Thru-bike CR

Last year's cycling goal was days. This year's cycling goal is miles, but not just any miles. These will be the miles within the city limits of Cedar Rapids, IA. I plan to ride every road in the city this year.

I've created a separate blog for the topic. Partly because I don't want to skew the focus of this blog too much, and partly because I want to give iWeb a spin to see if it is worth using.

Go check out the Thru-bike CR site.

100 Days of Cycling

You may remember my post from earlier this year where I set a goal to ride my bicycle 100 days this year. I'm pleased to say, I have met this goal. Yesterday was my 100th ride.

I wasn't sure if I'd meet my goal. Late in August, I was barely past the halfway mark. I figured it would be pretty hard to find the days in the fall and winter. Turns out, I was right. It was hard to find days. That made me switch to nights :) I haven't really done much night riding, but I enjoy it quite a bit now. As long as you have a good light and a safe route, it can be a very calming experience. At least 30 of my rides were done at night. The number of cars I would encounter dropped to 1/10th and the number of police cars I saw at least tripled.

I would never have been able to meet this goal without an understanding wife, and some good equipment. These items were key:

• A durable bike - At least 50% of my rides were done on my Specialized Langster. I love the bike. It's a single speed, so there's less to maintain, less to break, and less to clean. I managed to make it through the year with only one flat on the Langster. Other than that, I just cleaned and lubed it every now and then.


• A good light - You want to see and be seen when riding at dusk or dark. I've mentioned it before. My Light and Motion Vega is a great light. It stood up to the cold and rain.


• A skull cap - It has been warmer than normal this year, but I did have a few rides below freezing. Covering your head and ears is essential. I picked mine up for $5 at a bike tradeshow.


• Cold weather pants - Plenty of bike riders have no need for pants. When it gets too cold for the shorts, they just hang it up for the year. I'd be really fat if I did that. They weren't cheap, but I got a nice pair from Cannondale with Windstopper fronts. These things are glorious. Warmth is never a problem. I use them for biking, skiing, snow shoeing, and hiking.

This year's goal was not miles, it was days. Next year's goal is back to miles, but with a twist. Stay tuned.