode a lot of the areas around east Tennessee and western North Carolina. I also had the opportunity to participate in a 24-hr relay race in Conyers, GA, on the '96 Olympic course. Gotta love mountain biking in the dark! After hanging up the mountain bike I got pretty serious about road biking around '04-'10. I enjoyed it as an activity, but did it mostly because I got into triathlons. I did Ironman Louisville in 2010 and sold my tri-bike three days after the that race because I didn't want to be tempted to do another one. Way too much training time! I didn't get on another bike for five years. My wife and I moved back to our home state of Indiana a few years ago and landed in a rural area surrounded by county roads. It just felt right, so last summer I got another road bike and I've been loving it. I'm an avid runner, so I split my play time between the two activities, but ride more in the summer due to the heat.
I used to ride BMX and love jumping and flowing around skate parks. Being a mother kinda curbed my Evil Kineivel side... being down with an injury just doesn't work with my busy life. Almost forty and still ride on 20" wheels, BMX 'til I die!
I'm a roadie. I ride on average 100mi/week in the "nice" season. The hours of riding compete with daylight hours to get farm chores done. I've never competed but Imabetcha if I was the weight that I was when I ran competitively (160lb) I'd compete well and have fun with it. I'm only 40lb away from that kind of thing, lol.
I've a Cannondale road bikeOTE="NewToStihl, post: 530259, member: 1125"]What make/model of bike did you put that crazy amount of miles on?[/QUOTE] I've a Cannondale rode bike and a Surly Disc Trucker for touring.
Had to travel last week for work, but the Saturday before I left I went for a road ride with a neighbor of mine. The weather had been rainy, but that Saturday it was supposed to be clear until close to noon. We headed out at 8am to try & sneak in a 26-mile route before the rain started. We got rained on for a short time around mile 16, but then had it clear for a short bit. About mile 22 the bottom fell out and it started pouring. Less than a minute after the torrential downpour started I got a flat on my rear wheel. I swapped out the tube to get home, but knew I had to take it back apart when I got home to clear the water out. I had no idea a skinny little road tire could hold that much water...
