As of today I have logged a ride on 101 consecutive days. It started out as a personal challenge to ride every day in November, which I did. Then on December 1 I got up and rode to work as usual—so I just kept going.
How does it feel?
And I feel great. I think I'm close to establishing a daily habit. And I'm pretty sure that MLSP is (generally) happier after I've been for a ride, probably because I can be a grumpy bitch until I go for a ride (surely a symptom of a "habit").
Do I feel burnt-out or worn down? No! I've been riding to work daily for so long that it's just part of the routine, and I don't exactly hammer myself on every single commute either. And I haven't yet felt the need to take a day off; if it's been a tough week, there's nothing wrong with taking it easy on the weekend with a leisurely 5, 10 or 20km ride.
Stats
Here's some stats from the last 101 days (distances in kilometres):
| 140 [1] |
| 3461.8 [2] |
| 34.2 |
| 24.7 |
| 39.7 |
| 16.9 |
| 2.8 [3] |
| 303.0 [4] |
| Don't know (but slow) |
| ~5kg <sup class="as | ~5kg <sup class="as |
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I count to and from commute rides as separate so I log two rides on most work days. So logically, 80-odd of the 140 rides were commuting.
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Of the total distance cycled, 945.1km (more than a quarter) is accounted for by four Audax randonnees. Audax has a lot to answer for.
The total also includes two 1000km months, November and January. -
The shortest ride was on the day that I sprained my ankle, which is almost completely recovered now.
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The longest ride was yesterday—a great way to celebrate 100 consecutive days of cycling!
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Weight loss was never the objective so I haven't closely tracked my weight but it's definitely down. There's been no real change in my diet (other than an increase in muesli and pasta consumption) so with more attention to food this may have been more.
Sights and sounds
I've started to become a bit more of a utility cyclist than I was before (helped by a local shopping centre that seems to be taking bike parking seriously)—I've started actively seeking errands to run, so that I have an "excuse" to go for a ride (grocery shopping, library returns and collecting take-away food are among my specialities). Of course, I'm not above extending a 3km round trip to the shops into a 10-15km jaunt.
And I'm finding new things to do on the bike. New routes. Variations on old routes. Detours on the way home to/from work. I've even paid a few visits to the local velodrome (which turned out to be good fun, despite my initial perception that it might be a bit like a treadmill).
All-in-all it's been a rewarding experience and I look forward to it continuing—I wonder for how long?
Thanks for the comments.
@Karl: Nearly 1000km in randonnees and about 1200km of commuting accounts for more than half of the logged mileage. Relatively, I don't do much of what 'serious' riders would call "training". And I have no problem logging a family ride with the kids either—it's all turning the pedals as far as I'm concerned.
@Gnoarme: I visit the velodrome to add some variety occasionally, I'm not a regular there. I don't think I'd find it such an interesting novelty if I went there too often, but it is a pleasant change to forget about traffic and just ride.
Great stuff. Well done. I got back into cycling last October and really enjoy the freedom it provides, too. I'll have to try the velodrome sometime. It looks like fun.
Wow! Well done.
Comments
That's some serious distance you've covered there! Were these mostly utility routes, or riding for riding's sake? I'm guessing that the 300km trip wasn't the result of taking a wrong turn on the way to the shop. :-D