.... 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.