Dereliction of duties

I need to apologize for my lack of posts over the last couple of weeks.  It seems that With the move and then the trip back to Michigan, there has been little of note for me to write about in terms of the target content of this blog.  I have been doing very little over the last 2 weeks of note in terms of weight loss and fitness.  I haven't ridden my bike, I haven't had weight loss, I am basically stagnant.

My weight, as of Saturday, is 402 lbs.  I realize that is up a pound from my last reading but there are likely contributing factors, including a bit too much salt on restaurant food the day before (those sweet potato fries at Red Robin are great).  I realized this morning that my excuses are just that - excuses.  I will get my butt back on my bike and moving forward both literally and figuratively in terms  of fitness and weight loss.

There is an upcoming ride - the 2016 Honor Ride, that I am thinking about doing and I talked to my grandson before he left for the summer and he said he might like to do it as well.  this ride is scheduled for Saturday November 12 - Veteran's Day weekend.  There are 3 options 20, 40 and 60 mile routes and I am planning on the 20 mile route.  That means I have 2 1/2 months to get my butt in better shape to get out there and do the ride.  I could likely suffer through the 20 miles at the moment but I want to enjoy the ride so I need to get in much better cycling shape.

My riding partner will be home tomorrow and I think we can get ourselves into shape for the ride in the time we have.

Weeks 21 and 22

I realized this morning that with the holiday and the busy week last week, I had forgotten to post an update.  So this weeks covers the last 2 weeks.  Not that there is much to say.  Last week's weight was 409, a 1 lb. loss from the week before.  Not much but still movement in  the right direction. I am happy with that. This week I'm at 407, which is another 2 lbs. gone bringing my total so far to 51. At my current rate I don't think I will hit my 80 lbs. lost 4 weeks from now.  I'm OK with that, though.

I realize this is a lifestyle change and not just a temporary diet.  As such, I am just making sure I am making the right choices each and every day.  the next few weeks are getting crazier as well.  We are packing and moving and then have a trip back to Michigan for a reception and to see family.  All that makes making the right choices important.  As long as I keep on track and don't go off the rails, eating those things I know aren't good, I will be fine.  I'm not going to obsess over the number on the scale.

I'm also hoping the new location will be conducive to more riding as the streets are quieter and a bit fatter than around the current location.  It is amazing what a difference a couple of miles distance will make.

Week 18 Update

My weight seems to be holding steady at the moment.  The scale said 415 again yesterday.  That motivated me to get my butt out of bed this morning and go for a ride.  It wasn't very far or very long at just 3.5 miles in just under 18 minutes, but it was a ride and got me moving more than I have been. I felt pretty good out there.

As for my eating, it hasn't been horrible, I've been staying away from the sugars and the grains and flour, etc. but I have been over my target number of daily calories.  I am going to be much more vigilant this week and that combined with riding every day should reap some results and get my weight once again moving in the right direction. I need to get serious if I'm going to hitmy goal of 378 in a mere 8 weeks from now.

Week 16 Update

I'm late this week but that's because of lots to do and so little time.  The good news is that this morning the scale was in a good mood as it showed 415 lbs.  Heading back in the correct direction but I have ground to make up to hit my goal my August 7th. Being very careful with my food has done the trick.  Looking ahead, though, next week might be a challenge in that I am traveling this weekend and it is a challenge to eat well while doing so, but I plan on it.

Things should calm down at home after this weekend as we are taking 3 of the four grandchildren to Michigan for the summer.  It will be quiet at home and I will be able to get back into a routine.  My riding has been non-existent for the last few weeks and the temps are topping out with daytime high in the triple digits so its time to get back to getting up early and enjoying the cool mornings.

Week 13...Progress and Results

So, I am now 13 weeks into my personal challenge and also we've made it through the 10 weeks of the Biggest Winner competition which is part of the Las Vegas Corporate Challenge.  I certainly had hoped that I could report more progress, but some was made.  OK, I did lose 25 lbs. for the Biggest Winner competition.  According to their scale, I weighed in at 438 lbs. and weighed out at 413 lbs.  I am happy with that, but one of my teammates left me in the dust losing an impressive 41 lbs. over the competition - Well Done Glen!!!!

I would like to believe the scale as accurate, but my weight loss is measured against my personal scale at the house.  When I got home, I weighed myself and it showed 416 lbs.  I'll take it.  that means at the halfway point of my personal 6 month challenge I have lost 42 lbs.  Now I just need to follow through and keep losing more weight.  In the past, once the competition has ended I've reverted to bad eating habits.  I won't allow myself to do that any more.

On the cycling front, 9 days into the National Bike Challenge I have gotten in 9 rides.  Last night's was a late ride.  I realized at 9:00 pm that I had yet to ride, so I changed and headed out for a short ride.  Now, I will be honest here and admit that all of my rides have been short so far, but the important thing is that I am riding.  

Week 12

So, another week has come and gone and I was hoping to report that I have lost all of the pounds gained last week and while that is not true, I have lost 1 lb.  I'm a bit perplexed as to the reason for this as my eating hasn't changed significantly from my successful routine of the initial 10 weeks of this journey.  All I can figure is that I've reached a plateau and I need to work through things and stay the course.  I know that changes will come.  The only disappointing thing is that Monday is the final weigh in for the Biggest Winner challenge and I feel bad that I am not performing better for my teammates.

On a positive note, I have gotten in a couple of short rides over the last 2 days for the National Bike Challenge.  I am very happy that I am out and riding.  Now I need to get into a steady routine and increase my daily mileage.  there is a bit of frustration associated with the challenge as they are having big issues reporting the data they are collecting for the challenge.  The post on the site yesterday says it may take up to 3 weeks for them to fix all of the issues.  Seems like a long time to me.  The good news is, though, it has given me the small boost I needed to get my butt on the bike.

My goal is to stay hyper-focused this week and see if I can't make a decent number on the scale for the weigh in on Monday.  I know putting some time in on the bike will certainly help in that regard.

Starting is the hardest part

Finally got my butt back on the bike today and 3 things were immediately obvious to me:

1.  Not riding a bike for 8 months greatly reduces one's capacity to participate in this activity.

2.  There are no flat roads in my neighborhood.

3.  Riding my bike is fun and I need to do more of it.

Now the first point was actually something I knew intellectually.  It was the wheezing, lung burning, struggle to move that brought the true reality of this statement home.  I survived the ride but it was more work than it should have been.

The second point I sort of knew from driving through the area, but when experienced from the seat of a bike it is much more readily apparent.  Now Strava and Garmin say I only experienced 71 and 72 feet of elevation gain respectively over the ride, but it certainly felt like a whole lot more!

The last point is one I know and one I am reminded of every time I swing my leg over the bike and propel myself along.  I've said it before and I will certainly say it again - I would rather bike 5 times a distance than walk any day.

One other thing I noted on the ride, as I was huffing and puffing my way uphill on Gowan, was that there are other cyclists in the area.  I call them cyclists because they were decked out in matching jersey and riding not inexpensive bikes.  2 of the 3 riders, however were just.  Not a 'hello' or 'on you left' as they rode by me.  Sure I was on my hybrid, in jersey shorts and a t-shirt and I even went heltmetless, but I said hi to them between gasps as they passed.

Anyway this was my first ride of many to come and I enjoyed it.

Caution is the word of the day.

I have to say that the current rash of cycling accidents has given me pause.  I have been working on riding more consistently but I'm rethinking routes and timing again.  This is after multiple crashes here in the valley just last week.  By my count 3 cyclists were killed and 2 or 3 others seriously injured in less than a week.  and those are just the ones that made the news.

One of those injured was my next door neighbor who was riding his bike about a half mile from the house. I don't have all the details but it appears the car shot across a busy street right in front of him and he hit her car.  He spent a few day in the hospital with a concussion and is fortunately expected to make a full recovery.

All of these crashes once again have me thinking about the safety of riding on the roads in this area.  unfortunately there are not protected bike paths anywhere near my house. I know that if I had a nice path near the house I would definitely be inclined to bike more often as it would feel safer. I am hoping there will be more paths in the area to which we will be moving by the end of summer.

One of the contributing factors that make me less apt to ride with traffic are the speed limits around here. One of the roads I frequent, in fact the one on which my neighbor was hit, has a speed limit of 45 mph.  That means the cars are typically doing 55 to 60 mph.  This just isn't safe with the number of side streets into various subdivisions.  Everyone is in such a hurry and there are multiple crashes on this road each month.

So, my concerns with safety and my trip out of state have curtailed my recent riding adventures.  Next week it may be the heat keeping me to shorter rides as we are heading close to 110 by Monday and staying in the 100+ range for the foreseeable future.  I do want to and plan to ride, but I am being extra cognizant of what is happening all around me.

I still say Get on your bikes and ride, but do it safely!

The wonders of technology

Technology is a wonderful thing. We have so many devices around us that work, essentially, flawlessly that we take them for granted.  Case in point. I have a Garmin Forerunner 305 that I purchased when I was training for my first ever triathlon back in 2010.  It is almost 5 years old at this point. Except for the one or two times I've screwed up hitting buttons incorrectly, it has performed essentially flawlessly for me.

It dutifully records my time, distance and actual track that I take when I do my rides.  I can then, through the wonders of that same technology we take for granted, upload and share that information with the world through sites like Daily Mile, Map My Ride and Strava.  I can also participate in a monumental group ride of sorts like the National Bike Challenge.

Now, like I said, this is something that we take for granted.  I put my Garmin in the cradle, plug it into my computer and magically it uploads the data for me.

This morning it has let me down.  I uploaded the data from my ride and while it does show the time and distance of my ride, that real wonder, the actual track of the ride is blank. No matter what I do it appears that the track file on the device has been corrupted and therefore is unusable for any of the applications that I link it with.

Now, I never believe that something isn't going to work the first time it doesn't.  I've tried deleting and re-importing the data from the device but to no avail.  I've tried loading it directly to various sites, including Garmin Connect, but again no luck.

This leaves me with what feels like an emptiness, a hole in my training.  Up to this point I had this nice, what I felt was essentially complete record of my rides and now it feels like its ruined.

OK, its not that bad.  When put in perspective it means nothing that I don't have the actual track I rode for a training ride around essentially the same course that I've ridden hundreds of time previously.

I do hope that this is but a singular glitch and will reset and clear out the Garmin in preparation for my next ride.

Get on your bike and ride!!!!

Rolling right along

Got up at 4:00 am again this morning to get in another ride before work. It was ride number 11 for the National Bike challenge.  I've not gotten in as many rides as I had hoped so far this year, but I have increased the average distance of the rides.  So far this year my average is right at 5 miles per ride.  Not bad and not good.

Well, this morning's ride was challenging as the winds were out of the southwest at 17 gusting to 28 mph.  The direction meant that as I was going up the slight uphill I was not only fighting gravity but the wind too. I'm guessing based on my perceived effort that it cost me about 1 mph on the uphill. Of course you would hope that would mean an increase on the downhill, but it was more of a cross wind and blocked by houses and a wall. Here's the map from strava:

This morning's ride was also challenging due to an idiot in his little white car.  On my first lap, at the end of the block, on the short street (Mercer see the little bump in the lower left on the map above), I noticed a car in the driveway of a house with a woman leaning in through the open passenger door.  The car was running with the lights on.  No big deal.

After I made the 2 turns and headed up Quarterhorse towards Pebble, I heard an engine racing and the whit car came flying by doing about 60 in the 35 mph zone.  He passed me with a good bit of room so it was no big deal.  he got to the stop sign and merely slow as he took the corner.  When I finally made the corner and looked he was already approaching Durango (about 3/4 of a mile away) with his right signal on.  He must have been flying down Pebble which has a 45 mph speed limit.  I thought little more about it as I made my way around the rest of my loop.

As I got to the end of the block again, I saw the woman standing in the street looking away from me in the direction the car had traveled.  As I didn't want to startle her, I moved towards the center of the street. As I was passing her, I heard an engine and saw headlights turning onto Westchester and come flying around the corner.  I moved to the left side of the street, next to the parked cars and the car passed about a foot to my right.  He probably wasn't even paying attention to what was in front of him. I'm glad I was defensive and had moved to the right or he would have run me down.

I shouted that people shouldn't drive if they were idiots, or something to that effect and kept going on my way.  I had thought about stopping and letting the driver know just what an idiot he was, but figured he was likely drunk, it seeming like they were coming home from a late night since it was 4:20 in the morning. My common sense and discretion prevailed and I just kept riding, thinking to myself lots of nasty things I would like to say to the driver.

It figures that there were only 2 cars that passed me this morning on my ride and one of the two was a total idiot.  Anyway, when I next passed the house the car was gone and there was no one outside.  My guess was that they were dropping the woman off and needed to run to the store to get her something. Th irony is that I ride in the early morning to try and avoid the idiots on the road but it seems they still find a way to find me. :)

Other than that it was a good ride and I enjoyed myself.

So, get on your bike and ride!!!!!!!!

Tires make a difference

Got my new tires in the other day and finally have the rear changed and it made a very noticeable difference.  Gone was the very pronounced wobble with every rotation of my rear wheel.  The ride was nice and smooth.  One other difference was an increase in rolling resistance. For most cyclists the increase would be minimal, but since I am well above average in the stress on the bike department due to my size, it was definitely noticeable to me.

My normal training route takes me around the same roughly one mile loop several times, so I've gotten to know the route quite well and the amount of effort it takes to ride it.  I can usually predict within a few seconds what my lap times will be based upon how it feels that morning.  this morning, with the new tire installed I felt significantly slower and my times bear this out.

A week ago, I completed 3 loops of my "one block" segment with times ranging from 4:16 to 4:23. My top speed was 20.6 mph.  This morning, on the same segment, in very similar conditions, my times were 4:45 to 4:54 and a top speed of 19.7 mph. I felt the increased work I had to do and my times proved me out.

The increased resistance is likely due to the fact that the new tires have a max. pressure of 75 PSI as opposed to the max of 84 PSI on the old Michelin tire.  9 PSI may not sound like a lot, but it definitely gives a smoother, softer ride. The trade off it it takes more work to get the tire rolling.

Now, it may sound like I'm complaining, but I'm not.  I'm just noticing that I won't be setting any KOM's any time soon.  I need to work harder, to get faster and lose some of this weight before the KOM's once again fall. :)

Get on your bikes and ride!

User Error

Got up at 4:00 am again this morning to go for my ride.  I had checked out my rear tire again last night and it needs replacing.  There is a pronounced wiggle to it.  It appears to be "throwing a belt" in one spot where it is off center about 1/8".  Not a huge amount but very noticeable and I believe indicative off an impending total failure if I put too much stress on it, like cornering at speed.

I didn't want to not ride this morning as I wait for a new tire to arrive, so I decided to do some easy laps around the block.  I grabbed my Garmin, headed out and got ready to ride.  Once the Garmin had acquired the satellite signal, I hit the start button and heard a peculiar beep.  It was a combination of the high and the low beep the Garmin makes when it starts and stops recording the ride.

I headed out and started making some gentle laps around the block.  About 6 laps in, I decided to check my time as I was curious what my pace was taking it easy.  I was dismayed to see 00:00:00 on it.  It seems the peculiar beep was because I had double tapped the button when I started it, thereby immediately turning it off.  I hit the button to start it and verified it was, in fact, running.

I completed another 6 laps and called it a morning.  Looking at my Strava, it shows that I started the ride at 4:10 but only had moving time of 14:28 and a distance of 2.84 miles. The elapsed time, however, was 29:35. It was obviously user error.

Oh well.  I know I went the distance and my health will benefit from it, even if there is no record of the true distance. :)

As for the tire, while the tread is not overly worn, you have to figure I have stressed the tire much more than a normal rider would due to my weight.  Looking at the rides I've done since I put those tires on the bike in 2013, I've got over 1200 miles on the tires and I figure that's worth about twice that for an average rider. The other thing I noticed on close inspection of the tire, is that the ride half is noticeable worn more than the left half. The reason for this is that the vast majority of the turns I make on the bike, especially at speed, are right turns so it makes sense.

I hope you can get on your bike and ride!

Biking is cool

And I don't mean just cool as in way cool, but cool as in temperature.  This morning I got up again at 4:00 am to get out for my ride.  I noticed it was a bit cool in the house so I opted for my long sleeve jersey instead of my t-shirt that I have been riding in. I got to the garage and checked my tire pressure to find my front tire down to less than 20 lbs.  That is not a good thing when yesterday I had topped it off at 84 lbs.

I managed to pump it back up and close the valve with no audible hissing so it seemed good to go. The inner part of the valve appears to be bent but it looks like it holds the air in.  I'll need to replace the tube, though, as I don't trust it.

I opened the garage and immediately felt the temperature difference. It rained here in Las Vegas yesterday and there was actually humidity in the air, which combined with the cool 51 degree temperature made it feel almost cold. OK, I don't want to hear about true cold from you northerners, I know how cold it can get, but for here, it was cold. Add to that riding at up to 21 mph this morning and my fingers were quite cold!

As I worked out the stiffness in my legs and got to the faster portion of my morning route, I noticed that the bike just didn't feel right.  I didn't trust it going into the turn so I did something I almost never do and that is hit the brakes to slow for the corner.  The second lap felt wrong as well.

I changed it up and went around the block instead of the longer loop and there was a distinct, almost thumping when I was going faster.  It felt like a tire was out of round.  I stopped after the second lap and tried to see what was up but I couldn't see anything obvious.  I actually suspect a loose spoke or two.  I'll need to get out there and take a look at it this evening.

Many people aren't as tuned into the performance of their bike as I am, but I need to be.  At 425 lbs. I'm putting a great deal of stress on the components and if one starts to fail, it can quickly become catastrophic. So, when I feel the bike is off I normally stop riding until I have a chance to check it out.

The good news is that was ride number 5 for the National Bike Challenge and I am slowly accumulating points. It also feels good to be getting back out there on a much more consistent basis.

I hope you get on your bike and ride!!!!

We took the Bronze Medal

In Monday's post I mentioned that I was proud of my team and that I had lost 28 lbs. as part of the Corporate Challenge's Biggest Winner Competition.  Well I'm happy to say that as a team we lost a total of 85 lbs. which equates to 6.16% of our initial body weight.  This was good enough to earn us 3rd place and a bronze medal in the competition. YAY TEAM!

Subsequent to that I got on my bike and rode on Monday. I rode 2.7 miles.  Not bad for my 5th ride of the year. Yesterday I got up at 4:00 am and rode another 4.1 miles.  Increased the distance nicely. This morning I got up once again at 4:00 am and rode 5.4 miles.  Again a healthy increase in distance.

I think I've started a trend here I hope to carry on through out the rest of the National Bike Challenge. So far I've gotten in 3 rides for a total of 72 points.  I feel like I'm well on my way towards my goal of eclipsing last year's mark. I plan on keeping up daily riding and have a good average so far.

So, I hope you too can get on your bike and ride!

And here we go again...FINALLY!

OK, I have to come clean. I have been planning on riding my bike for many many weeks now.  My last ride was the 13th of March. I would make all these plans to get out and ride, but for some reason when it came right down to it, the motivation just wasn't there.

Today, it finally was and I got out for a ride. OK, it was a short one, under 3 miles, but this is a positive step. Part of my trepidation was reading about several people who have been hit by cars in the last few months.  I definitely didn't and don't, want to become someone's hood ornament.

Finally today I felt that I just had to go for it and I did and I enjoyed it.

I think it's time to start getting up at 4:00 am and riding while its cool and the traffic is light. Hopefully in the near future, after we move, I can find some decent bike paths that get me away from traffic where I will feel a whole lot safer.

In other news, today was also the weigh out for the Biggest Winner competition in the corporate challenge and I am proud to say that the scale showed a 28 lb. loss for me. I'll certainly take it and now its all about continuing the journey.

So, now that I did it, its your turn to...

GET ON YOUR BIKE AND RIDE!!!!!!

Motivation

Motivation is a funny thing. At times it is easy to find, usually when it is needed the least. Other times it is nowhere to be found and this is when you usually need it the most. Let's look at a couple of prime examples.

Example #1

It's 3:00 pm and you are taking a break from your work on the computer, where you've been sitting for the last 2 1/2 hours.  You look out the window and see that it is a nice, sunny day with almost no wind and temperatures in the low 70's. You are motivated to get out and ride, but know you can't because you have another 3 hours of work to do at the computer. For a slight diversion you read a popular cycling blog about an awesome MTB race and you know that if you get out there and ride, you could do that.

You are highly motivated at that point in time.  You start making plans in your head about how you are going to get out there and ride, primarily before work as your schedule makes that about the only time available. You have visions of getting stronger and faster on the bike, of losing weight and feeling good.

Example #2

It's 4:02 AM. our alarm went off 2 minutes ago and you are still in bed, trying to get yourself up to go ride your bike. You know you should. You know you'll feel better if you do, but it was a late night and the dogs were up barking at 1:17 when the party next door broke up. You can't keep your eyes open or truly focus. You have absolutely no motivation.

You tell yourself, missing just one day won't hurt, there is always tomorrow. You tell yourself you forgot to check your lights last night in the middle of the chaos of homework and dinner and late night company so you just know they are dead. You hear the siren song of your pillow and quietly succumb to it.

There is truly only one way to overcome example #2. That is to be so excited and amped up with motivation in example #1 that it carries over to the following morning when you actually get up and execute the start of the plan you laid out for yourself. Unless you can manage this, or have some other external factor, like someone who is counting on doing it with you, it is neigh on impossible to overcome the lack of motivation.

I hope you are motivated and get on your bikes and ride!!!!

Another week gone already

I can't believe another week is already gone in the Biggest Winner challenge.  Our team results still remain positive and I couldn't be happier!  Personally, I am down another 5 lbs. this week to 437 which is awesome.  As a team we are down an additional 13 lbs. this week which brings our total to 36 lbs or 2.6%.  This is a great start and we have good momentum going for the challenge.

I am pleased with our results overall, but this is a long competition and there are 7 more weeks to stay focused and on track.  I know I can actually do better by increasing my activity and am planning on more bike riding as I get ready for the National Bike Challenge which will be running again this year from May through September.  I plan on surpassing last year's totals by riding every single day from May 1 through September 30.

What are you doing to get stay fit and healthy?

I have a suggestion:

Get on your bike and ride!

A great start

Today, I gathered the first week's weigh in results from my Biggest Winner team and I am blown away by how well we are doing as this competition gets rolling.  As a team we have lost a total of 1.67% of our body weight in 6 days.  That is outstanding progress.  Sure I realize that the first week of any weight loss program tends to be a higher level of loss than will be achieved on an ongoing basis, but it is still a great start.  As a group we have lost 23 lbs.  By my calculations, if we can maintain an ongoing rate of loss of just half of the first week's for the next 8 weeks, we should lose about 111 pounds by the end of the competition. This would equal a loss of 8.04%.  Last year's winning team lost 7.02%.

To keep myself on the right track and losing weight I actually got out for a nice bike ride over the weekend.  There really is no excuse not to ride with our beautiful weather of late.  I went 5.85 miles which was a good distance and I certainly felt my lack of riding over the past several months.  Its time to make it more of a habit.  I need to in order to hit my goals for the year.

So, my plan is to get on my bike in the evenings and put in at least some miles every other day, at a minimum.  I also will continue to eat a healthy, low-carb diet and drink lots of water.  I'm hoping my doctor notices an improvement in my BP and blood work next week when I go see him.

Until then,

Get on your bike and ride!!!!!

Personal Challenge Completed

6 months ago I decided to challenge myself.  I decided that I wanted to ride my bike for 180 days in a row. It was tough staying motivated to do something every day for 180 days, but I made it. Its been an interesting ride.

Some days I rode longer than others, but I rode at least a mile every single day. The biggest challenge wasn't getting out and riding in the high heat of summer, but towards the end when the lower temperatures of fall arrived. I've proven to myself that I can set a goal and achieve it over a fairly long time period.

Here are some statistics from the last 180 days:

Total rides: 180
Total distance: 368.7 miles
Total Time: 29.75 hours
Total Burned: 44021 calories

My grandson asked me yesterday when I didn't ride if I was going to do it again.  The answer is yeas.  I am taking a short break but I will start a new 180 day challenge in the next few days and I hop to greatly improve upon those statistics.  This one will be a real challenge with the cold windy days ahead, but I will do it.

What challenge will you give yourself?

Get on your bike and ride!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

National Bike Challenge stats

Yesterday was the end of the National Bike Challenge.  The challenge ran from May 1st through September 30 and it was designed to promote cycling across the country.

I was a little late to the party and joined on May 12.  The challenge is the catalyst which spawned my personal challenge to ride 180 days in a row.  To date I have ridden 139 days consecutively.

What is really great about the challenge is how cyclists support and encourage others along the way.  I actually joined the challenge with 47 other riders from my work.  We had a pair of awesome organizers (thanks Keely and Eric) and everyone was motivated to ride.  What I like is that you could see how well you were doing not only on a national scale, but a state local and organizational scale as well.

Let's break down the statistics.

Above is my overall statistics.  I rode 336.5 miles in 140 rides over the course of the challenge.  That earned me 3,136 points which placed me #4,757 out of 47,087 riders nationally.

Locally I was number 23 out of 202 riders.

At my workplace I was #9 of 48 riders.  Not too bad at all!

What I liked about the challenge is that they gave 20 points for getting on the bike and riding at least a mile on a day.  They then awarded a point for each mile ridden. This rewards perseverance which I how I placed so high.

I am certainly glad I participated in the challenge and look forward to it again next year.

Get on your bikes and ride!