Re: Biking?

I began this year with a goal: to ride my bicycle at least 5,000 miles over the course of the year. This was quite a challenge, given the number of miles I traveled on airplanes (135,000+ through today) and the fact that I was not only running my own business, but also teaching two classes at the local college.

But success is mine! This week I rode a number of days when the temps dropped down into the high 30's and watched with glee/relief as the odometer on the bike rolled over 5,000 miles for the year...and it's now over 62,000 miles since I bought my Bianchi Giro about thirteen years ago.

Now if the weather would just warm up, I'd love to get on the bike and go for a ride...

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Check our our website: http://www.backpackthesierra.com/
Or just read a good mystery novel set in the Sierra; https://www.amazon.com/Danger-Falling-Rocks-Paul-Wagner/dp/0984884963



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/18/2015 09:02AM by balzaccom.

Congrats. Can you take my husband with you? He needs to get back into shape.

I'd be happy to do so! It's why I started biking. After injuries ended my once serious and then purely recreational soccer activities, I needed to do something. I tried weights, jogging, etc. Hated it all. But the bike is fun--scenic, aerobic...

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Check our our website: http://www.backpackthesierra.com/
Or just read a good mystery novel set in the Sierra; https://www.amazon.com/Danger-Falling-Rocks-Paul-Wagner/dp/0984884963

He used to race decades ago but would at least ride for fun and then stopped riding much at all. Life got in the way but he really needs to go out and get some exercise.

Well done!

What, if I might ask, was your typical bike trip? Centuries? Little out-and-backs whenever possible? Etc...

My wife and I met through a regional bicycle club. As a testament to what biking can do for your health and endurance, at the time we met, her mom was 72 and was consistently the top rider in our (rather large) club, averaging about 16,000-17,000 miles per year. Despite being a rather slow rider (averaged about 10-12 mph), she just got up and rode for 8-10 hours pretty much every day unless the weather was especially bad (it helped that she was retired but, as I used to put it, most people I know don't put that many miles on their car in a year). About 5 years later, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, kicked that and, despite complaints that the chemo left her tired all the time, still managed to do 7,000 or 8,000 mile per year for another decade or so. Eventually, in her late 80's she started to slow down but she'll be 93 next week and has only recently stopped riding. Even without the bike, she's still going strong and does her best to get out and walk at least a couple of miles every day.

I've been more focussed on hiking than biking for the last several years but when I was riding regularly, it was like a drug and I couldn't get enough of it. Most nights, I'd come home from work and immediately suit up, jump on the bike and do a 30-35 mile ride. On weekends, I'd typically do one or two 50-80 mile rides. Not epic lengths by any means but it kept me sufficiently "in the zone" that on days when the weather was bad, I had to at least get on my stationary bike at home (not even close to being the same thing but helped with short-term withdrawal symptoms!).

So hats off to any and all of you who are doing this!

That's a great story, David.

I try to ride every day that I can...but I work full time (run my own business!) and it involves a whole lot of travel, as well. Plus I love to backpack...and I haven't found any good road biking spots in the wilderness.

So I end up riding something like 20-35 miles when I ride, and riding something like 250 days a year.

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Check our our website: http://www.backpackthesierra.com/
Or just read a good mystery novel set in the Sierra; https://www.amazon.com/Danger-Falling-Rocks-Paul-Wagner/dp/0984884963

I used to ride between 4,000 and 5,000 miles annually until a couple of serious crashes and then other health issues caused me to stop. I'm just now trying to do some hiking to improve my health and lose weight. If all goes well with that, I'd like to get back on the bike for some easy (25-30 mile) rides. I used to do centuries (did the ride around the bear three times) and did a week long riding/camping tour of Utah as well as regular weekly rides. You cannot beat the joy of riding.