Bike Mileage Competition & Today's Ride

[SVOboy]

That's a pretty neat site, and looks like a good ride, I'll have to mess around and figure out some of my rides/proposed rides on there...

[Lug_Nut]

I passed the 1000 mile mark yesterday evening. 1001.4 on the odometer since I resumed riding. I've a few more weeks to possibly get 1200 before the end of the year.
The DeRosa has been retired from the winter commute grind (literal grind). Last Tuesday's evening ride in the melting snow/slush/sand/salt comglomeration built up a thick coating on valuable 30 year old Italian steel and alloy, so much so that I brought the custom Ibis Mountain Trials out of hibernation for road duty.
It's heavy, slow, more upright, and much noisier with the fat knobbies, but it is sufficing to get me back and forth.

[kickflipjr]

So I survived the ride up the 13 steepest streets. It was fun and very tiring. 130 people showed up (a record #) so it was kind of like critical mass with races up hills. You can see some pictures at

www.randomprecisionphoto.com

[trebuchet03]

^^ Totally awesome - I'd probably just die

[striegel]

It's a bit late in the season, but I've been preparing for this for the last month. Yesterday I biked 10.1 miles each way to my office and back instead of driving for a total of 20.2 miles. The weather was wintry and streets were wet with melting snow but it was an enjoyable ride.

My wife does not like the idea of me riding in the dark during slippery conditions. Not so much because I'll do something stupid as much as the cars and trucks around me. She worries about me. I've tried to reassure her by showing off how many lights the bike has (three rear blinkies, three headlights) and all the reflective materials (Front and rear on bike, stripes on pannier, stripes on jacket, backs of shoes) but she'll still worry. It's what she does best. (To be fair, I did just recently have an accident with my bike, sliding on black ice that resulted in a concussion.)

My total miles biked in 2007 amount to 1,522 so far but everything else has been recreation/fitness rides. Only this last 20.2 miles really counts, right?

[Lug_Nut]

For this thread, the bicycle miles that replace what would otherwise have been private vehicle miles, are counted.
For us the 20 matter. To you, the 1500+ are rightfully more important.

[Lug_Nut]

And I think I might be done with displacement bicycle miles for this calendar year. There's too much snow and ice on the side of the roads for me to feel safe in weaving into the vehicle lane to get around it.
I can hope for a big thaw in the next two weeks, but I'm recognizing that 1062.8 miles might be it for me.

[striegel]

Originally Posted by Lug_Nut

And I think I might be done with displacement bicycle miles for this calendar year. There's too much snow and ice on the side of the roads for me to feel safe in weaving into the vehicle lane to get around it.
I can hope for a big thaw in the next two weeks, but I'm recognizing that 1062.8 miles might be it for me.

Well, I put on a pair of studded snow tires and I'm making the best of the cold weather. So far, I've commuted to work three days and made a couple of shopping rides too for a total of over 71 miles. It's a start and I'm having a great time.

At this time of year, when my fuel efficiency drops off so badly, I feel even better about the car miles I'm displacing.

[skewbe]

I'd like to checkpoint at 130, hoping for a thaw for the break.

[Lug_Nut]

The side of the roads on which I commute is clear enough that I decided to get back out. More slop falling from the sky tomorrow, but I did ride in to work today (20F this pre-dawn, but expected to be closer to 40F for the ride home).