December Cycling Challenge

Dec 1 No RIde
DEC 2- 12.08 Miles 1:45min
Dec 3 Water Aerobics
DEC 4 - 3.26 miles in 29 minutes
Dec 5 Water Aerobics
DEC 6 10.07 in 1 hour 30 min
DEC 7 10.05 in 1hour 23minutes
Dec 8 NO RIDE
DEC 9th 13.09 miles the longest I have gone at one time 2hours 1 minute
Dec 10th Water Aerobics and snow
Dec 11th REST DAY
DEC 12 4.63 miles in 45 minutes
Dec 13 - 16th no rides
DEC17 3.67 miles
DEC 18 7.46 miles sunny 74 no wind
DEC 19 3.0 miles recovery sore from hilly area
Dec 20 no ride Walked
Dec 21 no ride
DEC 22 5.38
DEC 23 15.10 MILES OF PURE DAMP CHILLY WINDY SUFFERFEST longest I have ridden at one time

RUNNING TOTAL 87.79 of 120 every lil bit helps 32.21 to go yeowza


Side note bike total odometer 234

Not sure of a total - I'll just do the best I can with what the weather allows me...

1/12/2012 - 49.5km - http://app.strava.com/activities/30400463
2/12/2012 - 103.8km - http://app.strava.com/activities/30569711
3/12/2012 - no ride
4/12/2012 - no ride
5/12/2012 - 49.3km - http://app.strava.com/activities/31050839 (indoor)
6/12/2012 - 76.5km - http://app.strava.com/activities/31189267 (indoor)
7/12/2012 - no ride (went for a walk in the hills instead, just for a change)
8/12/2012 - 18.2km - http://app.strava.com/activities/31452779 (:sick: pathetic )
9/12/2012 - 95.5km - http://app.strava.com/activities/31662463 (indoor)
10/12/2012 - 6.8km - http://app.strava.com/activities/31839535 (indoor)
10/12/2012 - 13.6km - http://app.strava.com/activities/31839737 (indoor)
10/12/2012 - 2.3km - http://app.strava.com/activities/31839841 (indoor)
10/12/2012 - 44.2km - http://app.strava.com/activities/31840011 (indoor)
11/12/2012 - 43.6km - http://app.strava.com/activities/31975945 (indoor)
12/12/2012 - rest day
13/12/2012 - 52.7km - http://app.strava.com/activities/32235577 (indoor)
14/12/2012 - 75.0km - http://app.strava.com/activities/32351005 (indoor)
15/12/2012 - 32.9km - http://app.strava.com/activities/32465069
16/12/2012 - 49.4km - http://app.strava.com/activities/32649555
17/12/2012 - rest day
18/12/2012 - rest day
19/12/2012 - 40.2km - http://app.strava.com/activities/33097081 (indoor)
19/12/2012 - 44.2km - http://app.strava.com/activities/33097083 (indoor)
20/12/2012 - rest day
21/12/2012 - 66.8km - http://app.strava.com/activities/33336861 (indoor)
22/12/2012 - :devil: 66.6km - http://app.strava.com/activities/33459537 (devilishly good indoor ride!)
23/12/2012 - rest day

total 931.1km

12/1--16.5 miles outside
12/3--16.5 miles outside
12/5--13.5 miles outside
12/9--16.5 miles outside
12/15--13.5 miles outside
12/16--13.5 miles outside
12/21--13 miles inside
12/23--17 miles outside

Total--120

Bouncing back from an overuse knee injury, I've managed 136 miles so far this month. I want to get back to 250 in January just on the road bike, maybe 15 miles on the mountain bike

Not sure of a total - I'll just do the best I can with what the weather allows me...

1/12/2012 - 49.5km - http://app.strava.com/activities/30400463
2/12/2012 - 103.8km - http://app.strava.com/activities/30569711
3/12/2012 - no ride
4/12/2012 - no ride
5/12/2012 - 49.3km - http://app.strava.com/activities/31050839 (indoor)
6/12/2012 - 76.5km - http://app.strava.com/activities/31189267 (indoor)
7/12/2012 - no ride (went for a walk in the hills instead, just for a change)
8/12/2012 - 18.2km - http://app.strava.com/activities/31452779 (:sick: pathetic )
9/12/2012 - 95.5km - http://app.strava.com/activities/31662463 (indoor)
10/12/2012 - 6.8km - http://app.strava.com/activities/31839535 (indoor)
10/12/2012 - 13.6km - http://app.strava.com/activities/31839737 (indoor)
10/12/2012 - 2.3km - http://app.strava.com/activities/31839841 (indoor)
10/12/2012 - 44.2km - http://app.strava.com/activities/31840011 (indoor)
11/12/2012 - 43.6km - http://app.strava.com/activities/31975945 (indoor)
12/12/2012 - rest day
13/12/2012 - 52.7km - http://app.strava.com/activities/32235577 (indoor)
14/12/2012 - 75.0km - http://app.strava.com/activities/32351005 (indoor)
15/12/2012 - 32.9km - http://app.strava.com/activities/32465069
16/12/2012 - 49.4km - http://app.strava.com/activities/32649555
17/12/2012 - rest day
18/12/2012 - rest day
19/12/2012 - 40.2km - http://app.strava.com/activities/33097081 (indoor)
19/12/2012 - 44.2km - http://app.strava.com/activities/33097083 (indoor)
20/12/2012 - rest day
21/12/2012 - 66.8km - http://app.strava.com/activities/33336861 (indoor)
22/12/2012 - :devil: 66.6km - http://app.strava.com/activities/33459537 (devilishly good indoor ride!)
23/12/2012 - rest day
24/12/2012 - domestic duties - no chance of a ride :grumble:

total 931.1km

I'm very new to this site so if my posts are cryptic please excuse. The word bicycle makes my heart sing. I'm definitely in to post a few of my experiences and encourage others. I've been riding a road bike since I was 15 or 16 and if you only knew how old I am, would rival with Napolean's defeat at Waterloo. I did take about a 47 year vacation from it but started riding seriously again some 4 years ago. Cycling is now a whole new thing. I used be be state of the art with sew-up tires and a titanium frame. (still love the smell of that glue). Way back then (remember the Schwinn Varsity?). Toe chips were what the roadies wore then. I'm from Texas (not originally, but I'm told if you've lived here for 20 years, you can be inducted into the native born list), so unless a cold front comes in, we're good. And yes, once a front came in on us after our trip to Fort Davis and we rode anyway in 25 mph winds and sub freezing weather just to get our money's worth. Go figure. Lately, we've had some pretty LA-like weather in December so if I'm not tied up at work, I high tail it to a nearby lake and put in a few miles. Funny, when I'm feeling like a slow short ride, I ride my fastest and longest. Don't know why, it just works out that way. I usually group ride on Saturdays anywhere from 20-50 miles. So if you ride regularly you'll probably just smile and nod at some of my stories and if you're new to cycling you may smile and nod anyway. Most of the time, weather permitting, I usually ride from 75 - 110 miles per week. If the weather gets super cold I just don't ride (I've learned from the Ft Davis thingy). So I'm not going to post miles except maybe to comment from time to time. Fast for me is 19-20 mph over a 40 mile ride but usually I ride between 17-18 mph. Slower if my workouts are hills. But the real fun part is what you see and experience along the way. Cycling is a social sport. Even if you aren't social and don't say a thing while pedalling along, chances are you are still interacting with those around you. You may be thinking "if I could just catch that guy, I'd draft and relax for awhile" or "da.. that idiot should take some lessons in ..." it's still interactive. Or maybe it's one of those really cold morning and you're just hoping it'll warm up after the first 10 miles or so. One of my friends, after reading Steve Jobs biography, claimed that you could create a reality distortion and convince yourself it was really warm. Oh yes, and those shoe caps that are supposed to help keep your toes warm don't really do anything. Once on a cold dark day I forgot to put one on the left foot and discovered my mistake after my 2 hr ride. Surpisingly, my left toes were no colder than my right ones. Both sets of toes were equally cold. But if you really believe that the toe caps work for you and that organic food helps you lose weight then by all means, go for it.

Too late to set a goal for December. So I'll go for January. My goal will be 300 miles. Normally, I'd say it's a sure thing but there a little thing called the weather. So right now I'm thinking of equating an hour of indoor with 18 miles or so. I think that's fair.

Question: my hands and bottom get numb if I for more than half an hour- does anyone else experience this?; I do 25 min max - not sure how many miles that is and do it about 2-3 times a week -darkness,weather permitting

Question: my hands and bottom get numb if I for more than half an hour- does anyone else experience this?; I do 25 min max - not sure how many miles that is and do it about 2-3 times a week -darkness,weather permitting

My hands and feet go numb when I'm on an extended ride. My doctor told me that I'm putting too much pressure on these areas and to loosen my grip. Not much I can do about the toes except shake them out occasionally. I have gotten to the point I can feel when my grip is too tight. Maybe this is the case with you.

Question: my hands and bottom get numb if I for more than half an hour- does anyone else experience this?; I do 25 min max - not sure how many miles that is and do it about 2-3 times a week -darkness,weather permitting

Without knowing what kind of bike you ride, it's a bit hard to help, but it always comes down to ergonomics. You need to make sure you have a good posture on the bike and that you aren't tense while riding it.

For your hands, adjust the bike so that you aren't stretching out to reach the handlebars and that you can keep your elbows slightly bent. Adjust the grips or rotate the handlebars so that your hands are comfortable. If you have a road bike, alternate between the different hand positions, and if you have a bicycle with flat bars, look into getting bar ends that give you more hand positions. That last change alone made a world of difference on my hybrid with flat bars and made riding it far more enjoyable.

For your bottom, you're going to have to either adjust your seat height, angle, and level to find something comfortable for you. If that doesn't work, you can always buy a seat (I always recommend the Adamo seats) that allow more blood flow to your perineal area.