Just so you know...

5,000 miles isn’t really all that far.  I mean, yes, it’s a relatively big number, and there are a lot of regular cyclists who are out there on the road every Saturday morning and never get anywhere close to 5,000 miles in a year.  And 5,000 miles in a year also brings with it an implied average of about 100 miles a week, which can also be thought of as a relatively big number.  But there are people out there who ride 200 or 300 miles each week, which, of course would work out to around 10,000 to 15,000 mile over the course of a year.  And those aren’t professional riders either—I’m talking about recreational riders.  (Very serious recreational riders, but recreational nonetheless.) 

No, I don’t mean to imply with this blog that 5,000 miles a year is anything worthy of special, out-of-the-ordinary recognition.  But for a girl who just took up regular cycling last summer, I think it’s a noteworthy goal.  As a point of comparison, I like to ride as much as I can and I think the most I’ve ever ridden in a year is probably around 2,000 or 3,000 miles.  This is mainly because my riding is pretty much relegated to the weekends.  During the summer when we have more daylight I can sometimes ride during the week, but even then it’s iffy.  So to do 5,000 miles in a year means you have to be more than just a weekend rider.  To illustrate, while Brenda got in 533 miles last month, I only got in 284.  The difference?  It's those Tuesday & Thursday mornings.

And not only do you have to ride on more than just the weekends, you also have to get in some long-distance rides.  If you tried to do this doing just 20- or 25-mile rides, you’d have to do them 4 or 5 times a week, which becomes very impractical in an activity that is so dependent on good weather.  No, if you want to do this, and still be able to do other stuff too, it means that you have to get in your long rides—50 and 60 milers at least, and you’re even better off if you can get in a couple of centuries. 

So even though 5,000 miles in a year won’t win her any awards for amazing cycling accomplishments, it’s still going to be fun—and challenging—working to do it.  It’s always fun when you can set a personal goal that’s way beyond anything you’ve ever done before.  And she’s well on her way.  She had a very successful first month—thanks to some very terrific riding weather and a good group of people to ride with.  Let’s see where it goes from here!