22
Jul
08

Reflection – 4yrs of Cycling

Well, I was just going through my cycling logs & adding up some totals from when I started bike commuting & increasing my recreational riding.  Minimal riding compared to some, but a whole lot more than most & more than I would have thought possible when I started.

Total Distance:     
22,000km
Total Time:               
1,000hrs (hey, I ride through the winter… it slows me down :-) )
Total Calories:    
600,000 (or there-abouts… that’s about 3000 donuts worth!)
Max Speed:                
64.8km/h
Flat Tires:             
14 (no data for ’04, several on the Bianchi ’til I replaced the rim tape)
Parts:
- Several inner tubes
- 5 or so sets of brake pads
- 2 or 3 sets of tires
- 5 chains
- 3 or 4 cassettes (rear gears)
- 2 chain rings (front gears)
- 2 sets of cables
- 1 saddle (broken rail)
- 1 set of pedals (due to be replaced, but still using)
- 2 bike computers (one stolen, one broken)
- 2 LED blinker lights (fell off, smashed)
- 1 pair of cycling shoes
- 1 set of handlebar grips

Injuries:
Thankfully, the worst injury to-date has been minimal road rash on my left knee & elbow after taking a corner to fast on a wet road.  There’ve been a few other minor scrapes, but nothing that ever stopped or slowed down my riding & certainly nothing worthy of medical aid.

Highlights:
An early morning winter commute when the Northern Lights were absolutely amazing… stopped in the park to take it in.

Stopping & helping a kid put the back wheel back on his very beat up old bike that was way too big for him & didn’t have a chain.

Putting air in the tires of the commuter bike & having a group of ~10yr old boys say “wow, cool bike… do you race that thing!?”

The day I realized that I can now keep a 30km/hr pace for extended periods of time (an “out there” goal I set shortly after starting commuting when it was a struggle to stay over 24)

The first 100km, then 100mile rides

The day a group of us (in which I was the youngest at 42) from the club “ripped the legs off” a couple of young riders who met up with us, hung on at the back for a while then blasted past saying “seeya”.  We reeled them it after letting them get out a couple of km, then kept a fast pace with them struggling to hang on.


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