The New Year – A Good Beginning
Posted by Pit on Sunday, January 1, 2012
After I had not been on the bicycle since Oct. 30 last year, having missed my goal of 3,560 kilometers [an average of 10 kilometers per day], or 2,268 miles, by far [I only managed, for a variety of reasons, 2,194 kilometers or 1,363 miles], I started this year quite nicely, with a 23-mile ride [at an average of 14.4 mph] out of Normanna/TX with the Beeville Stingers bicycle club. It was a gorgeous afternoon [they start their Sunday group rides at 3 p.m. - at least in the winter season, when it gets dark early - which suits me very well as I'm not a morning person], with bright sunshine from a cloudless blue sky and temps in the lower sixties still. It was a tad breezy, with winds of around 15 mph from the north, but that was not too bad, especially as our ride took us out towards the east and then looped back, so that we had the wind from the side for most of the time. The roads were good – a tad more hilly than I had expected in southern Texas. But fortunately the climbs of up to 8% were short. The total ascent was 1019 ft. Now let’s hope that 2012 continues in this vein and that I’ll be able to meet my goals this time or do better even.
Check the ride out here: RideWithGPS, Normanna(2)
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- Let the riding. . .and writing begin! (chasingthemiles.wordpress.com)
donbynum said
That first ride each year is a real “upper”, even a short one.
I too missed all of November and most of December’s cycling. But, I had a pretty good year. The Catrike hauled me 3,078 miles in 2011, up from about 1,450 in 2010. I have set a goal of 4,000 miles for 2012. 3-4 fellow geezers are getting together for a ride out to the Fall Creek Vineyards tomorrow afternoon, which should be only about 22-25 miles round trip, unless we divert and go down through Paradiose point on the outbound or return leg, then it will be closer to 30 miles, maybe a little over that.
Pit said
Hi Don,
But an equally worthy one, I’d say. Btw, I mentioned one of their wines in my Texas Expat’s Blog: http://tinyurl.com/6lk39sy
good luck with your plans for 2012. I can’t be that ambitious, though, and I’ll be happy if I can do the 3,650 K this year. What my wife and me are planning, bicycling-wise, is a road trip maybe even up to Wusconsin, taking our bicycles, and on the way do some rail trails. One of our long-time aims is, btw, to do at least 10 miles in each of the lower 48 states.
Re Fall Creek Vineyards: that’s a place I have passed by on my bicycle a fews times and want to visit for a different reason than bicycling.
Safe bicycling,
Pit
four blue hills photo blog said
Ok, I’m feeling a bit lazy. I’m lucky if I get 5 miles a month! Last summer none because I made the mistake of letting my niece use MY bike when hers broke for whatever reason, now I need a new bike cuz she broke mine.
That is amazing, that many miles in a year! WOW! I am going to have to try to work my way up there. Here I thought I was doing good! 
Buttwiser Ride « Pit's Bicycle Blog said
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