I think a mileage goal may be important to me because as you said, "It helps me get off the couch." Being unemployed it's so easy for me to sit around and say I will do it tomorrow.Quote:
Originally Posted by goldfinch
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I think a mileage goal may be important to me because as you said, "It helps me get off the couch." Being unemployed it's so easy for me to sit around and say I will do it tomorrow.Quote:
Originally Posted by goldfinch
Since you are not working, seems like you have a great opportunity to use your bike for transportation every day. Go to a cafe, a museum, the library, the store, meet a friend, have lunch, volunteer somewhere...those miles do add up quickly.Quote:
Originally Posted by kajero
If I lived in a very cold place, I would have an ice bike with studded tires. I used to have one, but then moved south and there's not much ice. Actually if I lived in Minnesota I would love to try a fat bike on the snow. Or just get some XC skis for winter.
Kajero: The last time I was unemployed but actively looking for work, I did make it a temporary goal, that I bike my favourite (and scenic) routes daily --choice of a 40 km. ride or a 20 km. ride (a different route) if I was feeling crappy. I tried to do the ride in the morning and get done then..to get my motivation for other things started up each day.
I did do 40 kms. daily most weeks for 3 months (but geared down when weather became rainy often or I was busy doing other stuff ie. volunteering for cycling advocacy group). The daily route included 2 hills @8-10% grade.
I have over 6000 miles already this year. All but ~600 of those by August 1st! :eek: I'm taking the second half of the year mostly off, as I train to run a marathon in March.
1. What kind of bicycle(s) do you ride?
Custom steel Sweetpea, mostly. I also have a custom carbon Sweetpea and a Felt TT bike. Also a cruiser and a mountain bike don't see much use.
2. Do you do anything except ride during the riding season? (work, clean house, cook, take care of parents, etc.)
Yes and no. 99.9% of those miles are weekend only. So, on the weekends, no I don't do much else. Mostly just eat, ride and sleep. But I don't ride during the week, not even to commute. So, I work, cook and try to scale Mt. Laundry from time to time. Very little housework, though. I mean, the place is generally tidy, but deep clean? Um, no, not so much.
3. Do you ride in bad weather? What kind of weather will you not ride in? (i.e., severe downpour, high winds, temperate, etc.)
Yes. Hot, cold, rain, sun. Everything but ice. Though, I've ridden on snow covered roads as long as they weren't icy.
4. Do you have apparel to ride in all kinds of weather?
Yup! ;)
5. Do you ride at night? (something I absolutely refuse to do)
Yup, all the time. And sometimes all night. Night riding is a wonderful thing, and not nearly so dangerous as you might think. IN fact, I am SOOO reflective and lit up, that I'm way easier to spot at night than during the day. Plus, there's so little traffic at night that I actually feel much safer riding at night than during the day. Good lighting helps, too.
6. Do you use clipless pedals? Does anyone only use plain pedals?
Yes, Shimano SPD.
7. How many mph do you average? If I average between 11 mph and 12 mph do I have any hope of ever achieving a goal of 1000+ during a riding season?
Depends on the terrain. But I keep all my rides recorded on Strava, so I can answer this pretty well. On 200Ks (125 miles), my overall moving average might be anywhere between 12 mph & 15 mph. At 12 it means it's pretty hilly/mountainous terrain and at 15 it's probably pretty flat. Note that this is overall moving, not just what I see when I look down when I'm just cruising along.
Can you ride 1000+ per season? Depends on how you define season, I guess, but really the answer is YES, absolutely. If you rode just 50 miles per weekend at a pace even as slow as 10mph, you'd hit 1000 miles in 20 weekends. That's less than 6 months.
8. Do you ride mostly on trails or on roads?
Almost exclusively on roads.
9. Are the trails/roads or flat, hilly, steep hilly, or mixture?
All of the above. Strava says I've climbed over 234,000 feet this year. It adds up fast!
10. Do you do most of your riding alone, with someone else, or in groups?
This year I rode mostly in small groups or with one other person. But that hasn't always been the case. Some seasons I ride solo more. Depends on my goals. But in general, riding with others is fun, and can help you pace yourself a bit better, or maybe even push yourself to go longer or faster when you might otherwise want to quit.
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As for general advice, perhaps you should think about time on the bike rather than miles ridden as a goal. Maybe make it a plan to ride a certain number of hours every weekend, instead. Let the miles build naturally. Speed will come with fitness and time in the saddle.
I went for 6 mile ride today. It was cold for me (51 degrees and no sun) and sprinkling. I dressed for the cold, but the sprinkling . . . well, let's just say I was lucky it wasn't raining. I don't normally ride in this kind of weather so I want to THANK EVERYONE for the ideas, advice, and encouragement. I felt like I would be doing a disservice to everyone who took the time to reply to my post if I didn't at least try to ride some more even if in my mind I think the season is over. After all, that is why I posted it!
I rode to pick up a prescription and to the library to return and pick up some audiobooks that were being held for me. I discovered a beautiful new trail totally by accident. I decided to do a new supposedly shorter route to the library and got lost again. I have lived in this area for 20 years and never knew those pond/lakes were there!
Well there you go. Great job! That's what it's all about.Quote:
Originally Posted by kajero