Your Ride Reports - January 2021
 

If you are new to posting on this thread, or if you are new to cycling, we welcome you! If you are returning from a previous thread, we welcome you, too.

This thread is for anyone who rides a bicycle ... or unicycle, tricycle, tandem, etc.

Are you an experienced road cyclist? Do you bike to work? Do you pull your children to the park? Do you ride weekends? Do you spin at home or in the gym? Is Zwift your thing? Do you race crits, ironman, or centuries? Touring? Audax/Randonneuring? Or, are you just starting out and remembering how much fun you had biking when you were a kid?

There are no set challenges - this is a mixed-ability / mixed-experience / everyone welcome group.

Just pick the target that you would like to achieve this month and post updates throughout the month as you work toward your target. We love seeing photos of your rides and hearing all about them.

Given the current situation many of us will be cycling solo or indoors. Don't feel alone! Share your accomplishments with us. :)


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First ride of the year!

I rode about 11 miles along the central coast with my wife on her new e bike and me on my vintage racer yesterday. Today I did 22 miles on my ItalVega by myself. We had big surf here in Southern California so I stopped to check it out . Looking forward to more cycling this year as I continue to cut back on work.

Went for our annual New Year's Day walk in the woods for 3 miles. Saturday had a nice ride in the Ocala Nat Forest for 41 miles. It is still hunting season and I had to dodge around some hunting dogs chasing wild pigs. Did another 3 mile walk on Sunday.

Snow and slush season has arrived here, so my riding will reduce to sporadic bits here and there when the roads are dry. In other words, nothing in January yet (although I kept pretty active in December).

First audax of 2021 completed yesterday! 200km of rolling roads, 1757m elevation. Longer ride report posted over at the long distance forum: https://www.bikeforums.net/21872220-post4.html

January 3

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First ride of the year!

Rowan does better with cycling than with walking. Although he has balance issues and feels unsteady while walking, he feels fairly confident when cycling ... but prefers quiet roads and wide paths. Busy roads unnerve him and make him feel unsteady as do narrow paths where he has to concentrate more.

Also, although he has left leg issues, the cycling seems to allow him to compensate. His right leg goes around and then the left leg follows, more or less.

Saturday 9 January

We had a little bit of an adventure today. :)

We drove up to Mt Field National Park, 90 km away - nearly a 2-hour drive on Tasmanian roads.
https://parks.tas.gov.au/explore-our...-national-park

We parked, unloaded the bicycles and cycled up to the next town up the road, 13 and a bit km away. UP to the next town and into the wind. It was a struggle for out of shape legs. When we got to the town, we headed to the grocery store hoping for a cold drink and ice cream bar, but it was closed. Oh well. Fortunately the return trip was more or less downhill and we got back to the visitor's centre in time to get that cold drink and ice cream bar!

And then we did a walk up to one of the attractions ... a pretty waterfall. :)

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Sunday 10 January

A walk and a bicycle ride today ...

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This year is off to a great start. We are back in the”no rain” weather pattern in Southern California . My wife and I are taking full advantage. I did a solo ride in the morning and a ride with my wife in the afternoon. Temperatures are in the low seventies and we are dry. It should be rainy but none so far.

I'm having a hard time getting on track this year. I did one ride this past Saturday for 35 miles on the Courtney Campbell Trail. Kind of a miserable, grey, windy cold day.

Sunday I did my 40 mile ride after some much needed rain. On my way to Ventura there was about a half mile stretch of road that had snow on the bike lane a side of the road. We got no snow in our local mountains it was really strange. I have been here sixty years and never seen snow at sea level.I also did an eight mile ride for lunch on Thursday , so January is good . It ain’t over yet!

Been doing some walking in the woods when I can't bike ride. Probably did 8 miles a couple of weekends ago. Last week did the 27 mile Davis Is. evening ride. On Saturday I went to Weedon Is. for 40 miles. Sunday another 40 miles around S. Tampa. It was a foggy day on Saturday.
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A cold and windy month here; today my helmet, laying at my feet as I locked up the bike outside a Target store, was taken by the wind and sent skidding across the pavement for 50', with me running after. Then it happened again. *urk*
I did get in a 69.9 mile Permanent this month, plus a few shorter rides.
Fun with bikes.

Edit: Jan 2021 = 208 miles

Turns out I did OK in January; maybe six or eight shorter rides on days the streets were dry. I didn't keep track of the miles though because I was using two bikes and each has its own computer.... Too much math to keep track of.

Big snowstorm coming tonight though. :eek:

105.48 mile ride today to close out the month.

Pain from an old neck injury has been getting worse so I've cut way back on outdoor rides. On the flip side, in addition to walking more, I resumed jogging in November and am still putting in the same hours and effort.

Strava sez: Four outdoor bike rides in January, three for about 90 minutes each, 21-24 miles. One casual group ride to visit with folks I hadn't seen in months, 3 hours, 35 miles (yeah, I wear a mask on group rides, not on solo rides).

Five indoor trainer sessions: 2 hours 52 minutes, 27.4 "miles"; 51 minutes, 9.9 miles; 2:22 time; 23 miles; 2 hours, 20 miles.

That's my least time on bike since 2015, and I suspect it won't get much better as my C1-C2 vertebrae continue to deteriorate.

11 runs, usually 5-6 miles each, I think about 60 miles total for January. Oddly the running doesn't seem to bother my neck as much, although it does aggravate the shoulder and back injuries a bit.

16 walks, ranging from a mile to 10 miles, 60 miles total.

Overall, resuming more foot-exercise -- walking and running -- has helped clear up some nagging pain in my hips and lower back that weren't related to any injuries or joint degradation. Bone scans looked good. I figured it was just muscle pain, the body fighting against doing different exercises. Sure enough, persisting carefully with walking and running helped clear up some nagging issues.

Thirty three mile ride on the last day of the month.

14 rides, 331 miles, 37.5*F average temp

I got in about 450 miles in Jan. Considering I missed 2 weekends due to a garage project and we had some rainy days, I'm pretty happy with that.

My mother needed a lot of input, & then passed away late last summer, & cycling fell off the back.

Rides have been spotty, performance marginal, goals absent, but starting to get it back a bit.

My son, who has never beat me up a hill, is on a weight-loss/fitness push, & got a Peloton type bike. The changing of the guard may be here.

From Saturday's ride:


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