Sustained spring weather + Another birthday had = Cycling mileage accumulated. What better way to welcome in the new season and my new age, I say, than through several clustered days of some hard and fast pedaling!
28, 30, 21… followed by a painless jump to 68… all over the past few days… and now the sun shines on this young Wednesday, beckoning me to continue this quickly growing numerical sequence.
Sunday’s 68-mile loop north into Marin and around the Nicasio Reservoir was just what I needed, thankfully demonstrating that, in the face of short and/or nonexistent rides often replaced by motorcycle usage if not shelved for bad weather, in no way have I lost my overall cycling strength and stamina. Even the 10-15 additional pounds on my body from three years ago in my cycling prime have not seemed to slow me down all that much, except of course on a long, steep climb alongside someone 50 pounds my weight junior. As always, there’s vast room for performance improvement!
There’s also vast room for improvement to my iPhone’s GPS app, which recorded a mere 58 of Sunday’s 68 miles. Now mounted to my handlebar stem thanks to a birthday present, my iPhone sits right in front of me to (unreliably) provide all the ride information I might need.
At one point along Sunday’s route, on a woodsy, tree-covered bike path somewhere northwest of Fairfax, a warm and welcome flashback came to me of the Elroy-Sparta Trail, conjuring up happy memories of my earliest days of cycling, well more than a decade ago.
This unexpectedly reflective moment led me to contemplate that, shamefully enough, I’ve not renewed my USA Cycling license this year. Admittedly, for the costs and travel typically involved, races have been a very low priority, sadly enough. As I crank out some more miles today, however, no doubt I’ll once again see some glimpses of this situation sooner or later changing.
For now, it’s time to continue the sequence. We’ll see what comes next, based of course on what number my iPhone chooses to provide!
Ryan R. Sanderson 