2006 bicycle mileage

I made it! I was able to ride six miles today to reach my goal of 2760 miles this year. Why this number? In 1993 I had ridden 2757 miles and since I was so close to that total the past few weeks I wanted to beat it.

I know... silly, pointless, etc. But it is nice to have a goal no matter how small or - in the larger scheme of things - meaningless. The act of striving for a goal sometimes is more important than the goal itself.

To reach my yearly total I rode 310 miles this December. This is my second highest total for December. The only time I rode more in December was when I was Australia and riding from Melbourne to Sydney. It is easy to ride almost 600 miles when riding in summer weather.

The road department made reaching the goal easier today. They plowed the snow off the highway and its shoulders. It was far easier to ride not having to push through the snow. Of course it wasn't perfect as parts of the shoulder had a thin layer of pressed snow. It wasn't near as slippery to ride on as ice but still I had to pay attention as I knew a sudden movement could cause my front tire to slip out from under the bicycle.

Riding on the slippery snow was a little more difficult because of the wind. It was from the west at 17 mph. Normally that wouldn't be a problem but as one leans into the wind to stay upright while riding, leaning further reduces the margin of error that prevents the tire from slipping.

But, no problems and no spills.

I was near my turn-around point when a man in a newer pickup stopped ahead of me on the highway. When I reached the pickup he rolled down the passenger window and asked if I needed a ride.

"No, I am just out for a little exercise. Thanks anyway."

I think I may have jinxed it today by writing on my blog yesterday about there being no wind recently in North Dakota. The temperature was 19 F but the wind had a bite and made it feel colder. I was happy I only had six miles to ride to reach my goal.
Now break out the champagne and "Happy New Year!"