August 2021: A Mileage PR

Last year I rode 835 miles in August to set a new personal record. This year I went even farther: 910 miles. And personal records are always satisfying, but this one is a little sweeter because of how busy I was off the bike. In July I mentioned that I was planning to tackle a number of home improvement projects in August and September. So far, so good. There’s a new light fixture above the kitchen sink and there’s fresh paint on the walls of the living room, dining room, hallway, and foyer. Next comes new carpet for the living room, dining room, hallway, foyer, and bedrooms. Getting that done will be my top priority in September.

It won’t be my only priority, though. With good weather I could make a run at a September mileage PR (currently 806). I also have identified 5 new Garmin Connect badges to achieve in the month to come, so there’s some cross-training in my immediate future. Another 5,000-mile season? That’s not a priority, but it is a possibility. I’m finishing August with 3,757 miles, year-to-date. I’m finally ahead of last year’s pace: I had 3,753 miles in my legs at the end of August 2020. August 2021 is now my No. 2 month all-time, trailing only July 2011 (1,020 miles).

80,000 Miles

Today I surpassed 80,000 lifetime miles. That’s not bad for someone who didn’t start counting his cycling miles until March 26, 2004. I was almost 39 years old. Now I’m 56, and I’m still hoping to hit 100,000 miles sometime around my 60th birthday. With a little effort, I might reach my goal on my birthday.

And here’s a neat coincidence (I swear to you that I didn’t plan this): it was exactly two years ago that I hit 70,000 miles.

As it was on that occasion, so it was today. Getting to the nice round number was my mileage goal for the season. I came into this year 3,316 miles short of 80,000. Now that these objectives are behind me, in a sense anything extra is just gravy. But in another sense it’s damned hard to ride 5,000 miles in 12 months in this climate. So, I will push on. And there are other little prizes to chase, starting tomorrow. With 477 miles so far in August and half of the month remaining, I’m only 358 miles away from 835, the personal record I set just last year. That’s doable.

First Metric Century Of 2021

Today I did my first metric century of 2021, the counter-clockwise tour depicted on the map above. Not a bad solo effort. I thought I would be doing more rides like this; now I’m wondering whether my first metric century of 2021 will be my only metric century of 2021. I hope not.

Free Helmets!

Need a helmet … or two? I’m giving away these very lightly used Bell Lumen helmets in white/silver. These helmets have never been crashed and are in excellent condition. If you need a large helmet—23.25”-24.75” / 59-63 cm—then contact me through the email widget on the right side of this page and arrange a pickup time.

Still Rolling

Since I embraced foam rolling in December 2012, I have made it an almost daily part of my training. Even on days when I don’t ride my bike, I still stretch and spend a little time with the foam roller. And I know there’s debate about the effectiveness of foam rolling, but if I am really only relaxing for a few minutes, then at least I am relaxing for a few minutes. There’s precious little of that in my life.

My original foam roller went out with this week’s trash. Its departure was long overdue. I had pretty well worn out all of its resistance—for the last few months it was more foam than roller—and it was starting to go to pieces, shedding little black dots all over my carpet. So, now there’s a new one and I haven’t missed a beat. As with most training tools, consistency is the key to results. I’m convinced foam rolling helps me to avoid soreness and even cramping.

Worthy Of A Record, But Not A Record

Close, but no cigar!

It was a busy month in the saddle. I spent almost 54 hours on the bike: 27 rides for a total of 902 miles. That’s my second-highest mileage total in any month ever, beating last month’s 880 miles. But it’s not a record. I still haven’t topped the 1,020 miles I rode in July 2011.

And I still haven’t caught last year’s pace, but I’m close. At the end of July 2020, I had amassed 2,918 miles. Right now I’ve got 2,847 … with 11 fewer rides. That small difference in total mileage combined with this season’s higher miles-per-ride average has me thinking about making this another 5,000-mile year. Getting to that threshold wasn’t in my original plans for 2021, but it’s a very real possibility now. I haven’t had back-to-back 5,000-mile seasons since 2015-2016.

Bring on August!

Dedication

Dedication is the word of the day. It works on two levels. First came the dedication of Bike Friendly West Bend to create on-street bike routes in the city. It was the work of more than 5 years, and in 2017 the dream looked like it was over when the city’s Common Council refused even to vote on the idea. But BFWB stuck with it, breaking down a big plan into smaller, easier-to-digest chunks. Last December the city approved one of those chunks: the Orange Loop. And today BFWB met with city officials at the intersection of Sylvan and Vine for a short dedication ceremony to mark the opening of the route. Mayor Chris Jenkins and City Administrator Jay Shambeau were among those on hand.

After the ribbon-cutting, Shambeau rode the loop with BFWB representatives. It was an opportunity for BFWB to share its observations with someone at City Hall who is in a position to help. Along the way, I commented that the Orange Loop goes where it goes so that it can connect what needs to be connected: residential neighborhoods, schools, parks, and the Eisenbahn State Trail. To the dismay of some critics, the loop does not always travel the best-maintained streets. And one or two intersections will feel a little challenging to a less-skilled, less-confident rider. Witnessing these limitations and fielding recommendations from long-time local advocates like Jeff Puetz and Rich Ramsey will give Shambeau a first-hand perspective to share with city employees and elected officials.

I rode to the dedication ceremony, took the tour, then rode home again. At only 8 miles, it was the shortest ride I’ve done for a while! But it was an important ride. It was a way to show appreciation for the combined efforts of BFWB and City Hall, and it was a chance to have the attention of people in government in a casual but still respectful and collaborative way. It’s only in that way BFWB has been successful, and it’s only in that way BFWB will succeed in the future.

The Next Two Months

Yesterday I announced to the  West Bend Cyclocross group on Facebook  that I won’t be hosting a practice series this summer. The series ran at Royal Oaks Park from 2012 through 2019, then got wiped out by the pandemic in 2020 along with the entire WCA season. There will be cyclocross in Wisconsin this fall and I intended to bring the practice series back, but my priorities have changed.

In late September my oldest child will return to the nest to enjoy rent-free living and, I presume, accelerated student loan repayment! I couldn’t be more delighted; the house has been empty without my kids. But now there are household projects that just won’t wait any longer, and many of them can be done only with fair weather. None of this stuff was unexpected, but I had a longer timeline in mind when I was building my project list. Fresh paint, new carpet, various other decorating touches … it’s going to feel like a new house, not like the one I have occupied for 20 years. And there will be no shortage of work outside, where the trees are dying but the bushes and weeds are overgrown. Can’t forget about that September 18 block party on my street. I don’t want my house to be that house.

Also, it looks like there will be an East Coast vacation for me in October, which serves as an additional incentive to finish the household projects by the end of September. But as that trip will coincide with one or two WCA cyclocross races, it’s an additional disincentive to commit to the season. I’m still knocking out 12- to 15-hour weeks on the bike, typically surpassing 200 miles per week. My commitment to ride has not changed. But racing is a bad fit at the moment. It wants time, energy, and money when all three are needed elsewhere.

Two-day

Nice day! I did a 2-hour Ice Age Trail hike in the morning …

and a 2-hour road bike ride in the evening …

Each activity completed a 2-point Garmin Connect challenge, so I earned 2 new badges.

It’s good that I continue to find motivation from Garmin, because I’m not finding it in many other places. I am planning for some home renovations and a week-long October vacation, but so far those are only plans. I could use something new and novel right now when things are, frankly, kind of a grind. I’m doing a good job, but sometimes it seems like my only reward is that I get to do the same good job tomorrow.

Just Like Paradise

I averaged 17 mph on Friday’s 42-mile road ride, but as I got close to home the 0.7-mile section of Paradise Drive between 7th Avenue and Stonebridge Road demanded something more. Outside of the city, Paradise Drive is a treat! Within city limits, I usually avoid it. Paradise is one of the least bike-friendly streets in West Bend: too many cars, too many traffic lights, too many conflict points. But for whatever reason, on Friday evening I took it on … and even had fun with it. The secret is speed. Or maybe that’s obvious and not a secret at all. Whatever. Get up to automobile speed and you’ll be fine. Looks like I even had a little burst above the 25 mph speed limit. Sorry, WBPD, got to go along to get along. I was hardly the fastest vehicle on the road; I was just fast enough not to be an impediment. Not one horn sounded. Not one middle finger extended. Not one driver shouted for me to get on the sidewalk … and woe to any pedestrians if I had. Bikes are vehicles. They belong on the streets. The more we share the road with cars in a safe and courteous manner, the more we normalize our presence and improve the relationship between riders and drivers.