TransAmerica Bicycle Trail

OK, I’ve been gone for quite some time due to personal, and boring, reasons. I’d share it all but it really has nothing to do with bicycles or TransAmerica. Besides, everyone who knows me knows what’s been going on and anyone who doesn’t could probably care less. Don’t worry. It wasn’t prison or anything like that.

The whole time I’ve been away from the blogging world I have been keeping the odometer running on the old bike. My average mileage is way down but I have managed to put in 857.7 miles since the last reading.

Nothing much exciting to report for those miles; several broke spokes, several flats, a new front wheel… you know, stuff like that.

Thanks for following along.

Total Miles: 2987.2

Wow! One more round trip to work and I’ll be over 3000!

Yup, I didn’t even move the bicycle for 10 days. I had Jims P/U and didn’t want to leave it at work. And, you know me I couldn’t just go for a ride at lunch time or something. I know, excuses excuses.

The positive thing is though… By the end of the 10 days, yesterday, I was really getting tired of driving and although it would have been easier to just keep the P/U one more day I went out of my way to get it back to his house.

It’s good to get back on the bike. Early on I feared taking days off because I thought I’d just quit. Now it doesn’t bother me because it’s really obvious to me that I’d rather ride than drive, even in bad weather. I think that  means I’m over a pritty big hurdle.

Miles since last update: 80.8

Total TransAmerica Training Miles: 2129.5

For those of you who follow this blog you know what that flash was. And, yes it did happen. I now have the body of Lance Armstrong with a beard. I don’t know why nobody else can see it, but it’s there. It must be some sort of bicycle magic intended to get me used to it before everyone else can see it. Maybe everyone else gets to see it when I pass 3000 miles. Ya, I’m sure that’s what it is.

Anyway, It happened .3 miles past Springfield Buick on N. A Street in Springfield Oregon. I stoppped in there for some business and just after I left, FLASH, I past 2000 miles since I started riding to get in shape for the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail.

Mileage Catch-up:

Since last miles posted 153.3

Total Miles: 2048.7

It was a 28.7 mile round tripfrom my front door. Two things make that significant. 1) That is the longest uninterupted ride I have done. I have done more in one day but it has always come with a long break in the middle. 2) I didn’t have to do it. As everyone knows I usually wont ride unless I have somewhere to go. In this case I just decided I need to get in some miles. When I got to Jasper I decided that was to easy so I went on to Lowell.

Up Hill Both Ways:

I figured the ride back was going to be easy since it was up hill all the way there. Wrong. I have no idea how the road engineers did it but I’m pritty sure it was up hill both ways.

Well, the “Name My Lizard” contest has been canceled. It seems the lizard has struck out on his own. I don’t know if he felt like I was smothering him, trying to take away his freedom or he just didn’t want to get attached but he took to opportunity, while I wasn’t looking, to jump off somewhere between Franklin Blvd. and work. When I got to work and looked down he was gone. I hope he didn’t feel I was being to pushy by trying to label him with a permanent name.

Oh well. I wish him a safe journey. If you see him tell him I said, “Hi”. I’m glad I got the photo I posted before we went separate ways.

BTW, my miles since last accounting are 39.3 for a total of 1895.4 miles