WOODBRIDGE, VIRGINIA
My local cycling club, Potomac Pedalers Touring Club, has an award, which may be tongue in cheek, but it is called the Iron Crotch Award. This recognition goes to anyone who rides 5,000 miles in a year. And I qualified.
To qualify, I had to submit a simple questionnaire.
- TOTAL MILES: 5,102
- LONGEST RIDE – Civil War Century, with some extra back tracking — 104.2
- % MILES COMMUTING — 11.4% – It’s 40+ miles one way and I rode 14 segments plus bonus miles
- % MILES PPTC RIDES — 9.2% on 9 rides including one which I led
- Date on which 5,000 was achieved – November 27 on Oysterburg Road, Oley, Pa., the longest and steepest hill on the LIVESTRONG Philly route. Just me on that bitter November day coming back to make a statement that I won’t be stopped by cancer.
- Most miles in a Month — 841 (June)
- Most miles in a week — 300 – in France, during the Tour de France
- Number of Zero mile weeks – Eight
- Number of 100 mile days – Five
- Most interesting story – Tie — On August 7 I was biking 80 miles from Somerset, Pa. to Punxsutawney, Pa. About 30 miles from my destination I came upon two angry Rottweilers who decided to attack me. I dismounted and was trying to hold them at bay when they were suddenly counter-attacked by a five pound Yorkshire Terrier. The Yorkie came out of nowhere and attacked them to protect me. She quickly fled, unharmed, and when other people arrived, they did too.
- On August 20, I was riding in North Conway, NH, when I was approached by two guys wearing full Garmin kits. I had to do a double take to see that they weren’t club riders imitating Tyler Farrar. I instantly knew they were real Garmin riders from their U23 team. And they asked me if they could jump in. And let me pull for five miles.
Maybe the worst thing about riding far in one year is the desire to surpass that the next. It’s going to be tough. I tried to recreate 2009 with Garmin and log entries and it appears that I rode 2,100 miles the year before. So double mileage in one year. Not too shabby, I’d say.
Barry: When you are phamous do remember us little people that you left in the dust of our successful life. We are not upset much because we know you sometimes remember stepping on our backs as you clawed your way to the top. Oh, Happy New Year from us to yous guys.