30 for 30

30 Days of Biking Final Mileage Total: 644.8

May 1st has become sort of a "back to reality" day for me the last couple years, as the enthusiasm of 30 Days of Biking has started to wane (let's face it - as positive as I try to be, there is a bit of a deflating feeling after a big challenge is over) and writing about my day-to-day life as a cyclist starts to seem a little less exciting. It's also Monday. I promise you it gets better from here...

I didn't really have the time or space to dedicate to a full 30DoB recap yesterday, and in order to fend off the blues a little bit, tonight seems like the perfect time. This is also kind of my favorite part. How dare I deprive myself? So here goes...

Final Mileage Total: 644.8

To put that in perspective, Pittsburgh is about 310 miles from Philly. Essentially my mileage last month was a round trip across the southern tier of PA, plus 20 miles.

Total Time Logged on a Bike: 67 hours, 41 minutes

I spent approximately 8.5 days on a bike last month, or about 17 hours a week. That actually seems kinda low to me.

Feet Gained in Elevation: 5,040

This is why I love Strava, because I didn't have this data last year. I missed the mile high mark by just 240 feet. New goal? Maybe...

Favorite Moments:

1. Bikesharing with my girlfriend and starting small in Columbus, Ohio on Day One
2. Stopping by SIX microbreweries via bike in Delaware and Maryland on Days 8 and 9 (also, the 3rd and 4th different states in which I rode a bike last month)
3. Riding my bike to and from the airport to go visit my girlfriend on Days 22 and 23
4. Crossing 600 miles in a month for the first time ever, and celebrating a birthday on Day 30
5. And  of course, Meeting my nephew for the first time on Day 28 (I technically didn't ride a bike to meet him even though I had the bike in my car)

Of course, the memories are what this is really all about (and charity, in case you didn't know), and I found myself logging in to the 30DoB Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram feeds almost as often as my own to see what others were doing. If you have time, click over and check them out. All this being said, I can't wait for next year!

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Even though #30DaysofBiking is over, the riding never really ends. Of course, I rode my bike to work today, and my co-worker Enrique needed me to cover his Center City commercial route today and tomorrow. Who needs a day off anyway? The exact thing you want to do after logging 60 miles on a Sunday is to pedal 300 pounds of laundry around Center City Philly:

Alright, maybe not, but at least the weather was cooperative today and I didn't hit any real snags. It would have been much more enjoyable if I didn't have some lingering ague, but hey, this is what I do. Plus, the National Bike Challenge started today, so there's something to look forward to.

By the way, I'm not going to try to compete with those guys mileage-wise, but you can count on me to ride pretty much every day unless I'm literally tied up. Thanks again for riding along with me on 30 Days of Biking, and let's keep the ride going. Summer is just around the corner...