Cycling Experiences…

You have [or can] read my End-of-Year 2008 Cycling Experiences… Blog entry below and see that I was bless to ride 3,538.65 recorded accident free miles and have the opportunity to meet many nice people. That makes ’08 a true high-water mark year for me.

Let me share with you the meager mileage by month and cycle of my riding:

Now, why do I say meager? Because many of my BROL brothers and sisters exceed my mileage by significant numbers. For example: Startle says:

Nice blog Jim. I got to visit Southern Cal for the first time and enjoyed riding along the coast. Fantastic! Visited Bent up Cycles, Fantastic! Found a great place for riding in Eastern Oregon, the Strawberry Mountains, and the cycling event at Prairie City,  OR. Planning on going back. Century ride with over 10,000 ft climbing is a great event. Got to ride the famous trail by Sacramento nice, but very busy even at 5:00 a.m. Our stay at Folsom was wonderful. And I rode over 10,000 miles again this year, don’t know why but that just makes me feel good. Happy New Year all!

Here is another BROL thread that has monumental riding accomplishments and a link to a thread I started 12/31 to give my EOY comments and links to this blog.

I invite all readers to get exercise in some form–what ever works for you and for whatever time period or distance that you are comfortable with. For me, I’ll strive to do a bit better in ’09.

Thanks for the visit and reading.

–jim

Well, I had to ride neighborhood streets to extend my 11 mile out & back to 13. I did not verify my ride distance and had ridden the route recently. I said 13 and 13 it is. It’s a hilly little sucker… Saw a max 40 mph today!!!

Rode My Trek Project One ~ what a sweet bike

[click either graphic to goto MotionBased for more ride info]

2008 afforded me the opportunity ride many different venues and more importantly, to meet many friends, some of whom are members of the ‘BentRider Online [BROL]. [click either of the collection thumbnails to go to the  flickr photos or sets of that  collection of pictures]

Following is a list of ’08 places ~ events ~ dates of my cycling:

• Winter Garden, FL ~ Catrike Rally ~ Feb & Mar
• Jacksonville, FL ~ Jacksonville-Baldwin Trail ~ Devious56 & Recycled Teen ~ Mar
• Inverness, FL ~ Withlacoochee Century ~ March
• Jacksonville, FL ~ Jacksonville-Baldwin Trail ~ March
• Bethesda, MD to Gettysburg, PA ~ Face of America Bicycle Ride ~ May
• Bristol, VA/TN ~ Kingsport, TN ~ Abbington, VA  Bike VA ~ June
• Kellogg, ID ~ TOT ~  Mandrake1051 & a host of others ~ June & July
• Wenatchee, WA ~ The Wenatchee Experience… ~ Dragonfly & husband, Chris & Dale ~ July
• Seattle, WA ~ The Seattle Experience… ~ Doncl ~ July
• Seattle, WA to Portland, OR [STP] ~ July
• Gem Lake, MN [near Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN] ~ Moon Light Ride ~  hmw46 ~ July
• Iowa [across the state ] [RAGBRAI] ~ July
• Morton, IL ~ The Dandy Ride ~ CycleBreeze, Trsnrtr, & other BROLers ~ July
• Niagara, NY/Niagara, CA ~ Niagara Rally ~ Tom Barone & a host of others ~ August
• Black Mountain to Oak Island, NC ~ Cycle NC ~ September & October
• Claxton, GA ~ Crusin’ in the Country ~ November
• Moncks Corner, SC~ FestiVELO ~ December

[click on the collages below for an enlarged picture]

In all of this, I amassed 3,538.65 recorded miles [chart below]. I had a few rides where I had a GPS issue, thus the mileage was not recorded. Plus, I ride for cool-down and do not record those miles. My estimate is that my mileage in in excess of 3,700 miles. My ’06 total exceeds ’07 & ’08, but I did 3 major tour in ’06, and 21 centuries, one of which was a double century. I had one double this year–STP. This chart is based on my Garmin Edge 305 uploads the the MotionBased Database. Garmin has Edge 305 replacements.

[click the chart to goto my MotionBased Digest]

I have to again give a special thanks to those BROL members who gave the utmost in hospitality as I trekked west and then back east. You know who you are. THANKS  AGAIN!!!

Now, what will I ride in ’09?

Iprepared my Citi shopping list [as of 12/31] based on my research and responses to various questions I have asked. Thanks to Nanda of Spin Cyclz for his help. I expect to begin purchasing when and as budget permits.

Background in three earlier posts :

• Just for knocking around–cruzin’
• Other possible Citi components…
• My RANS Citi Crank Forward Q & A

[click on the image above for clearer text]

Slightly windier today than yesterday. Just a bit slower too. Although the first half of the ride, I picked up my average speed .7 of a mile. I lost all of it during the back half.I’m sure some of it was the wind and some me. Anyway, I burned calories and that is good. Plus, I’m getting my legs back. BTW, I rode my Trek 5200 again today. If I ride tomorrow, I’ll ride my Trek Project One on a shorter hillier 13 mile route. From the house, out & back. [click to expand graphic]

Via e-mail and from this blog, I’m trying to get information I need to make the best sight-unseen, have-not-ridden, buying decision possible. This technique has worked well for me in the past, in that I purchased 3 recumbents this way. All are perfect fits–no regrets. I don’t want to blow this purchase.

Following are a series of questions and answers from Nanda, Spin Cyclz. In a few instances, the responses are a bit more me than Nanda. I wanted to have a full build at Spin Cycle.  However, given components that Nanda cannot get and the fit I need, I’ll buy the frame-set from him and build the bike here. This was the original plan.

[click on tthe image above for a more readable copy]

From these responses, I’m building a shopping list so that I can budget for the purchase. I’ve also asked VikB [BROL member and the owner of a RANS Street CF, a Surly Big Dummy, & a Surly Pugsley] a few questions. Vik rides with several of the components I’m interested in.

Now, I’ll have my wheels built; buy components as my budget allows; and then order the frame-set [relative to its availability]. I want to  complete my purchases by the end of March ’09.

Next up–my shopping list.

Since I have not ridden since early December [FestiVELO]; I needed to relieve stress; and, I needed to burn calories, I prepared my Trek 5200 and we went for a nice 29 mile ride. Albeit, slower than I’ve ridden this route before, but not to shabby, give temps and wind. Plus, I’m not at my summer level of conditioning. Anyway it was good enough that I hope to do it again tomorrow.

You may wonder why the 5200. I flatted twice on it in FestiVELO and it’s not a ‘bent. Well, it was fastest to setup. I had to transfer pedals and load my emergency items. I plan to ride the Stratus XP on a colder day, given its fairing. I’ll give Silk a spin in the cold with her fairing also.

Yep, they are Clu4u, a.k.a ~ John and Dipseair, a.k.a. ~ Russ. I knew John from BROL and met both he and Russ [now a BROL member] in person at TOT ’08  in the Idaho Panhandle [near Kellogg] as we rode several challenging routes.

This photo is courtesy of Gregory ~ The Hipster

BTW, TOT = Trike Only Tour or Trike Optional Tour. Actually, TOT = FUN!

Yesterday [12/27], John announced:

Jim,

I guess that I could say that the Glyde is my Christmas gift to myself. I handed Dana a deposit check on Dec. 6. I’ll have to wait til after Christmas for its delivery, though.

Russ followed up with a deposit to Zach for his Glyde a couple of weeks ago – his Christmas present to himself. Now if Russ and I bring Glydes to TOT, Russ’ wife (Judi) will have a choice of Russ’ GTO or my X5 to ride

To which, I replied:

Your stable is interesting. Two Glydes. I know I’ll never keep up with you and Russ now–unless I tried on a tail-faired NoCom. I love the Glyde and posted a picture on my blog. If I were to make TOT ’09 and see yours and ride it, I’d likely be doomed. I better stay away.

Congrats to each of you and ENJOY…

BROL is such a neat community, we share stores, we ride together, and even get the wonderful hospitality of members as we spend a few days together. I certainly did from Dragonfly a.k.a. Robin and her husband Chris; Doncl, a.k.a. Don and his lovely wife; and hmw46, a.k.a. Hazel, who invited me into their homes.  Thanks guys!  So if you bike, especially recumbents, join us for lively discussions, fun rides, and so many other interesting activities.  Some of my rides from this past summer are in a BROL thread titled: Jim’s ’08 Cycling Odyssey. It takes you from Bike Virgina in mid-June to my Niagara Falls ride in mid-August. In between, there are TOT, STP–a double century, and RAGBRAI.

Again, CONGRATS to John and Russ on the 2 new steeds comming to them and the Dana of Bent up Cycles and Zach of Zach Kaplan Cycles for making the respective sales.

No doubt you have noted the 2 posts below:

• Before Cars, Before Lance, there was Major Taylor
• The Bicycle Corps: America’s Black Army on Wheels

This is what the folk over at BROL are saying.

It is good to learn and to have a greater awareness of this nation’s, and the world’s history. My effort here is educate me and share my discoveries. The same is true, as it relates to my cycling experiences. Thanks for tuning in. -jim

In 1897, the U.S. Army theorized that the newly developed “safety” bicycle could replace the horse as a means of troop transport. As a result, the 25th Infantry established a Bicycle Corps to test the overall practicality of military cycling.

Twenty African-American soldiers put their bicycles, their bodies, and the Army’s theory to the test with a 2000-mile ride from Montana to St. Louis, Missouri. The Bicycle Corps: American’s Black Army on Wheels chronicles their journey through the eyes of two of the soldiers: the white Lieutenant in command and the Black sergeant who guided and motivated the men.

From the Xtracycle Website [picked up from an Xtracycle tweet on twitter]. Visit the Major Taylor Association &  Major Taylor Society websites.

It’s hard to imagine in our car cluttered culture of today, but before the turn of the (20th) century, bicycles ruled the day. Bikes were, with the exception of locomotives, the fastest vehicles on earth. Among the fastest riders was one of the first black athletes to go head to head with the white athletic establishment. Major Taylor.

The fever around bicycle racing in the late 1800’s can probably only be compared to modern day pro-sports like Football, Baseball, Basketball.  Congregations of tens of thousands of people would amass to cheer on racers as they spun around the velodrome night after night, in every major city in the US. A grueling race called the Garden 6-Day happened each year in New York.  Lapping the velodrome hour after hour, day after day, the top riders covered nearly 2000 miles in 6 days, and by the end of the race were in varying states of hallucination and fatigue. Something of a mix of the horrors of the Roman Coliseum and Olympics drew massive crowds and honed the finest athletes.

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