Today I crossed over the 3000 mile mark for the year on the bike! That's about the distance across the US. It was 144 separate bike rides with a total elevation gain of 168,747 ft and an average speed of 17.8 mph (TrainingPeaks and Garmin Connect data). That's an increase of about 50% over last year, quite a jump, but I was also out with an injury for the early part of 2011.
The 3000 includes miles on the bike trainer, which I keep to a minimum just because for me the big enjoyment is getting outside and feeling the wind and the road.
As much as I enjoy numbers and milestones, what really matters is that we have safe and happy miles, no matter the number. On every outdoor ride, there is always at least one moment where I pause to think how fortunate I am to be able to cycle and to do most of it here in beautiful southwest Virginia.
