Halftime 2023

Halfway through 2023, I am ahead of last year’s pace for both miles and ride frequency. I have ridden 1,568 outdoor miles this year, up slightly from last year’s first-half total of 1,455. And I have ridden on 59 occasions in 2023, up from 48 by this date in 2022.

So, why I am dissatisfied with my progress? There are two reasons. First, I haven’t done any really special rides this year: no races, no centuries … not even a metric century. My longest ride to date is just 40 miles! Second, I had a really unproductive June. This month’s 483-mile effort compares very unfavorably to recent years and is my lowest June total since 2006.

I have done 140 miles of walking for fitness. That’s slightly more than halfway to my goal of 260 miles this year.

I plan to remain in Pennsylvania until the end of July, and I will need a big month on the bike to get my cycling season back on the right track. May was uncommonly dry here, but June was uncommonly wet. I lost a lot of days to bad weather this month. When I came here, I couldn’t have imagined that West Bend would literally have better summer weather! July will begin tomorrow under warm sunshine in the Philadelphia area, but rain is expected to return on Sunday and then to continue on-and-off for much of the following week. That’s not good for me. I need to string together some of those 6-ride, 200-mile weeks that you have come to expect from me.

I came to Pennsylvania with a list of things to accomplish for my mother. Most of those things are done now. And Mom is 6 weeks farther along in her recovery from surgery on her fractured hip, so she can take care of many things she couldn’t handle before. In the 4 weeks that remain on this visit, I need to look out for myself a little more and crank up the saddle time.

Troubling Trends

Here in Pennsylvania, I have settled into a comfortable routine. I have been here for a month, after all, and my mother’s house and neighborhood were already familiar to me. Work for my employer has continued uninterrupted. In most respects, I am living here just as I live back in West Bend.

However, cycling feels different. On an average day I can give it only about 90 minutes. My overnight workshift ends at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. That means my whole day is shifted one hour later: I’m going to bed an hour later in the morning, getting up an hour later in the afternoon, not getting on the bike until late in the afternoon, then cutting my rides off at about 90 minutes to ensure I can help Mom with dinner. I’m going to finish June 2023 with more miles, year-to-date, than I had at the end of June 2022, but that’s mostly because this April was so much more productive than last April. June 2023 is not going to be a statistically impressive month, and by the end of July it seems probable that I will be behind my 2022 pace. That’s up to me, of course. If I find the motivation to do longer rides on my days off, then I can stay ahead. I will remind myself of that at a later date; this week already appears to be compromised. The forecast for Thursday, my next day off, is 65° with rain. That’s a miserable excuse for a summer day in Philadelphia, and there’s a chance of rain every day after that until at least the middle of next week.

I did the 3,000th ride of my cycling career last Thursday. That’s cool, I guess, but my ride frequency hasn’t been great this month. I did only four rides during each of the last two weeks, just 6.5 hours each week, and barely more than 100 miles per week. At this time of year, my mileage and saddle time should be roughly double what I have been doing. I have lost more days to bad weather than I could have anticipated, and that’s going to get worse before it gets better.

Gino Mäder

Official statement from the Bahrain Victorious team:

It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts that we have to announce the passing of Gino Mäder. On Friday 16th June, following a very serious crash during stage 5 of the Tour de Suisse, Gino lost his battle to recover from the severe injuries he sustained. Our entire team is devastated by this tragic accident, and our thoughts and prayers are with Gino’s family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.

Following the high-speed incident which occurred on the final descent of Thursday’s stage, the 26 year old was resuscitated at the scene by medical staff who also performed CPR, before being airlifted to hospital.

Despite the best efforts of the phenomenal staff at Chur hospital, Gino couldn’t make it through this, his final and biggest challenge, and at 11:30am we said goodbye to one of the shining lights of our team.

Gino was an extraordinary athlete, an example of determination, a valued member of our team and the whole cycling community. His talent, dedication, and passion for the sport has inspired us all.

Managing Director Milan Erzen commented this morning: “We are devastated by the loss of our exceptional cyclist, Gino Mäder. His talent, dedication, and enthusiasm were an inspiration to us all. Not only was he an extremely talented cyclist, but a great person off the bike. We extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones, and our thoughts are with them during this difficult time. Bahrain Victorious will race in his honour, keeping his memory on every road we race. We are determined to show the spirit and passion Gino displayed, and he will always remain an integral part of our team.”

Gino’s family has requested privacy as they mourn their loss, and we kindly ask that their wishes be respected. The team and family express our gratitude for the overwhelming support we have received from the whole cycling world.

Gino, thank you for the light, the joy, and the laughs you brought us all, we will miss you as a rider and as a person.

Today and every day, we ride for you, Gino.

The People At Number 63

My 90-year-old mother still lives in the house that she and my father bought in 1987 when they moved back to eastern Pennsylvania. It was a homecoming for them: they had left the area in May 1965. I was born in Pittsburgh, in western Pennsylvania, in June 1965, and I never thought of the Philadelphia area as home even though I lived here with my parents and my sister from early 1988 until late 1991.

I didn’t own a bike during that period. I didn’t even ride a borrowed bike. On the traffic-choked roads of this very densely populated area, the prospect of cycling never presented itself to me. And it was pretty clearly not on the radar of the rest of the family. I’m not sure how many decades you would have to go back to find the last bike Mom or Dad owned. The last bike-like thing of my mother’s is this torture device:

As for my sister, the bike that came with her when she moved here in 1987 still hangs from the ceiling of the garage:

My sister now lives in sunny Florida, where her old bike might find new life. But, no. If we’re being honest, then eventually this barely used Raleigh Rapide from the now defunct Racine Cyclery is destined to be sold on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. In a moment of curiosity about the bike’s history, the new owner might Google the shop sticker still affixed to the seat tube and discover my blog. Hello from the past.

Sifting through the past has been one of my most time-consuming jobs since I arrived at Mom’s house last month. In 36 years, a lot of things have been pushed into dark corners of the basement. But there’s no more bike stuff, not even a tire pump or ugly old helmet with plastic yellowed by age. We weren’t a cycling family.