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!