The End of a Beautiful January

Early this month, I decided to join a Strava challenge to attempt to get as many miles as possible for transportation and joy purposes before the end of January. It was a rough start here in Colorado for the new year as we were in negative Fahrenheit temperatures for the first week and a half or so. In short, it sucked. I saw the occasional person out on a bicycle or walking, but they were few and far between. The cold also coincided with snow, which turned to ice and because I am the biggest ice-wimp on the planet, I lost out on several days of riding. I had a goal at the start of this which was to complete at least 600 km. If you read my first post, my math was incredibly incorrect (thank you, U.S. education system) and my initial proclamation that it was about 311 miles was wrong. Six hundred kilometers is actually approximately 373 miles. If my conversions skills weren't so poor, perhaps I wouldn't have even thought of trying to go after this goal, but since I am apparently impaired when it comes to converting kilometers to miles, I stupidly thought it was possible.

As the month moved along, we had a few day streak of warm weather. Really. It was actually warm (or at least warm for winter), with some days getting in to the low-to-mid 60°F temps. People were wearing shorts (though some do this even when it's in the teens), children were out playing and laughing, and I almost would've believed we were closing in on the spring/summer transition period. The ice pretty much melted away (pretty much), and I was a happy winter rider out enjoying (at least for a few days) what should've been a very cold month. Then more snow. It took a few days for that round to melt off, but then I was back out in the thick of things. Now, at the end of the month, we've gone back into a snow round, and I've seen the last of my January riding. The worst part is that my last ride was only 3 miles. Three. Measly. Miles.

Ugh.

If only I could go back and tell past G.E. to keep riding that day - but, alas, I cannot. Thus, I am stuck with the numbers that stopped accumulating almost a week ago now. On the up side, I think I did more than I would've thought possible, considering I really only had about two weeks of riding in the 31 days this month. I knew going into this challenge that it would be - well, a challenge - but because I am a fool who wants to believe that anything is possible, I went ahead and tried to go after something that I should've known really wouldn't be possible. In the end, I traveled 327 km (if my math is correct this time, that's about 203 miles) - which for me, is the most miles I've accomplished on a bicycle in January.

That's the bad news - that I didn't accomplish my mileage goal. The good news is, I learned a lot about myself during the month and I don't think I would trade that for anything. It's difficult to explain the experiences I have on a bicycle sometimes. It's so easy for me to get lost in thought, particularly when I'm out roaming back roads and don't worry as much about motorized traffic. Sometimes, there are just small moments that I'm grateful to have experienced first hand. Other times, I have great epiphanies about life. Still other moments find me deep in a sea of tears, trying to make sense out of some predicament that never seems to get resolved. I often wonder how I went so many years not riding a bicycle. I've realized that riding has provided such a huge emotional release, a happy place to be, and sure - even a bit of exercise if I really want to use the bike in that fashion.

I was not as diligent about taking photos as I should have been (because I saw a lot of great things), but if you'd like a small glimpse of just some of what I was able to take in, please feel free to watch the slide show below.

(In case that isn't working - as some have informed me - here's a direct link to the video. Warning: If you're at work, there is sound. Also, this slideshow is deceptive in that it looks like I live in the middle of nowhere, but those just happened to be the places I stopped to take pictures when I was out. My apologies.)

I have a new appreciation of folks who continue to ride through the snow and ice. The snow actually isn't so bad (to me), but the ice is a game changer for my riding for sure. I am grateful to live within walking distance of a lot of different things because I know that if I wasn't, when those icy days are here it would be all too easy to opt for a car instead. I don't necessarily have anything against the car itself, but it's so much more enjoyable to be out transporting myself under my own power - in whatever form that comes.

I know there were others participating in new year or winter riding challenges. How did (are) things go(ing) for you? I think for me, this January was a great start to what I hope will be a great 2014. I look forward to continuing to be outdoors throughout the winter months and enjoying the season in all its vast unpredictability.

One Winter Day

The winter storm that came through before this last one hit here in Colorado left quite a bit of snow in our area. Fortunately, the sun came out for several days after and melted nearly all of it away, making an unseasonably pleasant small portion of January and cleared the majority of ice from the roads quickly. Because it was so nice, it was difficult not to be out on a bike, so I found myself frequently making trips on two wheels (sometimes, seemingly for no reason at all).

On one of those non-purposeful trips by bike, I came across a downed bike lane sign. My initial reaction was one in regard to some sort of repairs being made, but then as I looked closer, I came to believe that this had actually been struck by something to almost entirely uproot and split the sign: most likely, a car that had slipped on the now-disappearing ice. Because it has been a couple of weeks since that original storm, I'm curious to see if the sign will be replaced/repaired, or if it will be noticed at all. The road is pretty well traveled by motorized vehicle and cyclists alike, so I will be waiting to see what takes place in regard to repairs - or, I may even make a call to the city to see if they are aware of the sign being damaged.

On another day during that same stretch of sunshine and disappearing snow, I tweeted a picture of two bulls butting heads in a herd of cattle.

Need another reason to ride a bike? How about experiencing a literal "bull-headed" moment. pic.twitter.com/5f0Sh7MLql
— G.E. (@endlessvelolove) 

There was nothing exceptional about the photo (nor the incident necessarily), but it tickled me in the moment as I was riding by to capture a snippet of nature. Not only did I snap a photo of the bulls fighting, but I even managed a very short video of the cows mooing around them.

Just after my few moments with the cows, I headed down the road and spotted some cyclists crossing railroad tracks to get to a portion of trail that is still in tact and usable by those on a bike.

Three ladies were out enjoying their mountain bikes on a beautiful, winter day - enjoying each others' company and chatting away... and there was nothing extraordinary about it.

In fact, there was nothing extraordinary about any of these moments caught while I was riding a bike. However, had I been in a car, travelling at much higher speeds and focused on an arbitrary destination, I would likely have never actually witnessed any of these scenes. None of these moments were life-changing, but they are just three short examples that were enjoyable (for me), or that caused me to stop and ponder some aspect of my community and the people who live within it. I cannot help but wonder how many great moments are missed, or how many opportunities for insight or change are overlooked because so many of us travel by various motorized means more often than not. I frequently find myself lost in thought while riding a bike, and I think this is common for many. It's a wonderful opportunity to witness small moments that provide observations or perspective on my own life, feelings, space, and so on, and I can't help but feel a bit sorry for those folks who don't have the pleasure of engaging in something as simple as riding a bike. They truly don't know what they are missing out on - especially during the often rare, beautiful, winter days.

Living Simply?

Last week, I was out wandering this fair city of mine via bike.  As you are likely aware, I signed myself up for a January challenge to see how many (non-training) cycling miles I could get in this month. One afternoon, I decided to check out a neighborhood that I always buzz past when I'm out on training rides in the summer months. Just wanting to see the 'hood, I decided to venture down several streets. Sam and I had actually looked at some of the smaller homes in the area when they were being built almost a decade ago, but things have definitely changed since the tract first started up. I was amazed by the number of gigantic homes in the area. They were so large that I actually believed they were condo/apartment complexes, but then realized that the structures had only one large garage attached and came to the realization that they were actually single family residences. I estimated that some must have been closing in on 5-7,000 square feet between the main level areas and basements.

This home has some gorgeous views of the mountains, I would presume (though it was outside of the neighborhood I was pedaling through).

Caught up in the grandeur of it all, I kept pedaling, wondering if all the homes were so large. It's quite a stark contrast to the neighborhood I reside in, which mostly contains homes under 1,000 square feet. True, most of those in our area were built prior to 1940, and it was a completely different time that had different needs and requirements in a home, but I nearly found myself gasping at the size of some of these, what I would term, "estates" rather than houses. I certainly don't begrudge anyone their home, and if they can afford to purchase a house of such size, I am by no means stating that they shouldn't own it. However, I couldn't help but think about the massive economic differences just a few miles makes in one city.  Because my mind wanders when I ride, I couldn't help but ponder what these individuals careers might be and how anyone locally could have enough income to support what I assume must be quite a substantial mortgage.

This is an adjacent neighborhood, in the processing of being built. For some parts of the country, I am aware that a $700k starting price doesn't seem so outrageous - and I suppose for this area in our county/city, it wouldn't be either - but it is definitely not accessible for most of the population.

As I continued to ride and twist through the neighborhood, I passed a home with a 4-car garage and a single open door that revealed an array of sundries being stored. At the opposite side of the driveway sat a late model, mid-level vehicle. As I slowly pedaled by, I noticed a bumper sticker on the rear of the car that read, "Live Simply." The sticker caught me so off guard that I actually laughed aloud. Then, I started to think... perhaps for this family this is living simply? Maybe they once had an even larger home with more "things" that this now seems to be a pared down life for them? After all, I have an acquaintance who recently shared that she was "downsizing" her family into a 3,000 square foot home. While it may seem mansion-esqe to me, for her it was a huge adjustment to fit life into a smaller space. Still, she has never once stated that she is learning to live a simpler life with the move. Is it really possible that this is living "simply" for some?

All of this had me thinking about how one defines such a thing as a simple life. Is there any one definition that can be universally acknowledged? When Sam and I moved to our current home a few years ago, we knew it would be a smaller space in order to live in a location that we deemed desirable for our lifestyle. We also wanted the mortgage to be affordable so that I could attempt to make it in a career that has incredibly unstable/unreliable income. I don't know that we ever actually said the words that we were looking to live a simple life, but in essence, we knew that we would have to donate excess items and any time we wanted to bring a new item into the house, something else would need to be donated or sold because there just isn't space to house superfluous items. I don't view this as giving up anything, but rather a choice that we made to (hopefully) provide a better life. I don't feel as though I'm lacking anything, but maybe it's because I haven't ever had that sort of life? I think for some people a simple life has very different meaning, or perhaps the saying/term is reserved for certain portions of their lives.

Perhaps riding a bicycle is part of a simple life to one person, while someone else considers a bicycle a sign of prestige, wealth, or something else entirely. After all, I live in the land of people who frequently own bicycles worth 2-3 times the cost of their motorized vehicle(s). I often wonder if some of these folks realize how truly simple riding a bike can be, and that it doesn't take a great deal of monetary investment to participate in a great means of transportation, fitness, and pure pleasure.

Half Way through a 30-day Cycling Challenge

As of today, I am more than half way through my January cycling challenge. If only I were more than half way (or even half way) through the mileage I was supposed to have covered by this time! I got off to a rough start with weather (mostly the ice that wouldn't melt after snow and some super-cold temperatures), but I'm hoping that the rest of the month will be kind to me and even if I have to endure cold weather, I'm hoping to not have to deal with ice on the roads. I've completed just under 75 miles (or about 120 km) to this very moment, so I have been riding, but just not nearly as much as I had hoped. It comes out to about 5 miles a day if I average it all out, so I definitely need to make up some distance - and soon. Honestly though, I am okay with whatever happens; even if I don't quite hit the half way mark before the end of the month.

Stopped for a moment to check out our destroyed trail system (if you look closely, you can see remnants of the trail in pieces next to the water). The estimated time for repair is somewhere in the vicinity of 1-2 years, unfortunately.

Despite my lack of mileage, I have to say I've enjoyed the challenge. Particularly, I find it enjoyable because I know that my "challenge" is to see if I can do the mileage without making any of the rides training rides. Knowing that the miles need to come specifically from errands or joy rides makes the goal that much sweeter. I have to admit though, it's been a bit strange to always have my GPS device on the bike because, at least generally speaking, I tend not to clock every bike ride I go on throughout the day or week. I truly want to see what's possible though in the midst of winter, the cold, and the iffy street conditions when a person is just going about life and not looking to train for an event.

It's also nice to be able to stop and take in a view when I choose. So often I find that I am very purposeful in my cycling and I am focused on the end result, rather than just enjoying the ride. I think this challenge is allowing me to take a step back and remember what I have loved about riding a bike - which has absolutely nothing to do with how fast I can go, how far I can travel, or how many hills I can (or can't) climb. Plus, call me crazy, but I think cars are nicer to me when I'm riding a bike with a basket.

How is winter cycling where you live? Have you stayed indoors, or ventured out into the elements?

Challenge: January Transportation Riding

Here we are, already into the new year. Some people have set resolutions for themselves while others opt out of this tradition. Typically, as I've admitted over the years here, I tend to avoid resolving to do anything in January. However, a challenge presented itself and now (even though I'm not calling it a "resolution") I find myself in the midst of a new goal of sorts for January. If you use Strava, you may be familiar with their challenges throughout the year. This one in particular is a more subdued challenge issued, basically asking cyclists to ride as many miles as possible in the month of January.

*Image from Strava

Most people who have joined this challenge (or really any challenge on Strava) are looking to log serious training miles. When they say they're going to cycle "x" number of miles, I know that the majority are joining with the mindset that it is for purposes other than what I intend. I decided to join this challenge - not because I have any intention of doing training rides this month - but rather, I'd like to see how many miles I can ride purely for joy, transportation, errands, etc. The number they've selected is 600 kilometers (or just under 311 miles) to be given the opportunity to purchase a "Prove It" t-shirt. There are markers along the way, and no one is being forced to complete 600 km, but I thought it could be interesting to see if it's possible to complete the same mileage, purely for pleasure. If it were summer, I'd say putting in 300 miles would be no issue, but because I work from home and the weather is so unpredictable in January, it could mean a lot fewer riding miles, so I've issued a self-challenge to see what I can do during the 31 days of this month.

With that in mind, I have set forth some rules for my challenge:

- I will not count any rides that are done specifically for the purposes of exercise, training, etc (which shouldn't be hard as I tend not to do those this time of year). I will, however, count rides I take to the gym to workout, since most people drive a car to the gym, and thus I consider it a transportation ride.

- Speed is not a factor in this challenge (nor is it for the Strava challenge), so I will be riding like I would any time for transportation purposes. I want to see what it's like to have a mileage goal, but still ride as though the mileage doesn't matter (if that's possible).

- Any ride accomplished on my road bike will not count towards the mileage goal (this will prevent me from sneaking in faster rides on clear days, simply to make up mileage).

- The goal (with the exception of transportation to workouts obviously) is to wear clothing I would normally wear when going out to run errands, etc. Again, this shouldn't be an issue as it is typically what I would do anyway.

The purpose behind all of this is not to torture myself, nor to make riding a bike into a bigger deal than it is, but rather simply to see what happens when the weather is uncooperative (or at least not what I would ideally like it to be). While I know that I can ride regardless of the weather, I'm curious to see if having a challenge in front of me will help me choose a bike more often for transportation. Will I wimp out and walk or drive rather than riding when the weather gets iffy? I suppose only time will tell.

Have you set a cycling goal for yourself during the winter months to see you through the tough times, or is it a non-issue for you to ride in the cold, snow, ice, etc? Perhaps you wait it out until the weather gets warmer or you live in a climate that is warm during this season?