Reflections on the 2011 Century Season

So this was the year I got serious about the cycling quest. With the rides I took this Thanksgiving weekend, I've pedaled over 4100 miles this year -- my best year yet. I've ridden a bike in 21 states in one year, a new high as well. (If I can manage to grab some December miles in PA and WV, I can increase that number by two.)

Fitness and weight loss have been the two most prominent benefits. But, spending over 40,000 hours in thought and reflection with better-than-normal blood supply to the brain can change your outlook on life.

I tend to think happy thoughts -- I'm normally an optimistic person. So my 'discussions with my handlebars' don't normally dwell on the past, on the missed opportunities. I find myself thinking most about the future: plans I need to firm up, conversations I need to have, things I need to do, and -- of course -- blogs I need to write. If I made good on all the things I planned to do while bicycling, I would have so much impact on the world around me that I would bend light. But, alas, we can barely get a start on our dreams. This blog is such a start.

Bicycling is a solitary exercise -- especially the way I do it. I have to wonder what my life would have been like had I spent 40,000 hours playing golf in the past year. Of course, I surely would have been less fit and less successful in weight loss. But, I would have enjoyed a world of conversations, an interchange of ideas that does not seem to take place while you're in the saddle. (Don't get me wrong, I don't play golf and I doubt I would enjoy it -- it's just that golf provides a valuable counter-example to cycling.)

So, while there are no regrets about the path I've taken, I think I can say that I enjoy cycling with other people. The centuries that were the most fun were those in which I found other riders who moved at my plodding pace. And, the bike tour I took was likewise a pleasant moment: spending vacation time with people who climbed the same hills, saw the same scenes, made the same turns, and were pushed by the same tailwinds. Not to mention rain showers, traffic, and potholes. Sharing with others and extended conversations help to round out the bicycling experience, knocking off the rough corners of riding solitude.

All this leads to my next post, which will be about my plans for 2012 and beyond. Preview: I expect I will be able to finish the project in the coming year or so. So, don't touch that dial!

End of a Great Season

Springfield, VA. With the previous weekend, this brings to an end a season of highly satisfying accomplishments. All told, I completed centuries in fourteen more states. My total at the end of 2011 is thirty-five states. I have achieved probably the most important accomplishment of all: I feel great! I'm planning on celebrating this Saturday by doing a century (what else!) from my own front door.

I spent last weekend in Georgia's beautiful fall countryside on roads that could not be more deserted. The ride was called "Cruisin' in the Country" and it certainly lived up to its billing! The weather was much like the first century of the year: 70 degrees and no wind! Even though equipment problems kept me from finishing the 100, I did rocket along at a 16-mph pace -- my fastest yet.

I've updated the map at the bottom of the page to show my plans for next year. In the coming weeks, I'll post more reflections of this year and more information on the rides I plan to do in 2012. The short version is: I expect to finish all but Alaska in 2011, and knock off the fiftieth state in July of 2013. That gives me some slack so that, if I fail to complete a century in 2012, I have the first half of 2013 to try again.

FestiVelo: South Carolina's Bicycling Festival

I spent last weekend in and around Charleston, South Carolina. There is a modest bicycling event there called FestiVelo. FestiVelo used to be held in early December, often under conditions of early winter. This year the organizers have chosen to move the date to early November. This allows them to grab a little warmer weather, but sacrifice some of the Christmas colors and lights. Most riders are quite happy with the change.

The actual century on Saturday was cold and windy, but warmed (eventually) by bright sunlight. FestiVelo headquarters -- the start and finish -- were in a lakeside Navy-run recreation area near Monck's Corner, South Carolina. The course was amazingly flat, and in a calmer day I probably could have set a new record. As it was, I finished at my usual time: about 4PM.

South Carolina has not quite decided what it thinks about bicycling. Most drivers gave cyclists a wide berth. Some, however, chose to pass close to me at high speed. It's always subjective, but it seemed as if this was more common than in places like Minnesota or New Jersey. Additionally, there were side-paths along some major roads, but they were disjointed. They would go on for about two miles and end abruptly, only to start up again three miles down the road. Local bicyclists must be incredibly frustrated!

This ambivalence probably affected the negotiations with the local authorities. The ride organizers seem to have promised that we would be 'off the road' by 3PM. I certainly had every intention of finishing by then, but the headwinds ate away at my pace, and added about an hour to my time. The last 20 miles of the ride were on pretty quiet roads (or wide, sparsely-traveled four-lane highways). While it was lonely, it was warm, calm, and pleasant. I accomplished my goal of finishing with a smile.

I don't think I saw more than 100 people on this ride. This stands in stark contrast to the thousands who rode in the rain in Michigan the end of September. I guess getting to South Carolina is a bit difficult. I met several people from Virginia and Maryland who drove down.

This leaves me with one more state to complete this year: Georgia. I'll move from typing this blog entry to packing up to fly to Savannah. I'll be enjoying a century that I've been wanting to do for a long time: Cruisin' in the Country. After that, I'll publish the end-of-year map.