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[Slim]

A very windy day but mild and no rain, so I performed my favourite Saturday route. Had to battle 40mph winds in exposed parts for the first 10 miles or so, but my spirits remained high, and after I turned to circle northward again at Sheepy Magna the wind was on my back and the sun had come out. Glorious.

 

Modified the route this time to take in a small lane I'd noticed on Google Maps. A bit puddly and muddy but very quiet and barely wide enough for a car. Took in a couple of old bridges over the Ashby de la Zouch Canal. Despite having to clean up the hybrid when I got back, a lovely run out. Normally I'm starting to feel knackered after 20+ miles but none of that today. Perhaps because I took a couple of short breaks, the first to take photos and the second for a wee down by the canal.

Some pics:

 

 

26.5 miles. 2663 done this year and 205 this month (more than July, despite the wet weather). I do believe I'll get to 2700 miles before Friday.

[Slim]

Another mercifully dry day and a long run out, this time to Markfield through Ibstock and Bagworth, then back through Stanton under Bardon, Bardon Hill and Coalville. I didn't quite manage the route I'd intended - took a couple of wrong turns - but ended up with a close approximation of it. To get back on track I did a right onto Reservoir Rd at Thornton, a nicely descending slope with a view of Thornton Reservoir, but a road infested with Range Rovers, horses and the upper middle classes so I had to put the brakes on to weave a path through. I hate to waste hard-won kinetic energy.

 

22.23 miles which leaves me on 2686 miles done in 2015, 227 this month. A fine day forecast for tomorrow but I might just go out later on for 15 miles or so to clock up 2700.

[Slim]

A nice day, but because I spent most of it recovering from a hangover I didn't make it out on my bike until about 3:30pm and consequently about half of my trip to Belton and back was performed in the dark. Anyway - 16.2 miles done, 243 this month and 2702 this year.

[nickslikk2112]

It was a nice day today, so I decided to go for one last spin of the year. Egad it was hard work! Just over 5 miles was enough for me, five days of conspicuous consumption were weighing a bit heavy. Must stay away from pickled onions...

[Slim]

The weather forecast suggests I won't be going out on my bike again this year, so here it is - Cycling 2015. Total - 2702 miles. In August I averaged more than 15 miles per day over the 31 days, which seems extraordinary. That was the month I bought my new bike.

 

 

Rob, thanks so much for starting this thread - it was literally life-changing. It's quite possible that I wouldn't have done even one of those 2072 miles without the incentive and motivation that this discussion provided, but it has been a glorious experience. I'm not sure I went out on my bike even once in 2014.

 

Same again in 2016, for me - same target, 2112 miles. For fun I might race my one-year-younger self using this thread (or my spreadsheet) to check how many miles I'd done on any given day. I see that I only started on the 9th of Jan this year so I've got a bit of time to build up a 50 mile cushion. I will undoubtedly let myself catch up a bit in August.

[Slim]

A few more self-indulgent stats:

 

Number of bike trips : 212

Average number of miles per trip : 12.75

Average miles per day in 2015: 7.4

Longest trip : 30.18 miles (17th Oct)

[Slim]

I managed 750 road miles last year on the Specialized.    This year I want to do 1000.  Santa has kindly brought me a new skull-cap and a top-tube saddlebag which doubles as a phone holder, so I can use a satnav app.  No more getting lost in the Surrey Hills! 

 

I did the famous London-to-Brighton ride in September, which was about sixty miles when I added in riding to and from the start line.  That's the furthest I've ridden so far  Probably could have limped home and made it seventy-five for the day, but I jumped on a train for the last bit.

 

Annoyingly, my weight has shot up by 4 kg (that's about nine pounds for the metrically challenged) since September so I am going to stop snacking and start pedalling.

 

I know JARG has done a lot of road riding to get fit, and of course Huge Ackman is the local expert.

 

Anyone up for a CP cycling club?

 

I've now done 13,003 miles since this thread inspired me to take up cycling in earnest. Thanks! It really was life-changing.