interview

A Fellow Blogger Interviewed Me! And What Shall I Do After 10 Years and 52,000 Miles Bicycled?

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 14 Comments

I’m super stoked to be the latest blogger to be featured on another blog! Ortensia is the voice behind Truly Madly Ordinary, Diary of a “Not So Desperate Housewife.” I’m featured in her series Chats With Bloggers Episode 7. Lucky number seven. Check out the interview, and her other charming, relatable, funny, and interesting posts at https://trulymadlyordinary.com. Did I mention she’s an Italian who has lived for quite a while in Ireland? Or that she’s a published author, prodigious blogger, mother, among many other things. I want to thank her for her interest and graciousness. I’m not one for the limelight, but if I get a few more butts on bikes, or folks get a chuckle, then it was worth it. Meanwhile below, I’ll delve into what the road ahead holds for A Dude Abikes after my epic velocimania and reaching that literal milestone of 52,000.

Read more: A Fellow Blogger Interviewed Me! And What Shall I Do After 10 Years and 52,000 Miles Bicycled?

This month I have managed to do what I set out to: reduce my bicycling. Gasp! I mean, my body is going to make me take a break sooner than later. Whereas in 2025 I had a weekly goal of 100 (5,200 for the year) which I just missed by 200, for 2026 I set my Strava goal on 7.5 hours per week. I managed one 100 mile week in January, but otherwise I will just barely make it past the 333 needed to make 4,000 for the year. Which again, no one really cares about.

Numerous factors have gone into this decision beyond reaching that decade-long goal. First, I’m just tired, and I deserve a break today. Second, I never intended to have this 10-year goal anyway. I reached the point where there was no more point to continuing at the same pace. Third, it’s winter, and even the milder ones we get here in Central Texas are still cold and not always fun to bike in. Case in point, we had a weekend ice storm that shut the streets down for several days. And fourth, I started a new full-time job, which truly sucks the life energy and time out of the weekdays.

A sign of the times.

Overall, I’m okay with it. It’s a paradox, but less mileage = more health. I’m still keeping my daily streak alive (6 years, 4 months, 21 days), but that will end at some point. (As I’ve said before, a forced break is coming.) My commute is pretty short, but it counts. The week I did 100 miles was by biking 10 miles per night on my home trainer, and then two 25-milers on the weekend. Part of me wants to keep it up, but another part knows it’s better if I don’t. Also, I am slowly other taking steps to improve my overall health, partially because I have no choice. That means diversifying my exercise, improving my sleep, and making better choices about what I eat. Biking will always be by jam, until I’m unable to do it, but there are in fact other things in life. Another gasp! I mean, “Biking is life,” to paraphrase Dani Rojas said in Ted Lasso. And yet it isn’t. Scandalous and blasphemous, I know. So sue me! (Please don’t.)

Stickers I saw in Toy Joy.

Being freed from the 14.5-miles per day every day regimen, I have noticed my legs are less tight, my body and mind are less exhausted, and I’m sleeping more, at least some nights. Those are all positives. Getting to the gym to swim and doing more challenging yoga and resistance bands at home will take some effort at the end of a long work day. But one must pay the bills, so while I was rich in time, I can afford to be poor no more in terms of bills. I owe, I owe, so off to work I go for the next few months and hopefully beyond, because it’s a temporary gig. But isn’t everything in life?

While my daily half hours walks and yoga practice continue, I don’t always read for 30′, and writing is far less often than when I was doing it daily. Certainly with this blog, and since losing my writing buddy, I’ve slacked off the novella. Perhaps Ortensia’s interview and example will lead me back to more frequent writing. I do journal sometimes. I also volunteer on a bike-related project, so that takes time and involves some writing too, be it email messages to fellow volunteers, a flier for event outreach, etc. I also have the chores and errands of daily life to contend with like everyone else, and now that incudes sometimes going to protests. Somewhere in there should be time for naps and a little enjoyment of the filmed entertainments, right? Right!

Bike scenes

In the end, I’m getting older, slowing down, and have to do better at managing my health, which is no small task. Riding solo as I do means no wife or kids to support or to support me. (That I know about! There were a few crazy lost weekends in Las Vegas…. Just kidding!) Life goes on, and so does A Dude, at least until he doesn’t.

Hopefully you enjoyed my interview with Truly Madly Ordinary and this post, too. Adios January, here comes February! Time to reset those New Year’s Resolutions (or not).

Rosie, nice
Frankie, asshole
Scout, sweet. Three cats I pet at a week.

Copyright 2026 A Dude Abikes. All rights reserved.

9/9/2023: Sit-Down with Sommar at 2,000 Miles (+ Totals of 40,000 Miles & 1,000,000 Feet Elevation)

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 7 Comments

As my annual big ride approaches, I noticed three statistics on my sports application Strava that seemed noteworthy, to moi at least, and maybe to you, faithful reader. My total mileage just surpassed 40,000 miles, and elevation passed 1,000,000 feet since I began recording, basically the very end of 2015. But the one that jumped out at me was the 2,000 miles I’ve ridden on Sommar (pronouced some ALL) the Fuji Finest bicycle. I was kindly gifted here when Sonnie the GT Arette was stolen and missing for a week. After a cool cat named Orion gave me the bike, at first I wasn’t sure she would work out. Those skinny tires, curvy drop bars, and nimble frame all gave me pause. But she and A Dude are getting along pretty well, so here’s an imaginary convo with the saucy, sexy minx herself.

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A Third Chat with Sophie the Fairdale Who Turned 15(,000 Miles) on Jan. 15th with a 15-Mile Ride

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 2 Comments

Back on April 14, 2020, I wrote a post I called “Another Chat with Sophie the Fairdale, Who Just Turned 10(,000 Miles).” Well, as you can see, we’ve just hit 15,000. So that’s worth a third chat, wouldn’t you agree? Good, I’m glad. Yes, I know you can’t really talk to bicycles. Well, you can, but they don’t answer. If they do, that would be news. Just play along, it’ll be fine, I promise. Jeez, so literal! By the way, Fairdale Bikes are an Austin company and I have to thank Fairdale Bikes, Bike Austin and Hill Abell with Bicycle Sport Shop for gifting me with Sophie in a raffle back in 2017. Be sure to check out my first post about Sophie: The Fairdale Weekender Archer: A Review of My New Bicycle I Won in a Raffle!

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ADAB Profile #2: Dena Kinate — This Wild Horse Just Wants to Roam Free (Part 1)

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 5 Comments

She walked onto the patio like she was walking off her yacht.  I was waiting for her at the back of a coffee house overlooking Lake Travis.  It was a rainy, lazy day, and she had texted to tell me that she had just awakened from a nap and was running a little late.  Dena was sporting a long mane of naturally curly hair (never combed except in the shower), brown with blond highlights), a plaid shirt with a few buttons undone, short shorts and canvas shoes.  She gave a cute, shy little wave and then came around to the picnic table to give me a polite but gentle hug.  Thus began a fascinating interview, series of calls, texts, emails and a photo shoot that would lead to this profile.

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A Dude Abikes in the News!: One Year Later…

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 8 Comments

…I’m Still Ready for My Close-Up

That’s right, A Dude Abikes was featured in the local newspaper.  I blogged about it on January 15, 2018, and since it’s exactly a year later today, it seems appropriate to remind older readers, new followers and visitors, too.  The blog is titled “Read All About It!  A Dude Abikes Featured in the Austin American-Statesman.”  While it did not catapult me to stardom or anything, I thought it was a pretty decent write-up.  It was by the now former reporter and author of the Fit City blog, Pam LeBlanc.  (She continues to write about her travel and fitness adventures at this link.)  In the year since that post came out, I have continued on my own journey.  Please click on through to read more!

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Pro Cyclist Lawson Craddock Looked Right at Me, Just Kept on Biking

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 4 Comments

True story:  Yesterday I was out for my morning walk near a downtown Austin, Texas cemetery, since I’m cat and housesitting.  I had on my Elmer Fudd hat that covers my ears and neck, headphones tuned to the classical radio station.  I was heading south and in the distance, I saw a flash of pink heading toward me.  It got bigger, and I recognized after watching the Tour de France:  it was Lawson Craddock.  He became famous due to getting a broken scapula on Stage 1 and fundraising almost $200,000 for the Houston Alkek Velodrome, where he trained as a youth.

Lawdog, as he’s known, wasn’t going too fast, but I didn’t have time to get out my camera or think of anything brilliant to say.  So I just said, “Hey, buddy!  It’s A Dude Abikes!”  Like a puppy dog quizzically cocking its head to the side when confused with something, he looked right at me.  A flash of recognition may have been there, or maybe not, since I’ve been posting notes on his Strava page.  The moment passed, and he kept on riding.  How can I not blog about that? Continue reading →

Some Thoughts on My Upcoming Interviews with Bicyclists in Austin, Texas

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 1 Comment

When Pam LeBlanc interviewed me for a profile in the Austin American-Statesman that was published on January 15, 2018, it set into motion a series of most fortunate events that are still bearing fruit.  When I first suggested the idea to her by email in late 2016, it fell flat.  I guess the 5,306 miles I bicycled in 2016 was not that impressive.  But I kept riding, and I kept writing this blog, albeit irregularly.   And I managed 4,714 miles in 2017.   So riding 10,000 miles in two years did catch her attention.

Then Pam, who is a total badass herself I hope to interview one day, expressed interest in putting me in her Fit City blog.  After that, her editor wanted to run the piece in the print edition of the newspaper with photos, I was happily surprised.  My persistence of pedaling and pontificating had paid off.  But the main thing I learned was that if my bicycling story was interesting to the mainstream newspaper of the 11th largest city in the United States (or at least the lifestyles editor), then other peoples’ stories would also have value.

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I Exercise and Write 24+ Hours Every Week: An A Dude Abikes Round-Up

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 6 Comments

Today in Austin, Texas, there was some rain, so it was a good day to relax and reflect.  This blog post is one of my occasional round-ups of thoughts and things about your sometimes somewhat humble blogger.  Although in 10 days we’ll be at the mid-point of 2018, and I’ll be taking a closer look at my data from the walking, writing (blog and book), yoga and of course, bicycling, I wanted to update faithful readers, family and friends of just what is up with A Dude Abikes. Continue reading →

ADAB Interview #1:  David Walker: If I Can Do It, So Can You! (Part 2)

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 12 Comments

If you haven’t already, please read Part 1 first. It is at this link: Engineering a Comeback from a Life-Altering Event.

“David Knows”

Lying on his back in Brackenridge Hospital in Austin, Texas in October 1981 after losing most of his right leg in a railroad accident, David Crittenden Walker was scared. Of dying. Of never walking again. Of the pain. About the look of worry on the faces of his family and friends. They were staying overnight with him for the first week. He was getting Demerol shots every four hours, and they were “wonderful,” he said, because it blocked the pain. But that last hour before the next shot was excruciating. He would get loopy, then pass out. Because it’s so addictive (think opioid crisis), he had to be weaned off it as soon as possible. He also started having some hallucinations which freaked him out. His brain had to make sense of his new reality. David was 17 years old, and all of a sudden, he only had one leg. How the fuck does anyone live with that? Continue reading →