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Ringing out the old – 2008 biking stats

12.31.2008 by Ray Niekamp // 3 Comments

hny2aOn this New Year’s Eve, it’s time to look back at where I’ve been, biking-wise, over the past 12 months. First of all, let’s recap the last four months, as I have done in April and August. Then we’ll recap the entire year.

September-December:

  • Total rides: 38
  • Total mileage: 863.1
  • Avg. speed: 15.73 mph
  • Highest avg. speed on a single ride: 17.65 mph
  • Highest maximum speed on a single ride: 38.6 mph
  • Longest single ride: 101.4 mile

Monthly mileage

  • September: 271.5
  • October: 302.5
  • November: 131.8
  • December: 157.3

I’m astounded by the amount of riding I did, especially when it didn’t feel like I was doing as much as I could have. I’m blown away by my stats for the entire year:

Year-long stats 2008:

  • Total miles: 2,677
  • Avg. speed: 15.09 mph
  • Highest avg. speed on a single ride: 17.65 mph
  • Highest maximum speed on a single ride: 39.5 mph
  • Longest single ride: 101.4 miles
  • Average ride distance: 20.625 miles

Highlights of the year: My century, obviously, given how much I seem to have posted about it. But hey, for a 57-year-old guy, I think it was a big deal. I took the League of American Bicyclists Road I course, which made me a more competent, smarter, and safer rider. I joined a local bike club, and although I am not a regular at their Sunday morning rides, the group did challenge me to go faster and longer. Finally, this blog. It’s been online a little over 10 months, and I am gratified by the amount of page views I’ve gotten. I’ll post a detailed recap of the blogging year on its anniversary in February.

Goals for the coming year: I’ve already mentioned that I’ll be riding in the MS 150 from Houston to Austin. I plan on joining a team to train for the ride, and to ride in several organized events leading up to the MS ride in April. After that, who knows? I want to get better. Better for me could include a number of different factors: faster, more endurance, more skill, or a combination of the three. Oh, and it’s time to shed some extra weight. I need to drop about 30 pounds. Biking will be the major element of that effort.

Here’s to a happy, healthy and prosperous 2009 from the Bike Noob!

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Categories // Records & stats Tags // stats

Two grand

09.21.2008 by Ray Niekamp // 4 Comments

The Sunday morning club ride was another hills excursion. Geez, these guys like to ride hills. I took one look at the proposed route, and figured it was not for me. However, to get out to their hills, they would take a route I’ve done before — so I told the ride leader I would ride part way with them, but then break off on my own.

Once we got started, a familiar rider pulled up next to me — my friend David. He had gotten a late start, and was about a block from our Starbucks starting point when he saw us pull out. He pushed hard to catch up.

But he didn’t have it today. After about five miles, we hit some moderate hills — a precursor of things to come — and he dropped off the back. I thought he would be able to catch up, but we didn’t see him again, even after waiting awhile in a church parking lot at the top of a killer hill (I walked my bike up that one!). By the way, church parking lots probably are not the best places to regroup on Sunday mornings, especially between services!

Then we headed out to Loop 360, the best-known biking road in Austin. Long uphills, followed by long downhills. Six mph going up, 38 going down. Fun. The group turned into a ritzy golf course neighborhood to head for their hill route. I kept going north on 360.

Pennybacker Bridge.  Image from www.texasescapes.com.
Pennybacker Bridge. Image from www.texasescapes.com.

I hadn’t been this far north on 360 before. You get to cross an Austin landmark, the Pennybacker bridge, over Lake Austin (which is really the Colorado River). The bridge surface is roughed-up concrete, so if it ices up in cold weather, car tires will still get a grip. So crossing the bridge is not smooth going. No problem, though, and I soon found myself at my predesignated turnaround spot, the Arboretum. It’s not a park with flowers, but an upscale shopping center. With shade! I took a break, ate a Lara Bar, drank some Heed, shook out my foot, and turned around to head back.

The trip home was uneventful. My average speed was slower than I’d like — 14.4 mph — but no big deal. A more telling stat is my new total mileage for the year: 2,031. I crossed the two-thousand mile mark for the year on this ride. Never in my wildest imagination last January did I think I would put in so many miles. It took me five-and-a-half months to get my first 1,000 miles in this year, but only three months and eight days to get in the second thousand. Summer will do that for you — more riding time, longer mileage per ride, and a big increase in monthly mileage. I’ve also noticed the length of my average ride is increasing. Rarely am I satisfied to go just 14 miles anymore. Eighteen is closer to the norm.

I still am not shooting for a mileage goal for the year. The miles will come, and I’m more focused on the century ride coming up next month (I’m concerned that my long rides aren’t getting long enough, fast enough). For now, as David Bernstein of the Fredcast says, I’m going to “Enjoy the ride.”

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Categories // clubs, Records & stats, Rides, training Tags // clubs, hills, Loop 360, mileage

Biking stats update

09.01.2008 by Ray Niekamp // 5 Comments

Back at the end of April, I took a look at my riding stats for the first four months of the year. Now, the second four months has gone by, so it’s time to update those numbers:

  • May-August: 54 rides
  • Total mileage: 1167
  • Total for 2008:1814
  • Average speed: 14.87 mph
  • Highest avg. speed on a single ride: 16.8
  • Highest maximum speed on a single ride: 39.5
  • Longest single ride: 52.5
  • Monthly mileage
    • May: 298
    • June: 203
    • July: 344
    • August: 322

The biggest difference in the January-April and May-August timeframes is the amount of riding I’ve done. It almost doubled over the second four months. That’s partly to be expected because of warmer weather and more available riding time. The measures of central tendency haven’t changed much, with average speed up only .2 mph. But, I’ve talked before about my preference for just riding over training. What the stats don’t show is that my endurance and strength are better. Despite the occasional dip, I feel like I am a better rider than I was.

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Categories // Records & stats, Rides, training Tags // avg. speed, Rides, stats, training

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