spivonious

Hey, you still rode in. I'd think the streak continues.

And Rochester surprised by snow? That's a new one.

RubeRad

I say the streak lives on. YOU did not drive, nor did you cause any driving that wouldn't have happened anyways. It's no different than if you had hung on to the tailgate and coasted home.

Although I suppose that logic is defeated if your boss drove out of his way to take you home.

Still I get that you are relieved that The Streak is over (or how about let's call it "complete"?), and you don't need to be a slave to it.

I have a lifelong streak of never smoking anything at all; I'm somewhat interested pipe-smoking maybe, but I don't even want to give it one try 'because of the streak.'

Anyways, as others have said, congrats, you are the Cal Ripken of bike commuting. We should make a hall-of-fame stickie where you can establish your record and challenge anybody to top it. And if somebody from SoCal claims a higher number, they get an asterisk because they never dealt with weather.

FBinNY 

Too much emphasis on the streak. I'm not denigrating the achievement, but it would be just as good if the number were higher or lower.

Life is about how we live it, not about numbers in some sort of record book.

Let's be real, if someone rode 99% of the time in all weather conditions, are they any less of a committed bike commuter than Bruce?

the sci guy 

You sir, are a badass. Congrats.

As a native of Syracuse I know what it's like, and how awesome your accomplishment is.

gregjones

A record bound to last as long as Wilt's 100pt game!!

modernjess

Ok, you win. You are one bada$$ mofo. Congratulations.

no motor?

Nice!

One of the reasons I've never wanted a computer for my bike is to avoid keeping track of too many things that could get in the way of the enjoyment I get from just riding. I have no idea how many miles or just how fast I'm going at a given time, and don't have to worry about competing with myself or past accomplishments in some way. Now you get to enjoy some of that same feeling again.

When I first read the title I thought you were done riding for good - thank goodness that's not the case!

tsl

New count as of today: One.

tsl

Better throw out your calendar then, because that's how I count the days.

(In pencil.)

no motor?

That's how I measure it too. Most of the places I go are about the same distance, and I just count the trips during the week to see how I'm doing.

rms13

Cal Ripken was the first thing that came to my mind too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EP0jrCUoiSE

tsl

You know that Cal Ripken started out here with the Rochester Red Wings.

downwinded

I have figured out what tsl is up to here. With his dedication, he could wind up with the 1st AND 2nd place prize!!! Awesome and an inspiration.

tigerteeuwen

I have been playing with the idea of installing a cycling computer on my bike but flipping it over so i can't see my speed, just so i could keep total track of my mileage, is there such a beast?

tsl

Who says you have to mount it on the bars?

A friend of mine has his mounted under the seat of his recumbent.

tsl

Dang. He's on to my secret plan.

ThermionicScott 

How could you be sure it's working, then?

Giant Doofus

If you have a smartphone you can use mapmyride or a similar free app on your phone. Toss the phone in your pannier so you don't see any data til you are off the bike.

Jim from Boston

End of the line

Hi tsl,

I was bummed out when I read the title of this thread, but then became chagrined when I read the content. Sorry to hear about your "wrong" choice. As a year-round commuter in balmy Boston I consider you a guru of winter cycling. I'm particularly grateful to you, when as a new subscriber to Bike Forums, I read your post that absolutely convinced me to get studded tires. You commented that even in Rochester which knows how to handle winter roads, there always may be those isolated patches that can take you down, perhaps with serious injury.

Of course thanks also for your promotion of the Second Annual 50+ Ride in the Finger Lakes in 2010. IMO it was the best of the last four rides with which I'm familiar. I hope you may be able to make it to Boston for #6 .

Jim

WestPablo

+1

I agree with Tarwheel!

Sometimes things happen beyond your control. We're always supposed to place safety before any other commitment. I mean suppose your fork cracked over a pothole (God forbid)... Wouldn't that still count as a commute day, even though you either walked or was ported the rest of the way home?

* You're still a real trooper in my book, either way you cut it!

dcb23

Wow, congrats! Just saw this thread.

I passed the three year mark in October and I was actually thinking, how long could this go? Well..... I will see if I can come close to your achievement!

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.

dramiscram

I beat you, I'm at two, I took the van on tuesday, too much snow!

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.

BikeJournal looks fun -- I may join in 2014. Unfortunately, I've got weekly extracurricular coaching at my kids' school, for which I have to drive (to take three boys home in the dark), but that's over in Feb, and after that I should be able to rack up a lot of "perfect commuting weeks" and even some "perfect commuting months". (100 commuting days will be a cinch!)

Jim from Boston

Well said. When my wife and I were on our cross-country trip from LA to DC, we were offered a ride in a pick-up truck for the long climb out of the Colorado River Valley. We were in immediate agreement that we wanted to cycle across the county and live to tell about it.

While perhaps the pro cycling world has become legendary for its deceptions, I think us amateur but fervent cyclists are pretty honest. I wonder how we compare to duffers, and anglers with their fish stories.

Speaking of rules, slightly off-topic, I have been trying to find a definition for a USA Perimeter Ride. There is a Perimeter Cycling Association that keeps track of rides around geographic and political perimeters, but with no definition.

My personal definition is to stay within a specified distance of the US border, say about 50 miles, The only other definition I am aware of is the Motorcyclist’s definition, to go to each of the four towns closest to the four corners of the country. As soon as I win the lifetime lottery and the season of the year is right, I am off.