Chasing The Last Mileage Goal Of 2024

Since returning from my most recent trip to Pennsylvania, I have put a lot of time and effort into my home and not much into cycling. I rode 246 miles between October 10 and October 31. My grand total for October was an even 400 miles, which is about average. But I entered November with only 3,653 miles, year-to-date, and it will take an unusual effort to reach 4,000 for the 16th consecutive season. My original goal for this season, 4,999 miles, is hopelessly out of reach. Getting to 4,000 would be only a consolation prize.

My personal record for November is 409 miles, set in 2016. My December record is 177 miles, set in 2023. I need only 347 to reach 4,000 … possible, but not guaranteed. As temperatures drop and daylight hours wane, finding time for something as humble as a 25-mile ride can be difficult. I would need 14 such rides, and the sooner, the better. It’s only going to get colder and darker.

So, today I made a start: 25 miles around West Bend, as shown on the map above. Whether I ride again before the middle of next week is doubtful, as rain appears in our forecast for the next few days. And rain reappears in the forecast for next weekend. Already I am asking myself the question I seem to ask every year: do I want that last milestone badly enough to travel for it? If this is a normal autumn, then sometime in the next few weeks the weather will be awful here but still very tolerable down in Illinois. Is that where my 2024 season will end? With 4,000 miles in hand, I would gladly climb off the bike for a while.

The goal is not to reach 4,000 miles per se; it is to continue a streak that began in 2009. Did you know that during Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak in 1941, the Yankees slugger had only 1 hit in 21 of those games? There were many days when he had more bad at-bats than good ones, but he kept the streak alive and we’re still talking about it 83 years later. My cycling stats will never be the stuff of legend, but they mean something to me. That’s good enough at the moment. I need that little incentive to keep going in the dying weeks of a disappointing season.

Cool Cat

This is Houston. It's always good to see him patrolling the Eisenbahn State Trail. There is a section of roughly 300 linear feet that Houston keeps free of chipmunks and squirrels, and that's a valuable service to cyclists. Of course, Houston can be an obstacle himself. Occasionally you will see him lying in the middle of the trail, and he can't be bothered to get out of your way. You can pet him ... sometimes. And you probably won't miss the signs when he doesn't want to interact. So, be kind to him. He is the lord of his domain; you're just passing through it.

A Word About Retail

Pedal Moraine, Mountain Outfitters, and Expedition Supply keep rolling along, year after year, and Washington County is lucky to have them. Other bike shops in our area have come and gone, some after only a brief time in business. The Bicycle Shop in Hartford appeared in 2013 and disappeared under suspicious circumstances in 2014. Neighboring Ozaukee County has lost at least four shops since 2013: Local Motion Outfitters in Cedarburg, Belgianwerkx in Mequon, ZuZu Pedals in Port Washington, and now Cedar Creek Outdoors in Cedarburg. We might count Grafton Ski & Cyclery among the fallen too. Erik’s, the Minnesota-based chain, acquired Grafton’s location and its remaining inventory in 2013.

Erik’s moved into Grafton during an aggressive expansion that also brought it to Milwaukee County, Dane County, and northern Illinois. The chain now has more than 30 locations across the Midwest. It continues to dominate the Minneapolis-St. Paul market. Its presence in our area, I think, is somewhat overshadowed by Wheel & Sprocket, the chain Chris Kegel started in 1973. Wheel & Sprocket has built a lot of goodwill and a lot of loyalty with the Wisconsin cycling community. Erik’s is still the new player and the outsider after more than a decade.

Erik’s acquired Grafton Ski & Cyclery before shop consolidation really became a trend. Since 2013, a lot of formerly independent shops have sold out not only to chains like Erik’s, but also to bicycle manufacturers like Specialized. If that’s not already a problem, then at least it has the potential to become one. It’s easy to imagine a future in which small-town customers will have just a single shop selling a single brand. A customer who wants more choices will have to visit the big city or, more likely, the websites of direct-to-consumer brands.

I visit the Bicycle Retailer and Industry News website almost daily. Reading the articles and the comments would convince almost anyone not to own or to work in a bike shop. It is a tough way to make a living. But I’m glad somebody does it. Pedal Moraine, Mountain Outfitters, and Expedition Supply—our locally-owned and independent shops—continue to prosper by understanding the communities they serve.

Feeling So Inclined

Three weeks ago, my employer announced a strict No Overtime policy. A typical work week for me is 43 hours. Because I work alone on Saturdays and Sundays, I can’t take breaks on those shifts. To comply with the new policy, I’m now taking a 1-hour break every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I eat “lunch” at my desk—in the middle of the night, I don’t have a lot of restaurant options—so, what should I do with these mandatory breaks? Exercise, of course!

One hour is long enough to squeeze in a treadmill walk and a quick shower. My typical treadmill walk is 3.5 mph with a 1% incline for 60 minutes. I’m going to do something different with these new workouts: 3.0 mph with a 10-15% incline for 45 minutes. That’s slower but harder because it’s all uphill. These workouts will supplement, not replace, what I’m already doing. They will hit the muscles in a slightly different way and burn a bunch of extra calories. At this time of year, my cycling mileage drops dramatically. Bonus time on the treadmill should help to keep my weight in check.

For The Record, I’m Back In Wisconsin

Late yesterday afternoon I returned to West Bend after 25 days in Pennsylvania. As I mentioned in my last post, rain from Hurricane Helene robbed me of several opportunities to ride. Nevertheless, I racked up 343 miles of cycling during the trip. I also did 42 miles of walking for fitness. I even managed to lose 2 pounds, though there were many rich meals and treats at Mom’s house.

I briefly was tempted to hop on the bike when I got back, but I really needed to unpack, get organized, and stock up on groceries. My house is shut down while I am away. I turn off the water at the main valve, unplug almost everything electrical, clear the kitchen of perishable food, and empty the trash cans. I come home to a house that isn’t flooded, didn’t catch fire, doesn’t stink, and has added almost nothing to my next utility bill. After restarting the house yesterday I had just enough time to watch some hockey on TV, do an easy 20-minute treadmill walk, and gape at the aurora borealis as it flickered above my roof for the third time this year.

I did a 2-mile walk today, bringing my 2024 total to 464 miles, a personal record that beats the 463 miles I walked for fitness in 2021. I also got back on the bike today for 32 miles. How could I not ride today? West Bend hit 80° for the first time since September 21 and perhaps for the last time this year. The current forecast says we won’t reach 60° tomorrow afternoon, and by next Tuesday our daytime high may be only 50° or even colder. We’re expecting overnight temperatures in the 20s and 30s early next week. My cycling season could be coming to an abrupt end. I certainly won’t be doing the cyclocross race in Richfield tomorrow, but that’s not a weather thing. I have to work tonight. My Fridays are usually free, but not this one, and it’s just too hard to work all night and then perform well in a morning race.

My form isn’t too bad right now. Whether I am objectively fitter than I was before my trip is unclear, but I don’t think I did anything to hurt myself. I managed to do something for fitness every day, even on the days that required long hours in the car, and even when I had only enough time for a short walk. I have a nice streak going: today is my 45th consecutive day with a ride, a walk, or both. If my cycling season is almost over, then at least I have my treadmill and my strength training options in the home gym, plus miles of hiking trails nearby.

And then there’s that To Do list, which includes a bunch of household projects to complete before winter arrives. To whatever extent my time in Pennsylvania could be considered a vacation—and it should be remembered that I continued to work remotely for my employer—then playtime is emphatically over. I expect to be very busy until at least mid-December.

September’s Soggy Sayonara

Statistically unimpressive, but better than nothing!

I followed last Saturday’s cyclocross race with a Sunday road ride here in the Philadelphia suburbs, then lost the next five days to the shockingly widespread effects of Hurricane Helene. Things aren’t as bad here as they are in Georgia and the Carolinas, but we have had at least some rain every day since Monday. I found just enough time for a walk on each day that I couldn’t ride, so I haven’t been completely idle. I had to complete some of those walks at night on days that offered no breaks while the sun was allegedly up. There is some chance of rain tomorrow, Monday, and on Tuesday as October begins. I didn’t expect Wisconsin would have better weather during this time of year, but I didn’t predict Helene. And, as you should expect, I have been pretty miserable this week.

Next weekend looks beautiful, so I still hope to do another cyclocross race here. A long layoff is poor preparation for a race. Those five lost days were my longest layoff since April 1-6. I forced myself to ride today in conditions that were less than ideal. There was a constant mist, but at least there was no rain during my ride. The roads were wet and fallen leaves made for many sketchy corners. I rode for almost 1.5 hours and saw exactly zero other cyclists. It wasn’t much of a ride, but it was far better than another rest day. I need to test myself a little more in the days to come, then decide by Thursday’s pre-registration deadline whether I’m racing on Saturday.

2024 Carpenter Cross

Today, for the first time ever, I did a cyclocross race in Pennsylvania. I lined up for the Masters 40+ Cat 4/5 race at Carpenter Cross in Horsham, just 7 miles from my mother’s house in the suburbs north of Philadelphia. The temperature was about 80° and the course was dusty from a recent absence of rain in this part of the world. I really liked the course. It didn’t have a run-up, but it had a challenging mix of barriers, climbs, descents, off-camber sections, and sand. I was able to ride the sand pit when some of my rivals were forced to run, and that was good for a couple of positions. We did a short prologue lap to start the race, then three full laps. I had a disappointing start but then settled in. My final lap was my fastest full lap, and that ain’t bad. The race combined the Masters, Juniors, and singlespeed fields, but scored them separately. I had a little fun with an under-19 racer who, technically, wasn’t my competition: I cut him off at the last tight corner and then outsprinted him to the line. He will learn not to leave the door open! As for the guys who were my competition in Masters 40+ Cat 4/5, I placed 13th out of 19, 4:57 behind the winner. That translated to about half a lap on this long course. So, I wasn’t close to the front of the race. That’s OK. I got a good workout, sharpened my bike handling skills a bit, and showed my mother and my oldest kid what I do for fun.