.... in June, my first month road biking for fun and fitness. I know that's wimpy compared to many (most?) of you madmen, but for me it represents a consistent effort to ride again as soon as my schedule and body would let me. That meant every 2nd or 3rd day. I rarely rode consecutive days.

I was hoping for 400 miles, but we are in a heat wave (95 today) that has stymied my plan to bang it hard these last few days. I did do a nice hilly evening 20-miler today.

Included in the 358 are lots of 25-30's and a 50 and a 62. I have battled some knee issues- mostly an injury from a backpacking trip last fall- but I decided to power through and, knock on wood, it seems to be working.

I've come to relish climbs, and looking back on a ride, I remember the climbs as FUN! At the time, not so much <grin>. But afterwards they are what I remember.

My AO is rural and hilly, and my average speed, while increasing, is only around 14 mph. Working on that.

My bike is an '08 Specialized Sequoia Elite I bought used in late May, with 105 deraileurs and a mix of other middle-of-the-road stuff. I like it. It suits what I'm doing. It's a smooth, comfortable ride. That said, I'm a total noob as far as modern bikes, so I don't know, maybe they all ride smooth and comfortable now.

Very much enjoying the sport, and the aerobic fitness component is undeniable. I FEEL it. I've kept in decent shape, but at age 48, it's been time to find low-impact ways to get the oxygen system working, and it helps that it's fun too. I am hoping that come ski season and hunting season, all this will pay off in greatly-increased aerobic capacity while hiking, if nothing else. (I do wonder if I'm creating muscle imbalances that will show up on my first elk hunting death march this fall!)...

Anyway, just wanted to offer up a "hurrah!" for the sport in general.