Looking Back on 2008

If you been looking for me this year, I was probably out riding a bike. This very bike-ish year is coming to a close in a few days. It is fitting I guess that I just ticked over 5000 miles for the year; 5003.2 to be exact. That's quite a few miles in my opinion. While I don't normally go out and ride solely for the sake of putting in miles, the last hundred or so of raw-weather riding were motivated by the milestone. It would have been sad to say something like "I rode 4931 miles last year." 5000 has a nicer ring.

I decided to keep a cycling log for the duration of 2008. I had a log in 2007 but didn't bother too much with it. This year, I kept track of every outing just because I wanted to be able to look back on the year and see how it turned out. The miles break out like this: 1846.9 miles of commuting, 284.4 miles of errands and 2871.9 miles of pure recreation. I rode the Rivendell A Homer Hilsen the most for 2683.1 miles, then the Gunnar Street Dog (46x17) for 1539.3 miles, then the Poprad townie bike 775.8 miles and the Motobecane (gone to a better home) 5 miles. So what does this mean? Looking back, I don't actually see much value in reading too deeply into the numbers, but on some level I'm happy that I can almost quantify the year's fun. I had a lot of great rides this year.

I think the year is better understood by a couple of themes:
- Commuting by bike is terrific in so many ways, chiefly in that it gives me a good chunk of time each day to get outside and play. Aside from the fun factor, it helps me feel great mentally and physically every day. The environmental benefit is nice too.
- Cycling can be good for a relationship. Mrs. Wheelie joined me for several outings. We raised a bunch of money on the PMC charity ride. It was great. I hope she stays with it. I got her a useful handlebar bag, a comfortable saddle and some nice wheels. Little things make a difference.
- I tried randonneuring this year with the Boston Brevet Series. Yes, riding 400km in a day is very difficult, and yet I'd love to try 600km. Getting involved in organized distance rides (not races) motivated me to get out and ride regularly. Brevets are tons of fun. The rides draw my kind of people, an altogether fantastic collection of like-minded cyclists. The D2R2 was my favorite brevet.
- Having a handful of bikes is the way to go. In 2007 I was down to 1 bike at some point, and that was fine and simple. Now there are 3 bikes, and I really enjoy the variety. Sometimes riding fixed is good, sometimes cruising on a townie bike is good, sometimes a touring bike is good. I started getting into trail riding, mainly because I moved to a less urban area with trails and because dirt road events like D2R2 helped me to branch out a little more. The A. Homer Hilsen was great for everything: roads, trails, etc; it's my favorite and feels special every time. That explains why the AHH got so many miles. I'll probably add a mountain bike to the collection soon.
- I like to tinker. I've always liked fixing things and working with my hands. Working on bicycles is fulfilling in many ways. If I had to choose between tinkering and riding I would choose riding, but I would still miss the wrench. Luckily that's not a choice I must make. There are many projects kicking around in my head. I'm on the 3rd or so iteration of the Poprad, the fixed-gear needs an overhaul, the Rivendell is in need of maintenance. The new house is almost ready, and I can't wait to set up the workshop in the basement so I can get started.
- Blogging is fun. I'm not sure if I'll keep it up long-term, but it was nice to reflect on some rides and bike thoughts and do a little writing. There is nothing as thrilling as getting a comment from some new reader. I only got a handful, but each was special. I'm addicted to reading blogs too. Leaving comments is fun.
- I try to bring a camera when I go out. Either the iphone or a point-and-shoot camera will do. Just as long as I have something handy when I see something special. I'm still hoping to get a photo of the guy who rides a Vespa with a large dog on his lap; it's impressive. Also, blogs are better with pictures.
- This last point is huge and important: I will ride a bike as long as it is fun. I was on a club ride recently when someone mentioned that it was "time to go to work." I think he meant that our group was spending too much time socializing and not enough time suffering. This comment struck me (and everyone else) as crazy; cycling should never be "work". Cycling should always be firmly in the "play" category. Ironically, I may have to work hard to make sure that cycling is never too serious. The whole concept of a ride log is somewhat counter productive in this regard. Additionally, I hope never to get an indoor trainer rig. On the fun side, I've been having a good time with simple platform pedals and unplanned exploration rides lately. Yes, these are the important things.

That's about it for this year. Hopefully 2009 will bring peace, good health, good fortune and more another bike-ish year.

Cross Country Skiing Days 1-3

I've been extra good this year. I got a snowstorm for Christmas, a really good one. It snowed almost continuously for the last three days, and there is plenty of snow to show for it. I xc skied three of the last three days, and it's only the second day of winter. What a start to the season. Yes indeed, lucky me.

Lunch rides

It's that time of year where there are fewer windows for good bike riding. It gets dark early and is really cold for the majority of each day. While darkness and chills in and of themselves are not bad enough to prevent all riding as the right gear can make riding through the winter possible, the combination of these conditions don't encourage fun jaunts like long summer days do. I not fond of black ice either. Nor am I so desperate for a ride that I'm going to go all in for studded tires, winter booties and the like. This is a long way of saying that I'm choosy about when I ride in the winter, but I'm working that out. Fortunately, my job allows me some liberty to take a decent ride in the middle of the day. It works out well to take a longish lunch during the warmest hours of the sometimes sunny winter days. There are plenty of worthwhile routes nearby. I've settled into a 15-20 mile lunch ride habit; long enough to go somewhere, but still manageable in the confines of my schedule. Yesterday's ride was particularly nice. Winter lunch rides are a keeper.

New England living is really all about making the seasons work for you. Lots of folks complain about winter and rain, and that's just sad and sort of pathetic. Yeah, I do it too, but I don't ever remember an improvement in weather that resulted from my grumbling about the cold. Sure, winter can seem drawn out at times, but that just means more time for activities that aren't possible during most of the year - snowshoeing, skiing, etc. Winter is a treat for me. Is there anything better than cross country skiing out your door and into the woods? Cold rain is a little more difficult, but that's why they invented things like Gortex and fenders. Bad weather is just a nice excuse to acquire more nifty gear. Lucky me.

Phillips 3-Speed

There was a Phillips 3-speed sitting in the lobby of a building I was at the other day. Apparently, one of the tenants is a collector of antique typewriters and bicycles. There were several odd looking typewriters on display, but only one bike is on display on any given day. This Phillips 3-Speed was in remarkably good condition for its age and appeared to be all original. There was a similar model that lived at my family's camp house in Plymouth, but it was a step-through frame and barely ride-able with maybe one of three gears working at any one time. Even so, my father rode that old bike for years before finally getting a modern but far less interesting bicycle. I stopped for a few minutes to inspect this nice antique.

Presidential Cycling

Tuesday is a special day, a day of happening. The months and weeks of political banter all come to a head on election day. This election is of monumental importance with so many big ticket issues on the line at this moment in history. The media, debates and online critics provide plenty of insight on the issues and I don't need to say more about them. Now it's time to review the candidates on some of the smaller issues that get a little less attention. In particular, who is the right candidate for the job in the eyes of the cycling community?

There is surprisingly little campaign rhetoric with regard to cycling. Obama does explicitly encourage cycling as a component of green transportation and as a part of the effort to make sprawling cities more livable. McCain doesn't have a defined position on alternative transportation that I can find. I suppose he would have to support greener modes of transportation because it is essential to political good standing these days. At the end of the day who knows what a candidates' words actually mean because they say quite a few things that don't necessarily mean much at all. I'll just see who walks the walk, or whatever the pedaling equivalent is.

Here we see Barack Obama riding about on an ordinary urban-terrain Trek. He's wearing a helmet for safety, setting a good example. That inflatable rear fender is quite tacky. How can this carnival-clown accessory be better than a simple plastic jobbie for keeping the road stuff off the rider and bike? I really hope inflatable fenders don't catch on with the "American people." The important aspect of this photo is that he's sporting the typical casual cyclist get-up. I have to admit that he looks a bit odd in casual street clothing, but I appreciate that he's serving as an example of a normal person wearing normal clothes using a bicycle as transportation. I assume he's going somewhere and not just posing, though a set of panniers or a backpack would make this scenario more credible. In any case, I'm glad that he's not pushing the lycra spandex racer mode; there are few people that can validate that ideal.


The McCain cycling material is limited. This is the only evidence I could find. Yep that's real. Isn't it? I doubt anyone will see McCain rolling down Pennsylvania Avenue on a high-wheel while wearing knickers, but the generation gap is certainly clear. To be fair, it does speak to my retro-grouch sensibility. There is a certain nostalgia in it. Is McCain the nostalgia candidate?


Obama and McCain are clearly coming from different velosophies. I see it as a trade-off between practically and Sunday-style amusement. That's my superficial review.



Let's see what the other president's ride.

George W. Bush. There many pictures of W riding his mountain bike. Sources say he is an avid cyclist. Maybe that's how he's spending his time. If he weren't the chief executive with his questionable record, he could be a decent advocate for the sport. I'd venture to say that he cycles more than the average president, but that is easily overshadowed by everything he did and didn't do in the last 8 years. He sort of looks like a bike cop, doesn't he?





Bill Clinton. Looks like these rigs are good cobweb support in the garage - the sort of bike that someone sells on Craigslist with the tag "vintage," which really means a crappy 1980's department store bike that has been neglected for a decade or more. Rumor has it that he was 22 before he learned to ride a bicycle.




George H.W. Bush pictured here as the quintessential gentleman cyclist . . . in China. I've never cycled in a sport coat, but I'd like to try it some day. What's in the basket? This reminds me of my one and only presidential siting. I was riding up near Kennebunkport Maine last September. A white convertible Ford Thunderbird (new style) passed me. As they went by, I saw a tall elderly man in the driver seat and a short woman with white bushy hair riding beside him. The license plate had a presidential seal on it. Suspecting it was who I thought it was, I tried to catch up. They were driving well below the speed limit, perhaps in an effort to be civic-minded. I almost caught up, but I wasn't quite quick enough. It was definitely them.



Ronald Reagon on/with/near a bicycle? Still working on that.

Jimmy Carter has good taste in bicycles. He's been known to ride a custom color Rivendell Atlantis. His is one of a pair built for the Carters by Joe Stark, a well regarded craftsman. This particular bike has a little controversy attached to it and it's a good story if you are at all interested in underworld of the handmade bike industry. Of all the presidents, Carter seems to look the most natural on a bike. Maybe he's just happy he has a sweet Rivendell.













Even though Sarah Palin is not president or directly in line for the job, I couldn't pass this up. When I think of a bike, it's probably something like what Mr. Carter has. Not everyone has the same idea.

Remember to vote.

Single Track Sunday at Cutler Park

When you think you know a place pretty well it's time to go back there with a friend and see the place through someone else's eyes. Cutler Park is a regular go-to spot for running and biking since it is only a stone's throw from my office. I have my favorite trails. John and I were at a loss for where to go for today's casual Sunday morning jaunt so we went to Cutler. He showed me a whole new network of single track that I never knew about. It's as if I have a whole new park to explore now. Thanks John.

Very Fine November

Summer has come and gone, but riding on a brisk Saturday morning in November is still very fine.