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End of the line

Old 12-12-13, 09:46 AM
  #51  
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tsl, do you think your buddies at BikeJournal CCC would allow me to "bend" their rules to fit my situation? I keep my car at work, and occasionally drive it home at night and back to work in the morning (until Feb, "occasionally" is "weekly", but generally it's monthly or less). Thus for me, a "commuting round-trip" is evening and morning, not morning and evening. I wouldn't want to get dinged two days for a single use of the car, so I would report a full commuting day if I rode home->work some morning, and rode work->home at the end of the previous workday. It's kind of like I "live" at the office (where I have a car), and "work" at home; or have a night-shift job with a whole lotta hours.
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Old 12-12-13, 09:48 AM
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Good job!
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Old 12-12-13, 09:48 AM
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Don't feel bad. All streaks come to an end. Now you have a target to shoot for. Your record is far better than mine.
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Old 12-12-13, 10:42 AM
  #54  
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Originally Posted by tsl
Yes. In that case it would count as multi-modal since there was some cycling involved.

On Tuesday night, there was not even an attempt at cycling--I never swung a leg over the saddle, never clipped-in--so it doesn't count.

Yes, I could have had my boss drop me a block from home, ridden the block and called it multi-modal. That would have been to the letter of the rules, but not in the spirit of them.

For reference, the rules I play by are those of the Commuter Cycling Century Challenge (CCCC) over on BikeJournal.com, where the goal is 100 commuting round trips in a year, with several other bonus recognitions for other achievements. Join us! I've been doing that challenge for seven years now, and did two years as the recording secretary.

And seriously, four inches of unplowed snow with road tires and close fitting fenders? What sort of ride would that have been? It was easier to carry the bike. Pushing it jammed up the tires in the fenders within a couple of revolutions.

Most importantly, what would that say about my integrity?

Certainly I could bend the rules to fit my numbers. Worse, no-one here or on the CCCC would have known about it at all had I not fessed up. Yes, I could lie.

See, integrity is something that's really important to me now. It matters to me even if it doesn't matter to anyone else. Time was when, without any thought at all, I would lie, cheat, or steal to get what I wanted. What many here don't know is that I'm a recovering alcoholic and crackhead. As of today, I have 4,924 days clean and sober (13 years and change).

One day at a time.

One slip and it all goes away.

I don't put nearly as much weight on cycling as I do my sobriety, although cycling goes a long way towards keeping my sanity, and thus my sobriety. I've always given myself permission to not ride the bike. I've just never done it. I don't give myself permission to pick up a drink, or have a bump. Or to lie, cheat, or steal.

And I don't take today for granted, let alone tomorrow.

Life for me is much better this way.
Great post, and I'm even more impressed by what you've accomplished. The integrity part -- consistently holding yourself to the highest standard -- makes total sense. I just registered on BikeJournal so I can join in on the CCCC.
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Old 12-12-13, 10:48 AM
  #55  
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Originally Posted by RubeRad
tsl, do you think your buddies at BikeJournal CCC would allow me to "bend" their rules to fit my situation?
Just curious, why would it matter? I assume you're commuting because you want to, so whatever's working for you should be fine. Why count or keep score? I've been 99% car free for 4-1/2 years, and happy with it. Sometimes I miss the car, sometimes I rent one for specific trips, and on days where I don't want to ride to or from work, for whatever reason, I take the bus. I don't worry about the 1% because I'm enjoying the 99% and as far as I'm concerned, that's what counts.

I really respect Tsl's streak, but I'd respect it equally if he had 5 streaks of 1/5th that length.
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Old 12-12-13, 11:02 AM
  #56  
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Originally Posted by FBinNY
Just curious, why would it matter? I assume you're commuting because you want to, so whatever's working for you should be fine. Why count or keep score? I've been 99% car free for 4-1/2 years, and happy with it. Sometimes I miss the car, sometimes I rent one for specific trips, and on days where I don't want to ride to or from work, for whatever reason, I take the bus. I don't worry about the 1% because I'm enjoying the 99% and as far as I'm concerned, that's what counts.

I really respect Tsl's streak, but I'd respect it equally if he had 5 streaks of 1/5th that length.
I think it matters because RubeRad wants to participate in the "game," and that means playing by the rules. It's also fine not to play if you don't enjoy the game, but many of us find having a goal and a community of accountability to help us reach that goal helpful and fun. I know I do. I've signed up for the bike journal and plan to join the commuter's century club for 2014. Should be fun and motivational!

I agree, by the way, that tsl's streak is admirable and that several smaller streaks would also have been admirable. I find 1756.5 rides out of 1757 just as impressive as 1757 out of 1757. But as much as I admire the streak, I admire tsl's integrity even more.
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Old 12-12-13, 11:02 AM
  #57  
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That's damn impressive. Good job!
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Old 12-12-13, 11:07 AM
  #58  
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Originally Posted by Giant Doofus
I think it matters because RubeRad wants to participate in the "game,".
Thanks for explaining. I wasn't aware of the game, and keeping score on stuff like this is foreign to me.
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Old 12-12-13, 11:08 AM
  #59  
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Originally Posted by RubeRad
tsl, do you think your buddies at BikeJournal CCC would allow me to "bend" their rules to fit my situation? I keep my car at work, and occasionally drive it home at night and back to work in the morning (until Feb, "occasionally" is "weekly", but generally it's monthly or less). Thus for me, a "commuting round-trip" is evening and morning, not morning and evening. I wouldn't want to get dinged two days for a single use of the car, so I would report a full commuting day if I rode home->work some morning, and rode work->home at the end of the previous workday. It's kind of like I "live" at the office (where I have a car), and "work" at home; or have a night-shift job with a whole lotta hours.
Yes, that works. We adjusted things for a fireman a couple of years ago who worked 48 on, 48 off.
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Old 12-12-13, 11:36 AM
  #60  
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Originally Posted by RubeRad
Well tsl, now you're even more of an inspiration. Thanks so much for your dedication, which results in not just all of your bike-commuting days, but who knows how many other bike-commuting days by people that have read your advice and encouragement.
Indeed, that's even more inspiring! Integrity and safety should win out over the record streak any day, you know who you're really competing with and don't need to justify anything to the rest of us. You've got way more integrity than the posers who trailier their motorcycles to places like Sturgis so they can stand around and talk about "living the biker lifestyle".
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Old 12-12-13, 12:19 PM
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Originally Posted by tsl
Yes. In that case it would count as multi-modal since there was some cycling involved.

On Tuesday night, there was not even an attempt at cycling--I never swung a leg over the saddle, never clipped-in--so it doesn't count.

Yes, I could have had my boss drop me a block from home, ridden the block and called it multi-modal. That would have been to the letter of the rules, but not in the spirit of them.

For reference, the rules I play by are those of the Commuter Cycling Century Challenge (CCCC) over on BikeJournal.com, where the goal is 100 commuting round trips in a year, with several other bonus recognitions for other achievements. Join us! I've been doing that challenge for seven years now, and did two years as the recording secretary.

And seriously, four inches of unplowed snow with road tires and close fitting fenders? What sort of ride would that have been? It was easier to carry the bike. Pushing it jammed up the tires in the fenders within a couple of revolutions.

Most importantly, what would that say about my integrity?

Certainly I could bend the rules to fit my numbers. Worse, no-one here or on the CCCC would have known about it at all had I not fessed up. Yes, I could lie.

See, integrity is something that's really important to me now. It matters to me even if it doesn't matter to anyone else. Time was when, without any thought at all, I would lie, cheat, or steal to get what I wanted. What many here don't know is that I'm a recovering alcoholic and crackhead. As of today, I have 4,924 days clean and sober (13 years and change).

One day at a time.

One slip and it all goes away.

I don't put nearly as much weight on cycling as I do my sobriety, although cycling goes a long way towards keeping my sanity, and thus my sobriety. I've always given myself permission to not ride the bike. I've just never done it. I don't give myself permission to pick up a drink, or have a bump. Or to lie, cheat, or steal.

And I don't take today for granted, let alone tomorrow.

Life for me is much better this way.
WOW! That was incredible!

I used to think that I liked you, TSL...

Now, I know that I do!

I respectfully salute you and wish you much continued success

Last edited by WestPablo; 12-13-13 at 06:04 AM.
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Old 12-12-13, 12:31 PM
  #62  
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Originally Posted by RubeRad
Thanks so much for your dedication, which results in not just all of your bike-commuting days, but who knows how many other bike-commuting days by people that have read your advice and encouragement.
You're welcome.

I've found I learn as much by failures as I do success. So I report both in case it works the same for others.

Not that I consider Tuesday night a failure. If anything, it's a sign that I do stupid stuff a lot less often lately.

I don't ride for the numbers, even though I keep track of things by number. I ride for the joy.

Coming home Tuesday night in the truck, it wasn't the number that gave me disappointment. It was looking at the road, seeing the lines I'd take and knowing I'd be all over that, and probably passing cars--if I'd had sense enough to ride the studded tire bike to work.

It was the joy that I missed.

It was all made right again riding to work the next day. And home again that night. Mashed potatoes, brown sugar, hardpack, grease, patches of ice, even some wet clear pavement. Man it was a nice ride.

EDIT: In case it didn't come across, my dedication is to the joy. Just an old guy on a bike having fun going back and forth to work.

Last edited by tsl; 12-12-13 at 12:45 PM.
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Old 12-12-13, 01:25 PM
  #63  
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Originally Posted by FBinNY
Just curious, why would it matter? I assume you're commuting because you want to, so whatever's working for you should be fine. Why count or keep score?.
Over the last few years while I was getting into biking I lived 25 miles from work, and a bike commute was a big event, way less than monthly. Then I moved, with the primary reason being desire to bike-commute, which I started full-time at the beginning of this year, with a personal goal of allowing myself only 10 non-bike days -- that would allow me leeway for a few exceptional circumstances, but not enough leeway to wuss out because of rain (very few anyways), and it would encourage me to be creative on some days (I ride to work, then ride to my wife's work, take her bike out of the van so she can ride home, put my bike in the van, go pick up the kids from school and drive them home). The ultimate goal is to become a single-car family.

ANYways, long story not quite as long as it could be, I started tracking my bike commuting manually in a spreadsheet, but that fell by the wayside, and I am not tracking my goal. The BikeJournal CCC offers a community and an element of fun (like here at BF) that would help me track my bike-commuting goals better.
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Old 12-12-13, 01:28 PM
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BTW, FWIW, when I roll up to the garage tonight I expect my CatEye MITY 8 odometer to read 4999. I know it doesn't mean a lot (the reality is already over 5K because of some trips without the computer), but numbers can just be fun sometimes. After dinner I want to roll around in the culdesac with the boys until I trip 5000. (Also because last night I overhauled one of my son's wheel bearings and brakes, and I want to get him on the bike to see whether can feel a difference)
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Old 12-12-13, 02:28 PM
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Originally Posted by [B
tsl[/B];16319474]One-thousand five-hundred ninety-six... and a half, if you count the ride to work. Just one week shy of seven-and-a-half years. Two-hundred five (and a half) for 2013.
That's a wonderful record tsl! Congratulations!

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Old 12-13-13, 12:15 AM
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TSL:
Congrats!

I grew up on Oneida lake, went to UB for 6 years, and lived in Rochester for 8 years.

Your streak would be impressive even if you drove a snow plow as your personal vehicle.
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Old 12-13-13, 03:20 PM
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Originally Posted by tsl
…I don't ride for the numbers, even though I keep track of things by number. I ride for the joy.

Coming home Tuesday night in the truck, it wasn't the number that gave me disappointment. It was looking at the road, seeing the lines I'd take and knowing I'd be all over that, and probably passing cars--if I'd had sense enough to ride the studded tire bike to work.

It was the joy that I missed
That bold-faced comment evoked a similar wistful memory for me. Last summer I had a serious bike accident, and for a few trips over several weeks while recovering I was shuttled by ambulance between two hospitals, along my favorite bike route. I too mentally rode the route, but in my case it was on beautiful summer days.

Originally Posted by tsl
…It was all made right again riding to work the next day. And home again that night. Mashed potatoes, brown sugar, hardpack, grease, patches of ice, even some wet clear pavement. Man it was a nice ride.

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
BTW, tsl recently posted this classic picture with comments. It makes me look forward to the Winter!

Originally Posted by tsl
Originally Posted by tsl
…EDIT: In case it didn't come across, my dedication is to the joy. Just an old guy on a bike having fun going back and forth to work.

Originally Posted by tsl
[From the personal narratives of the Second Annual Fifty-Plus Ride]…Miss Kenton also wins the "You're So Sweet" award for for saying to Yrs Trly last night, "You look so much more youthful than your avatar." And I couldn't even convince her it was my under-eye moisturizing cream.

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
…FYA, I said the same thing about him upon meeting Miss K, when she asked me who was here. Nonetheless, I’m sure her comment was as spontaneous as was mine…
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Old 12-13-13, 04:05 PM
  #68  
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Wanna see my AARP card?

Only 11 to 14 years to retirement, depending on if I go at 67 or 70.

I could fit a couple of 1596-day streaks in there.
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Old 12-13-13, 04:09 PM
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tsl, I'm a newcomer here but have really enjoyed your posts in the short time I've been here. Thanks.

--a fellow library lover who visits at least twice per week, and sometimes on my bicycle.
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Old 12-13-13, 04:13 PM
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Great run! it was only a year ago I did my first consecutive month. You have given me a new years resolution to commute car free for 2014.
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Old 12-13-13, 04:13 PM
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Awesome job!
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