Jiggle

25 miles, overcast, 30 degrees. It went pretty good. I would be comfortable at 20 degrees.

billnuke1 

Snuck in a 9 miler on the Canal before dark. 'bout 30*. 10* with wind chill. Newly acquired Miyata 1000LT. New first hook bike! Awesome!

milkbaby

63 windy miles today, 42 of them with riding buddies, 45 minute coffee break, 2 1/2 hour beer stop, the 12 miles riding home after beer seemed slower than usual...

chinkroadrunner

35 miles this afternoon. A cool 34 degrees, cloudy and some wind.

Doohickie

My last ride of 2014 started out as a ride to the pharmacy to pick up my wife's hormone cream. It wasn't quite done yet when I got there, so I had to wait.


At the pharmacy by doohickie@ymail.com, on Flickr

On the way home I passed one of my favorite murals


Super Course by doohickie@ymail.com, on Flickr

I have no idea what's going on here


Trippy mural by doohickie@ymail.com, on Flickr

Then my wife texted me and asked me to pick up some cat food so I had to stop at the supermarket.


Stop to get some cat food by doohickie@ymail.com, on Flickr

Just under 9 miles. That was my last ride of the year.


Last Ride of 2014 by doohickie@ymail.com, on Flickr

Oh? You want to see the cat? Okay.


George by doohickie@ymail.com, on Flickr

StephenH

I did the inaugural ride of my "Crybaby Hill" perm today. A friend rode with me, had to DNF halfway through due to a case of severe chain suck in the front. It was cold all day, so not as much fun as would be expected. I tacked on a ride to the bike store to make my monthly mileage.

spoiledrotten

The little wife and I went for a personal record for us. We went to the Longleaf Trace (rails to trails) and did 40.24 miles. I know it's still not much for many of you, but it was a really good workout for us. It was about 42* with wind at our back for the first 20 miles and, of course, to our face coming back to the Jeep. I also got to try out my new camera. I took over 600 pics and a few vids. Here are a few pics from the ride:

RODE 40.24 MI ON 12/30/14

DISTANCE
40.24mi
DURATION
3:35:09
AVG SPEED
11.2 mph
KCAL
2698

Campag4life

My second to last ride of '14 was most memorable. About 30 miles total. Out early because of company visiting for the holiday. First I caught the wheel of a friend I hadn't seen in a while who was riding his mtb. We rode together for a pretty good while and he told me he is moving out of the country and I will miss him. Then the larger group ride came by flying and we caught up to them at the rest spot and chatted. I hadn't ridden with this group since I got dropped a couple of weeks ago when a couple of racers had permeated the group for the winter and I didn't feel like riding above my FTP for an hour. Other ordinary riders in the group got dropped as well. But they weren't there and so the ride was a bit more normal pace at 20-23 mph which I can sustain and so I said goodbye to my friend and rode with them the last half as he couldn't keep pace on his mtb.

During the ride I had an interesting encounter. An ex-racer who was stopped by the road waiting to catch up with the ride who took a short cut because he was injured. This basically is a reminder to how important our health is and how it can change. This guy was one of the fastest sprinters in the area in his day. He could outsprint everybody...a stocky big watt guy. His back got ripped up playing golf and he is now reduced to being average or how I ride. No flexibility after back surgery...still has pain and can't put down the big power he once could and has lost fitness and endurance because of lack of riding. So it was an interesting conversation and tough for him to deal with. He obviously wants to be out there riding with his friends and why he was there...a ride he used to dominate but it is hard for him to even keep pace now.

Best to everybody in '15...

kbarch

Great new year's story - thanks for sharing. Best to you as well!

OldTryGuy

Turned in early last night only to wake up shortly after 11PM. Put the lights on my grocery grabber then hit the road at 2345 and finished up at 0015. A wonderful half hour of pedaling slowly listening to some nice music and watching a bunch of private fireworks going off. First time in my life I was on a bike pedaling in the New Year. Back out at 0800 for the first real ride of 2015 for 71 miles.

Zuzus pedals

Just like the previous day, the outside portion on the 31st was to the store and back (6.2 miles). 19 degrees and 13 mph wind made the toes cold. Then on the trainer for 67 more minutes. Also hopped back on the trainer at 2 minutes before midnight and brought in the new year with a 4-minute "ride."

PedalHard2014

Am really enjoying reading about the may different rides everybody went on to close out 2014. I'm jealous of those rail trails!

My last ride of 2014 was my biggest yet! And a little crazy.

I rode a bike as a kid, but not so much as an adult due to being very heavy. I recently lost a lot of weight in the past several years, so things like a century ride have long been on my bucket list.

On Christmas Day, I set out to do a 106 mile bike ride from my house outside Charleston to the Georgia state line. The most direct routes are very heavy on traffic, so I set out to go the back roads. After getting lost a few times and being run off somebody's private property (Google doesn't specify if roads are public or private) I wound up going 116 miles.



So due to getting lost and tapping out a couple times and needing to rest, it took me 15 hours. I know there are people in this forum that could probably ride 300 miles in 15 hours. But I am new at this. I just kept resting and eating. I've only done one other century, a 100-miler that took me 12 hours. I've only been cycling long distances since October. I am learning.

I absolutely loved all the small towns in SC that were decorated for Christmas. It was just so much fun. And when I crossed the bridge over the Savannah River into Georgia in the dark, it was the greatest feeling ever. I've never been more tired in my life.

These long rides are such an adventure to me. Cycling really has become great pleasure for me. Here's the video from the end, shot by my girlfriend, who met me at the end and picked me up. At any rate, thanks for reading and I'm open to any tips, tricks or feedback for my next ride. Thanks!

Alias530

62 miles/3,000ft in 25-30mph winds that changed directions and was literally headwinds for most of both directions and the coldest day of the year since last January. Misery. Dedicated to hitting my mileage goal.

K.Katso

Maybe some new cycling-specific apparel would make it easier. Did you really ride the whole way in sweat pants, tennis shoes, and (what appears to be) no helmet?

Nice job though, congrats on the personal achievement.

PedalHard2014

Thanks! Even though it is kind of hard to tell in the video, I had a bike helmet on with a hood pulled up over it. I had padded bike shorts on underneath the sweat pants, which I wore because it was freezing outside.

The running shoes and platform pedals are just a personal preference. I have clipless pedals and shoes, just can't get used to them, even though intellectually I know they're better.

7oakacres

42 mile Tour De Bass in Springfield MO. Kinda chilly first thing in the morning but it warmed up farther into the ride but it was a great ride!!

tarwheel 

I had a great last ride of 2014, one of the few sunny days lately. Met some friends and we ride to another town on new greenways, found a small diner and ate brunch. Rode home on some different greenways, finishing with 51.4 miles and my highest annual mileage to date.

Nachoman

[IMG][/IMG]
Hill repeats, at the tip of Point Loma.

bicyclelove

My last ride yesterday was just to the bank and back 1.4 miles but it was cold and windy. 9 degrees F with 20MPH wind. Still, I had to put in that one last ride of 2014.