My previous post was titled “A Fellow Blogger Interviewed Me! And What Shall I Do After 10 Years and 52,000 Miles Bicycled?
Apparently, the answer to that question is: A Lot Less. I did far fewer miles in the first two months of 2026 than I have for quite a while. Without researching my statistics in Strava, I could guess that it’s been if not a decade, at least half of that time. In January and February I totaled just over 600 miles, which is about 10 miles a day, down from over 14. Not big daily difference, but it adds up to about 250 miles. And that translates into less muscle, aerobic capacity, endorphins, and fun. But I did gain two things: a paycheck, and weight gain.
“Universal sadness al around us…the universe is just one big practical joke.”
–“Dostoyevsky Wannabe,” from the cult film Slacker, 1989, by Richard Linklater
There is a formula in cycling called the Work Equation. It goes like this:
Cycling Satisfaction = Distance x Effort / Work Responsibilities + Account Balance
And another called the Cyclist’s Trilemma, which is as follows. You can have two of the three, but no more.
Such is the nature of being a goldfish, swimming in the dirty water of its own filth, excrement, sweat, labor, and death that is late market capitalism aka neoliberalism aka oligarchy. I owe, I owe, so off to work I go. (Yes, I bike to work, but barely over 2.5 miles each way.)
WORK IN PROGRESS… PLEASE CHECK BACK… MORE THOUGHTS LATER…
A Dude Abikes 