A Dude Abikes has done it! I AVERAGED 100 MILES PER WEEK FOR A DECADE! I started tracking my miles on the Strava sports app on 12/19/2015, so I actually completed this monstrous achievement a few weeks early, on 11/28/25. This converts to 9 years, 49 weeks, and 2 days. It was all done on regular bicycles and trainer bikes under my own power (no e-bikes aka motor-cycles here!). My “epic velocimania” has reached its zenith, finally. What a lengthy, weird journey it has been!
After years of pedaling a person-powered bicycle, and complaining all that time about the physical difficulties of the same, I have relented. I got an electric bike. It’s April in Austin, and the weather is by turns, rainy, cool, hot, humid, or windy. But overall, it’s nice, and spring is in the air, perfect for hopping on a pedal-assisted machine and ambling about town on errands or just for a recreational ride. So has A Dude really gone to the dark side?
“Everybody’s “got something.” That’s the title that Good Morning America host Robin Roberts gave to her book about fighting then recovering from cancer–twice. I’ve mentioned–okay, complained–about the various things that my body’s got plenty of times. I guess this is another one of those times. Because despite the milestone of daily riding my bicycle, my mileage is miserable, my Strava stats simply suck, and this dude’s definitely dealing with downright dullness. But for some perspective, the moon and sun achieved totality in eclipse the other day here in Central Texas. It was pretty cloudy and anticlimatic especialy for all of those who plunked down thousands to come see it. This dude, and the Earth, spin on.
The day after my last post, I hit this milestone of 1,461 days of biking in a row*. That blog was a pretty good one if you missed it: 10/10/2023: What to Do Before a Big Bike Ride. It was prompted by my annual long ride, which I did the next day. The weather was cool and overcast with a little breeze and mist. Then it warmed and cleared up a bit; an almost perfect day for riding. I stuck to my favorite Southern Walnut Creek Trail again like last year’s ride, which was delayed a few weeks due to illness. Though the trail was not totally empty of the humans, it often felt that way. Because I had followed (most of) my own advice in the above post, it was a good ride, and I could have kept riding another 15-20 miles, but I stuck to my goal of 58. Naturally, I was kinda bushed, but I had managed it again for the eighth year. One small step for humans, one giant ride for moi.
Over the next few days I took it easy, and over a week later, I’m back to my usual around 15-20 miles a day. Four years every day is a pretty big deal, but it went by with no fanfare. By now, the daily riding is an habit. Unless illness, injury, or death happen, I figure I may as well keep the streak going. Especially since the media and sometimes people constantly remind me that I don’t match their ideal or preferred shape and body weight. Doing less over the summer plus stress added pounds. Slowing down, riding less, and doing other things more, especially making the filthy lucre needed to survive unafforable Austin, make sense. But as David Byrne and Talking Heads told us, “We’ve got to stop, stop making sense.” It sure seeems like there’s more senselessness out there in the real world, e.g. the US Congress and the MidEast.
So, news flash: Rome is burning (has it ever not been aflame?). Meanwhile, A Dude is biking, entering year five of this daily pedal, from one mile in the snow and ice or when sick, to 58. Every ride is the same, and it’s also different. A road less traveled, a new street taken for the first time, changing seasons, sights, sounds and smells. A pack of Volkswagen Beetles meeting up at the Top Notch Burgers passed me the other day; today I saw a dog with blue ski glasses on (the owner said it was to protect her eyes which just had drops put in them). The friend with the titanium freshly installed in his shoulder told me, “Every ride could be your last in Austin.” He’s got a newfound apprecation for life, thanks to the hit and run he survived with some scratches and a new collarbone. But he’s going to get back on the horse to bike to and from work soon as his doctor approves. Like the old Timex watch commercials, we “take a licking but keep on ticking.”
I finished the book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth recently. Even star athletes and others at the top of their game got their not by some mystical gift called talent. They found methods to do their best. We can do the same in our chosen (or even unchosen) arenas. They put in the work. They–and we–may also embody the notion: “Live every day like your hair is on fire.” It’s a quote that comes from several different Buddhist sources. Sounds painful. To simultaneously have urgency and equanimity seems difficult. (Especially if you don’t meditate regularly; I wish I could.) But if you have passion and perseverance, they will take you far. In some cases, literally. Like 4,000 miles this year for me.
Is that enough? I try to imagine not biking and cannot. Why would I quit? Trying to imagine it produces a different kind of emotion, something that would baffle me and at least feel like it hurt psychically, a subtle form of torture even. Not bike? It does not compute. Or is it too much? I’ve asked several doctors of late if they think I’m overexercising; none have said yes. Instead, they all encourage me to keep doing it. One may have said “If you get tired, ride less.” If I did’t exercise when I’m tired I would never do it. I do rest, just not enough, even though I try. Sometimes the body and brain simply require me to do lower mileage days, so I comply. “Ride less” seems logical to a point, but to this overweight an aging dude, mostly it sounds ridiculous. I recently read William Shatner’s book Leonard. Spock, as played by Leonard Nimoy, would not approve. It’s a conudrum to which he would say: “Fascinating!”
What are the positives of all this riding? Well, I’m so glad you asked! I’ll tell you. A daily ride takes the guesswork out of knowing if I’m exercising (on top of my daily walk and much longer streak of practicing yoga every day). My resting heart rate is lower than my age… and it’s been going down even more lately. That’s just one of the health benefits of exercise. There’s also: Vitamin D (when I am out in the sun–with hat and sunscreen), the feel good hormones, weight loss or at least maintenance, building muscles and lung capacity, being out in nature, seeing cool shit, meeting interesting people, being part of the community (what are called the social determinants of health), improved balance and coordination, increased brain stimulation, more self-confidence, having fun. The list certainly goes on.
Maybe my streak will end tomorrow. I would be pissed but probably also feel a little relieved. Besides, it has *not been verified by the Guiness Book of World Records (or anyone else, for that matter). But hey, check my Strava statistics. So I’ll do me, and you do you. Ride your damn bike, or not. Do whatever it is that you do to keep your mind and body somewhat healthy in this often very unhealthy world. As former folk singer and Unitarian Universalist minister Fred Small once sang, “We’re all just temporarily able-bodied.” Death comes as the end for us all. Let’s just hope it’s not today.
Take it from me: If the day ends in “y,” it’s a good day for a bike ride.
Copyright 2023 A Dude Abikes. All rights reserved. Shortlink to this post.
I’m not religious, but Halle-freakin’-Berry! Or lujah, or whatever. The record high heat has finally peaked in Central Texas. We had 80 days of 100 degrees or more this summer, and the average highs were higher than ever. Weather patterns mixed with global warming definitely made it a miserable time. The good news is that the triple-digit days are over for a while. Fortunately, this week we’ll be getting some much needed rain and sustained highs in the 80’s for the first time in four months. Weather is definitely a major factor that influences one’s bicycle-riding. Adn let me tell you there were a lot of nights full of sweat, suffering, and struggle. Nevertheless, your dude A Dude Abikes has somehow persisted to pedal.
Copyright 2023 Strava
September in Texas is still pretty hot. Avoiding the sun’s harmful UV rays is more important than ever. One thing that has helped me do that is going to the gym and using the indoor trainer aka stationary bike. I was required to change abodes (move) again, but at least I’m nearer to the gym for a little while. The trainer is boring as heck, like watching a drill making a tunnel, but the air conditioning, fans, and watching videos make it tolerable. There are no hills, just a knob to adjust the resistance, but also no trafffic or getting slowed down by riding sidewalks. Instead of my usual 10-11 mph, I’ll get to 13-14. I always feel like I’m cheating, except I know I’m not, because I sweat like a CEO at a Congressional hearing.
In July and August I rode 407 and 406 miles minus about 40 miles walking each. I did pretty well to make up for the hot months by totalling 596.9 miles in September (again, subtract 40 in walks). That’s a pretty substantial increase. Lower temperatures certainly helped, although I still do most of my riding at night, and it can still be in the 90’s “real feel” temperature counting the humidity.
Another help was the loss of some weight. I’d put on some pounds for several reasons: avoiding the heat meant less exercising and being inside with the air conditioning meant food was nearby. Food is fuel… except when it isn’t. Being a fathlete (fat athlete) is not easy; I do my best to make good dietary choices, but after over five years of that not accomplishing much, I have to remember that genetics, health challenges, and access to high-quality food, also make life challenging. Plus, I had the stress of finding new rental housing in Austin’s exorbitantly priced market and the moving, so stress eating does happen.
Luckily, peer pressure from the new housemate and a smaller place means less late-night cooking. I also have been watching a lot less television by not having a TV in my bedroom and have lost access to several streaming services. I’m still having a salad most nights, but often am not hungry for much else. These are all small, but good things–marginal gains–that hopefully will accrue into better habits and health. It’s not a linear progression, and just like you, I’m a work in progress.
Copyright 2023 Strava
Whether on a trainer or on the streets of Austin, the time and effort that my daily walking, yoga, and especially more bicycling takes is… a lot. I wrote complained about that in my previous post, When You Can’t Get Your Drug of Choice: Bicycling. In fact, in September I exercised for 92 hours, which is over two work weeks. The math is pretty clear: I really should simply quit cycling and get back to work full time. In 2016-17, the first two years of my biking and blogging and journey, I totalled to 10,000 miles on the bike. All but one of those months I was employed full time.
However, we humans are not always rational robotic machines, are we? Also, I suck at math. But there is one formula I’ve seen the last three months which I do fully understad: less exercise = more fat. My weight was up a lot, and after about 200 more miles, it’s back down by almost as much. So while I definitely need to get smarter about time management, I’m not ready to quit. My resting heart rate shot up due to stress, and now it’s down even lower than it was before. And by the way, I just saw my cardiologist and he approves.
In 2020, the first year of The Pandemic, my monthly average was about the same as last month: 550 miles. (Read all about that at A Devil of a Year: 6,666.66 Miles Bicycled…) I’m older now, but it’s nice to know can still throw down and ramp up if I need to. Hopefully, I can keep it up. (“That’s what she said,” according to one Mr. Michael Scott, a paper company manager in President Joe Biden’s hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
So, the first three quarters of 2023 are in the bag. October will bring my big annual ride and four years of consecutive daily cycling (not verified by Guiness–neither the Book of World Records nor the dark Irish stout). Autumn also has more rain and temperatures falling, and then we have the cold of winter. Milder than many sure, but Snowpocalpyse and ice storm power outages could return. If more trainer rides are forecast, so be it. I’ll continue to strive towards my goal of 5,309 miles. Don’t ask me why, that’s just the way it is. And hey, I’m doing my tiny part to reduce my carbon footprint.
How were your first three quarters of cycling or other activities? Feel free to share your thoughts below. Thanks for reading!
Copyright 2023 A Dude Abikes. All rights reserved. Shortlink to this post.
Five months of 2023 are gone with seven to go. One may wonder–quite reasonably–where has the time gone? What have they accomplished thus far, and what’s to come? The year is almost half gone, so what is there to show for it? Only you can answer for yourself (and only YOU can prevent forest fires). In my case, it’s the usual, which is more than nothing, but it’s less than I’d like. Reflection can be good up to point (not great if you’re a vampire looking into a mirror). Action is what propels us forward. Into what, though? The breach? Good trouble, or the other kind? We can hope for the former, be realistic, and remain vigilant that bad luck may find us despite our best efforts to avoid it. We humans try to keep reevaluating and chipping away at our goals. But sometimes will power isn’t enough. Spoiler alert: I don’t have all the answers, but I think it has something to do with doing your best.
Way back B.P. (Before Pandemic), I started riding my bicycle every day. Today marks three and a half years, or 42 months, or 182 weeks and five days, or 1,278 days in a row. Also, I’ve walked daily with very few misses and many extra miles in five plus years, and I’ve done yoga daily (moreso nightly) over nine years. I continue to reflect on that, and it’s time to review my Strava activity stats for January-March 2023. Let’s take a look.
It began October 19, 2019 for no particular reason. The thousandth day was yesterday, July 6, 2022. Why I did it is still a mystery. How isn’t that hard to explain. I just kept at it every day for a few months shy of three years. What does it all mean? I really have no clue. I just ride, man.
At the end of last’s month’s post, Blog Post #666: The Blog In Which I Announce My Retirement from Blogging*, was a little-noticed * aka asterisk. Only one astute reader followed that to the denouement and figured out the meaning in these words, hidden in plain view: “Respectfully submitted on 01.04.22*, ADAB.” That’s European formatting, day first, month second. That reader was the ever-sharp Half Fast Cycling Club (say it out loud — it’s a fun pun) up in Wisconsin. Not only has he (I’m deducing that’s his pronoun) ridden his bicycle across most of the US (and he’ll correct me in the comments if I’m wrong about that), he’s fixin’ to do it again — at almost 70 years of age. Oh yeah, to do the trip, he’s resigning his hospital job as a literal lifesaver of COVID patients (mostly the ignorant “I did my own research on Facebook” variety). So kudos to Half Fast, and to the rest of you (except if you are in other countries where this peculiar American prank day is not celebrated), I say this: APRIL FOOLS, suckahs! Strap in, it’s going to be a long post.
Welp, after almost two-thirds of 1,000 blog posts, it seems like a good time to take the pause that refreshes. Which the astute observer would have noticed that I’ve been sorta doing for the last couple of months already, anyway. Spring has sprung in Central Texas, so it’s a good time to examine where I’ve been, and where I’m going, not just with blogging, or biking, yoga-ing, walking, reading, fluting, etc., but life. A little metaphorical housecleaning, so to speak. (Actually clean house? Pshaw! That’s for suckers.) And who could begrudge a dude the chance to step back after six years and six hundreds of blogs? So forthwith, posthaste, and inmediatamente, let’s get skippy with it. (By the way, after this mention, this post will be Will Smith and slap-free. I’m Team Chris Rock all the way. Fuck you for ruining the Oscars, Little Willie. Get your face offa my TV and movie screens and go for some goddam anger management!)
A Dude Abikes 