Biking Across Kansas
On my birthday bicycle ride to bike the miles of my age in January, I set my annual goal to complete 4,000 miles by the end of the year.
Instead of slogging through ankle-deep snow to complete the required miles, like 2009, I've completed my personal challenge by the end of October: 4,009 miles.
A lot of my success is due to the training and riding the 500-mile Biking Across Kansas in June with my son. Not only did that directly add miles to the total, but it boosted my endurance so I was comfortable going longer distances when I returned home.
But I couldn't have done without the support of so many people (this is sounding a little bit like an acceptance speech).
First, I want to thank my son for suggesting we
tackle another across-state bicycle tour. Although there's a lot of
camaraderie on those mass bike rides, it's always more fun to do it with
someone you know.
Russell at overlook on John Wayne Pioneer Trail
Next, I want to thank Russell for setting up a bike-overnight ride from my house to the Snoqualmie Tunnel on the John Wayne Pioneer Trail in August.
Russell is a mileage junkie, and he encouraged us along the 150-plus mile ride that included two round-trips through the tunnel.
He also introduced me to the Bike Journal website, where I started logging my miles online. The website ranks your mileage among the other 5,000-some bicyclists, and I soon became obsessed with staying in the 800-850 ranking. Also, I can brag about staying ahead of “Andyman” from California to hit 4,000 miles.
Also helping me reach by goals were Clint and Mike, two bicyclists I met on my meanderings on the Eastside. Both are middle-aged guys whose love of bicycling buoyed me down the road.
Clint rode a custom-made road bike that he'd had for years. We met one day near Preston where he needed a bike pump and biked up to the town of Snoqualmie. He wanted to check out the Snoqualmie Valley Rail Trail, so we picked it up near Fall City. When someone at the trailhead asked how we could ride the packed gravel trail without mountain bikes, he said, “That's because they're just bikes.”
I love that comment.
Kazuki passing through Snoqualmie Tunnel
My biking buddy Kazuki and I ran into Mike at the Hyak trailhead for the John Wayne Pioneer Trail. He lives along the Tolt Pipeline Trail and had left before dawn to bike through the Snoqualmie Tunnel and was now heading back.
His main interests were bicycle lights (he commuted) and tires (Schwalbe is his brand). It was getting late by the time we had all reached Cedar Falls, and we offered to give him a lift home. He accepted, and rewarded us with a beer, produce from his garden, and a peek at his bicycle collection.
Also, I couldn't have hit my 4,000 miles this year without the support of my wife, who was more than happy to let me roll down the driveway on my bicycle.
There are quite a few rides I could pick as my favorites. None were unpleasant. I even enjoyed bicycling into rain and wind (it helps to have the right gear).
Campsite overlooking Puget Sound
One of my favorites was the overnight ride to Joemma State Park on the Key Peninsula this past summer. It included a ferry ride and miles of countryside I'd never explored before by bicycle. (Adventure Cycling Association's Bike Overnight website recently featured that ride.)
Another was the John Wayne Pioneer Trail. After making a couple of forays through the Snoqualmie Tunnel, I became curious about what lay beyond.
Yakima River Canyon
I spent several weekends this fall exploring the trail between Hyak and
Thorpe. The landscape changes a lot as the trail heads east, and I hope
to check it out all the way to the Columbia River one of these days.
Now, I still have two more months of bicycling before the end of the year. I hope I don't fall off my pace I set the first 10 months of 2011.
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