Outside Riders - Your Mile Totals 01-03/07?

[DarcyInOregon]

Hi,

There is a small minority of us who biked outside all winter. Just wondering what everyone's totals are.

I finished at 995 miles. I did have stretches of time where there was snow or the wind was too strong, thus I could not ride. However, I had a lot of rides in inclement weather and I now enjoy riding in the wind and heavy rain.

The rewards are that I am stronger and fitter. I don't pay any attention to the wind anymore. The Spring headwinds feel more like a slight breeze to me.

Another positive result is I lost 2 1/2" from around my middle and more inches elsewhere, though the scale doesn't show a dramatic drop.

The oddest thing I saw was on a winter ride on a Saturday afternoon in the first part of February. The temperature on the bike computer said 38 degrees. It was raining hard, with lots of wind. I was wearing multiple layers of clothing, ending with a pair of rain pants, Gore-Tex jacket and winter gloves. I was going down a hill, but being cautious about my speed because I knew that up ahead there was a bridge over a creek and that where the road met the bridge was a three inch height difference in the pavement. If you are going too fast and the tire hits that ridge, you can get a blow-out. From behind me came a small pack of five riders, spinning fast, with an older man being in the rear. Here is what is odd. The riders were wearing only shorts and short-sleeve jerseys, and the older man was wearing one of those see-through super light rain jackets so that I could see he was wearing a short-sleeve jersey underneath. The cyclists were all soaking wet. I was under the impression that they were cycling a century perhaps, out from the city into my rural area in the valley. They whizzed by me, but managed to get over the bridge without a fatality. After the bridge I sped up and kept them in sight, until I turned off to get back to my car at the state park. I put the bike up on the rack, put my things away, and drove out of the park. On the outskirts of the little town outside of where I live, where I turn to go up the mountain, there was the pack of cyclists, just standing there in the heavy cold rain having a huge argument. My guess is they were all so non-Fred that none of them had any money or a cell phone on them, and they probably realized they were one step away from a hospital stay for pneumonia and did not have the strength to cycle back to the city. Their heads swiveled as I drove by, because my bike is pink and other cyclists can remember it. I could of stopped and offered them money or the use of my cell phone but I did not. I wasn't going to try to stuff five more bikes on my car and drive 5 cyclists back to Portland or Salem or whichever city they came from. So I drove on by.

Darcy

[kerrybelle]

Darcy, 995 miles for the year so far....that's GREAT!

My oustide miles to date are 162 and only 252 if I add my indoor miles. Our winter weather hasn't been too biker friendly. Luckily it's starting to warm up a bit and I will be out much more. I signed up for the 2500 mile challenge on Bike Journal, so I have some catching up to do.

Kerry

[Grog]

Great job Darcy!! That's a pretty impressive tally for the first three months of the year, in bad weather on top of that.

I'm just over 600.... kilometers so far. Almost 100 of these are "commutes" to my office, a 2km round trip!! I've been focusing on running all winter, I find it more pleasant when it's raining, I'm easier to clean than my bike! But now that the good weather is there I'll be upping the (bike) mileage to 100 km weeks, until my half-marathon the first week after which I'll stop running and sky will be the limit on the bike!! Woohoo!

Keep riding! And don't look at that scale, it doesn't tell much of the story!

[silver]

Excellent work, Darcy!

I didn't ride too much til the weather warmed up. I've got 862.5 for the year, with 658.5 of it in March. I usually don't input fractions of miles, (I don't round up, just input the whole number) so I don't know why I have that .5 in there. I'll have to ride a .5 ride so I can get rid of it!

[divingbiker]

570 miles, 515 of it commuting miles. I've commuted 36 times so far this year; for six weeks in February and early March, I was only able to commute two times a week. Still trying to develop a regular habit of riding on the weekends now that spring is here.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

409 miles.

[mimitabby]

out of 411 miles so far this year, 36 were indoors.

Somedays it was just too dark, cold, wet for me to want to go out.
Your mileage is amazing, ladies!

[trekin']

....but I really miss riding in the winter. What do you all wear to stay warm? I hate it when my feet and hands get cold, which happens very easily?

Do you take out your road bikes, or do you ride something that can handle sand on the road?

[Crankin]

I have a whopping total of 213 miles since January. Two of those rides were in January, the rest in March. I don't mind riding in the low 40's or even high thirties, but that's my limit. I think I could probably go a bit lower in terms of comfort, since I have the gear, but my lungs don't like it.
Plus, in February, i got to x country ski and snow shoe; I like taking a break from cycling. It makes me look forward to March.
I don't count indoor miles. It doesn't seem the same to me. Sure, I work hard on my trainer or in spin class, but I want to know how far I have gone on the road. Inside is like a different category to me.
Since I managed to ride 3,000 miles last year, I am not concerned. My goal is 3500 this year and I am sure i will make it, since I won't be working in the fall.

[DarcyInOregon]

It is good to see so many outside riders posting to this thread. Depending on your region, any amount of miles can be significant. Even San Francisco, because there is thick fog and ocean winds in SF.

....but I really miss riding in the winter. What do you all wear to stay warm? I hate it when my feet and hands get cold, which happens very easily?

Do you take out your road bikes, or do you ride something that can handle sand on the road?

Trekin, on the real cold days I rode shorter distances. I saved the longer rides for when the temps went over 40 and without the heavy rain. Depending on what I think the temperature will be, I wear layers of clothing. If the temp is going to be under 45, I start with a thermal base layer and several socks, then I add shorts or knickers, then winter tights, then maybe winter pants over the tights. There are special socks to keep the feet dry, but if you wear them you might not be able to get the cycling shoes on - just a warning. The upper body is easier to keep warm with various layers of long-sleeve jerseys ending with a high quality water/wind proof jacket. For the gloves, I used the Pearl Izumi winter gloves, but when the temp goes over 50 I am back to wearing regular cycling gloves.

I ride the road bike. I didn't count the miles from the hybrid, which I ride when I do hills with gravel roads. The sand you mentioned, what the road crews put out for ice and snow, it mostly litters the shoulder of the road where the cyclists go. If the sand is thick I go around it, but mostly I go over it. Where I cycle, on the rural farm roads, the sand isn't so much a concern as the piles of manure in the roads from the farmers fertilizing their fields, or the large clumps of mud the tractors leave on the roads, or the brand new pot holes that develop overnight.

Here is to the next three months, and may we all reach our cycling goals. I love riding with just one layer of clothing. It is so free and exhilerating, so I am looking forward to the warmer months.

Darcy

[songlady]

336 outdoor miles to date for 2007. I am pleased considering I did not ride at all between the middle of Jan. and the beginning of March (ok, maybe once ). We finally got snow around here during that time so I cross country skied for 6-8 weeks. Fun!
I am none too thrilled about our 10 day forecast that calls for snow later in the week and an extended period of 32 degree days

[GLC1968]

I finished March at 560 miles for the year and while that doesn't sound like much, that was for January and March only. A back problem and bad weather kept me from riding in February...so I feel pretty good about that total.

Oh, and I only count outdoor miles - trainer miles are too dreadful to want to remember!

[Brandy]

1585 miles until March 31st...of course, it's sunny southern California!

[Fredwina]

I came in at 1960. and i cosidered riding a century Saturday to get to 2000 even. It is riding weather year round (well, maybe July and August require some planning) and i've done 3 brevets and 1 century..

[Thorn]

We're only about 130 outdoors for the year (about 800 total counting indoor). I was going to whine that it is cold and snowy here, but then I saw Tater's total. Oh, the shame, the shame. Such a wimp I am when the cold comes in or the rains start.

[slinking off now to set higher standards for herself next winter...]