The 700 Club

30 Days of Biking 2018 FINAL Mileage Total: 701.5

Today was the last day of 30 Days of Biking, and I packed as much into it as possible. Literally:

That was the first of two trips for my last client of the day, which totaled somewhere near 300 total pounds when all was said and done:

Mondays always tend to be busy, and today was no exception. All told, my laundry team processed nearly 1,000 pounds today, I hit the ground running (or riding) at 7:45 AM and didn't really stop (other than deliveries) until about 1:45 PM. Despite some cooler than normal temperatures, overcast skies, and some moderately heavy winds, it wasn't a terrible day for riding:

I took the above picture on my way home from the plant in appreciation/anticipation for the Sixers' starting the second round of the NBA playoffs earlier this evening. I'll admit that I'm not the biggest basketball fan, but I will fully support Philly sports any day of the year, and I always have appreciation for the Mural Arts Program (you can read more about that mural here). Let's not discuss tonite's result though.

Anyway, I took a brief lunch break, then showered and headed back to Center City. Today also happened to be the final presentation day for the students I'd collaborated with from the Industrial Design class at University of the Arts. We'd met several times over the last couple months to discuss possible improvements in cargo trike design elements, specifically making the cargo loading and unloading easier. I'm more than impressed with their results that they displayed today:

The trike is only a sketch model, but the cargo design is fully functional. They designed a retractable ramp system for increased delivery flexibility, as well as a battery and tool storage area that you can't see, hidden below the bin. We're going to meet later this week, as the goal of their course was to create something that was actually sell-able to a prospective client, maybe even patent-able. It shows a lot of promise. I may end up pitching their idea to my boss...

Not ready to go home, I decided to take a quick trip east to Independence Beer Garden, as the weather had dramatically changed for the better while I was watching their presentation. It was a perfect evening to enjoy a beverage (or anything) outside:

Finally, my first beer garden visit of the Summer. It only took until April 30th. Yeesh. According to my girlfriend, these sorts of places are not common in Columbus, but there are 30+ microbreweries and many of them feature outdoor seating areas, so I guess it's a wash. Right?

From there, I headed to dinner with a friend. We didn't sit outside, but we probably could have if we wanted to:

...and finally I finished off the day by taking a minor detour for the sole purpose of getting over the 700 miles for the month mark. I was extremely proud that I didn't really have to do things like that to sneak in extra miles this month (and remember there's no mileage goal during 30 Days of Biking), but when I looked at my total being that close to it, I just had to. By the way, I corrected my erroneous 90 mile ride from yesterday - it was actually about 52.5 miles.

I plan to do a full recap of April (including sharing some cool stories I found from others) tomorrow. For now, sleep. Thanks for riding along everyone! Until next time...

#30daysofbiking

6 Seems to be a Theme...

30 Days of Biking 2018 Mileage Total: 668*

On Saturday, I rode 6 miles and passed 600 miles for the month. On Sunday, some friends and I rode 60 miles in celebration of my friend Todd's 60th birthday:

 It's a tradition I've participated in for the last 3 years, and even though we take roughly the same route every year, it's always a little bit different each time. This year, I decided to take my "new" bike, My Therapist, instead of my trusty Bike With No Name, which I'd used the last two years. I made some new additions to the bike in preparation:

The main thing was wanting to add a rear rack to hold my bag. I don't really like wearing a bookbag for long rides. I've done it, but if I have the option to do otherwise, I find it makes a big difference comfort-wise. I also bought some much needed replacement grips for my other bike, and some toe clips which I still have yet to install. The rack worked out pretty well, even though I was a little adverse to a seatpost mounted rack, but I really didn't have any other options:

As for the ride itself, we spent the majority of it on the Schuylkill River Trail. Our "destination" would be Valley Forge, where we'd turn around and head back towards Philly. The day began with some clouds, but things mostly cleared out once we got on trail:

And for the first time since I can remember riding this trail, we actually encountered a headwind on the way out, meaning the ride back would be a little easier. It really wasn't all that windy regardless of direction, and before I knew it, we were at the halfway point. We stopped for snacks and/or lunch:

We do keep a very loose schedule, and when we arrived, we were well ahead of it. One of the reasons I think this happened is that a lengthy stretch of the trail between Norristown and Valley Forge was re-paved. It was some of the best riding I've ever had:

Seriously, the miles just flew by on that stretch. I really didn't feel any ill effects or fatigue by the time we stopped for more refreshments and celebration at Manayunk Brewing Company, nearly 45 miles into the ride:

Those are tiny samples, not full beers, in case you're wondering. Steve and myself (the two on the left of this picture below) had to leave early, but I think it's safe to say we had a great time:

I'm always so glad I participate in this. I tell people all the time that I hope I have Todd's enthusiasm for biking when I turn 60. That's part of the reason I really like this tradition, because it reminds me that biking spans all generations and walks of life and so on. It truly can be for everyone.

As for the mileage total, I'm still working on figuring it out. Somewhere around the Conshohocken curve, my Strava app stopped working, so it would lead you to believe we rode 90 miles. I'm estimating my ride to and from South Philly was somewhere near 55:

I'll figure it out later. For now, I'll work with my assumption that I came up 5 miles short of 60 on that particular ride. I made up for it by riding to dinner in Old City, in celebration of another friend's birthday. There must have been something in the air yesterday.

And with that, we've reached day 30 of 30 Days of Biking. Time truly does fly. It's a work day. Maybe I can hit 700? We'll see... Happy Monday!

#30daysofbiking

6 to 600

30 Days of Biking 2018 Mileage Total: 602.3

Despite some absolutely perfect conditions in the morning, I ended up having a very light day on the bike yesterday. I had a show in the afternoon far outside the city, as well as some household adulting to attend to that limited my time. I did ride to Center City to pick up some groceries, and made a slight detour to take in just a little bit more of the beautiful weather before heading home:

Though only about 6 miles, yesterday's ride was enough to push me over 600 miles for the month! I really don't know where all the miles came from. It just sort of...happened. At any rate, a light day was in order for another reason: today is my friend Todd's Birthday Ride, an annual tradition where he rides his age in miles with friends and family (a tradition I've since decided to start myself). He's turning 60 this year, so we've got a long road ahead of us.

And with that, I'm about to get on the road for day 29. Do an anti-rain dance for us!

#30daysofbiking

Rain, Delays

30 Days of Biking 2018 Mileage Total: 596.9

It's the little things that make big differences...

We (Wash Cycle Laundry) have been delivering laundry via bicycle for more than 7 years. I'd say we're pretty well established by now. But, when I tell people what we do and how long we've been doing it, one of the most common questions is still, "What do you guys do when it rains?"

I guess I understand. Bike laundry isn't among the most common of trades. Still, our rain preparations aren't that complicated. Rain covers are the most important tool:

Cyclists wear rain gear, to which I am fairly indifferent:

It's not so much the overall cumbersome nature of rain gear, or the fact that it's not that breathable, but more so that yellow just isn't my color. :P

In all seriousness, if anyone has any recommendations for lightweight breathable rain gear, please let me know. I've waterproofed my windbreakers and pants, but even that only goes so far, because after all, at the end of the day they're made of fabric. In spite of their imperfections, slickers are by far the most effective due to being made of rubber.

Anyway, I'm mentioning all of this because yesterday turned out to be a rainy day as forecast. In addition to the challenges it presents for the average cyclist, it also changes how I can manage my workload. Normally on Fridays, I stack bags out the top of the trike so I can get as much done in one trip as possible. Needing to ensure clean laundry stays dry, I can't really do that, which sometimes leaves "wasted" space in the bin:

So, I ended up having to make two trips into Center City instead of one, so obviously it took a little longer than usual to finish everything. All told, I think this added just 30 minutes to my ride time, but in less than ideal conditions it always seems longer. And all because I had to keep things dry.

Conversely, when you're picking up dirty laundry, it doesn't matter how wet it gets, because it's about to be thrown into a washer anyway. Lucky for me, because I finished off my day with another rather large pickup. 15 bags to be exact:

That also required two trips, as you can probably tell. After the early morning deluge, the rain actually held off and I was able to finish unscathed. For my trouble, this client actually fed me lunch! Something about weathering the storm, right?

In a complete 180, today's forecast is beautiful, and it's holding true. I took a short ride to get some groceries this morning. I'm not sure if I'll have time for anything else today, as I have a gig far outside of town later this afternoon. We'll see. Only 2 more days...

#30daysofbiking

Thursday = Love

30 Days of Biking 2018 Mileage Total: 563.8

Yesterday was beautiful, and really nothing out of the ordinary happened. I had a busy WCL route that went smoothly, and lots of shorter rides and plenty of appreciation for them. Rather fittingly, I stopped by the Amor statue in Logan Square on my ride home:

I capped off my day with another food delivery in absolutely perfect conditions:

A short and sweet day 26. Day 27 looks to be pretty busy. It's raining right now but things look to be clearing up, so here's hoping...

Happy Friday!

#30daysofbiking

Weird Wednesday

30 Days of Biking 2018 Mileage Total: 533.8

Wednesdays are typically the lightest days in terms of deliveries during my week, which usually translates to less riding. Today, that definitely wasn't the case.

I should start by mentioning that for the first time in what feels like forever (it was only 5 days), we experienced some rain here in Philly. It was a strange morning, to say the least. There was a mist that bordered on light rain during my morning commute, enough to cause a slight disturbance but not enough to be a burden. Ya know, just enough to get the ground wet to make things treacherous. Ha...I wasn't too upset about it. At least the temperature was somewhat normal, and surprisingly, there was very little wind. I'll take that any day.

Things evened out for a little bit, and I was able to finish my route without any noticeable precipitation. I still had the rain cover on just in case, which did necessitate an extra trip to one of my larger volume clients:

It really wasn't that bad. What was bad was when I rode all the way home and realized I'd forgotten to clock out. It causes all sorts of other issues when this happens, so rather than have to deal with those come pay day, I decided to ride all the way back to my plant to take care of it today. By this time, the weather was just overcast, so it really wasn't a big deal.

I was on my way back to Center City when I got a call from a co-worker maybe a mile from the facility. He asked about ordering spare bike tubes. I told him I might actually have a few, but they were back at the plant and I'd have to go back to get them. So I did, then took the additional detour to his location to drop them off before finally heading to the office. All this in the span of about an hour added an additional 8-ish miles to my "light" day. I really didn't mind, but it was unexpected for sure.

After work, I headed to my former employer and occasional volunteer organization the Strengthening Health Institute. Back in December, I delivered food for them in exchange for...food. I did it again today and likely will be for the next few days. By now, there was only light cloud cover and ideal conditions for riding:

I use the term "ideal" loosely, because there's all kinds of road construction happening around these parts, so I had to take a few unexpected detours on that ride too. No one wants their food all shaken up or spilled all over the bag. Still, I can't stress enough how beautiful the evening turned out to be from a weather perspective. Blue skies, yo:

Wednesday was definitely not a light day, but as most of it was spent on a bike, that makes it a good day. 25 in the books, 5 more to go. Where have you gone, 30 Days of Biking?

#30daysofbiking

The First 500 are the Toughest...

30 Days of Biking 2018 Mileage Total: 501.9

On the ride home from the office yesterday afternoon, I went over 500 miles in a month for the third consecutive year of 30 Days of Biking, and fourth time overall. I felt stopping by the Rocky statue was appropriate:

I never really set goals for myself during this month other than riding every single day, because again, that's really what 30 DoB is all about - riding every day and generating enthusiasm. I've almost come to expect that I'll hit 500 miles every April at this point, but this time feels just a little bit different. I don't feel like I've really had to push myself to get to 500 like I did in years past. Save for one 47-mile meditation a couple weeks ago, almost every ride I've taken this month was life or job-related. Every mile felt...natural, I guess is the best way to explain it.

Basically, biking isn't just a leisure activity for people like me. It's a lifestyle, and as my mentor has said, life-related exercise is the most healthy:

Alright, buying beer might not inherently be healthy, but you get my point. I'm reading more and more that the people who decide to participate in this challenge make biking part of their day-to-day life. If only everyone could be so lucky, I think you'd all really enjoy it. That's part of the reason I love this month - all the stories you see across social media (if you're looking) featuring people who are just living their lives...on a bike. Joyful riders being joyful, and all of that.

So here's to another 500 miles and what's so far been another great 30 Days of Biking. Let's ride on to day 26, and be sure to pack your rain gear!

#30daysofbiking

Training Day

30 Days of Biking 2018 Mileage Total: 494.9

Day 24 was quite the day, not necessarily in the physical sense like yesterday, but more so in the mental capacity.

As I mentioned in passing yesterday, I'm going to be moving away from Philly at the end of May (again, more on that some other time - maybe even tomorrow). I put in my notice a little over a week ago. Since then, my team and I have been slowly putting pieces in place to ensure a smooth transition, one of which is to train a replacement.

I conducted a "working interview" today, which was basically a job shadow. I've done these several times before, but today just felt a little bit different. The reality that I was actually training a potential replacement rather than a future colleague opened my eyes and made me a bit nostalgic. It's a rather jarring epiphany when someone asks you several questions about all the tasks you do on a day-to-day basis that seem routine at this point. Training is good, but for this reason, it's exhausting. I actually realized that I know more than I give myself credit for, and also how far this company has come since I started out as a morning delivery cyclist nearly 3 1/2 years ago:

Inevitably, I started telling stories of the days of yore, bad and good. As you're probably aware if you've read this blog, I've seen my fair share of craziness whilst toting laundry around this city. What else is crazy is that two of my colleagues that work in my plant are the only two employees that have been with the company longer than me (with the exception of our owner/CEO). They in turn have seen their fair share of craziness inside the laundry room. That also makes me feel a little bit better about someone stepping into my shoes. Having some veteran leadership is always helpful for new folks, right?

Anyway, for the introduction, we had some more beautiful weather today before the clouds started to move in after lunch, and a much lighter route (if you want to call 11 miles light):

Things took a little longer than normal as expected, but overall, the day went smoothly and I was damn grateful for that. I think it goes without saying that it would weigh heavily on my conscience if I vacated my position in anything less than ideal conditions. I'd hate to leave anyone hanging, and today was a huge step toward making sure that doesn't happen. Mental exhaustion can never win over peace of mind.

And with that, we're on to the final 6 days of this little annual adventure. Where the heck does the time go?

#30daysofbiking

Marvelous Monday

30 Days of Biking 2018 Mileage Total: 468.0

Halle-freaking-lujah what a beautiful day it's been to be on a bike!

As I mentioned this morning, I had a busy day ahead of me that started quite early. 7 AM to be exact. With a beautiful day in the forecast, I was actually quite excited about this. There's nothing better than getting out early in the morning and getting some fresh air and/or a workout.

In full admittance, if it were a Saturday, I probably would have gotten my fresh air by having a cup of coffee and breakfast out back, and eventually made my way on to the bike for a mid-day ride. My job schedule doesn't really allow for that.

Thanks to the stellar work of my laundry team pulling a weekend shift, I had 15 bags ready to deliver to one client in addition to my usually busy Monday workload. Here's approximately half of that 15:

I know it looks a little awkward and potentially dangerous (I mean, riding a bike in the city is always dangerous), but it's actually a fairly light load. It's mostly sleeping bags and rain gear. One more positive to sunny days is that I don't need to worry about a rain cover, so I can actually strap a couple bags on top of the "full" bin, meaning less trips and potentially wasted time. Not that time on a bike is wasted, but you know what I mean. Anyway...

I already knew the first delivery would require two trips because of the volume. When I arrived for the first half of the delivery, I was greeted with a surprise. More laundry!

Again, I knew I had to make another trip back to the laundromat, and hauling an empty trike basically means we're not making money off that trip, so it was actually quite a pleasant surprise. It also meant that I'd be hauling 3 full trikes for a round trip totaling nearly 6 miles before 9 AM. Good stuff:

Once I finished up there, I filled up the trike yet again with the lower loop of my usual route, and then again for the upper loop. Mondays can be quite maniacal if you're not prepared, but they can be marvelous as well:

Again, I know it looks awkward and you might think that those bags would fall out, but they're actually quite stable. There's a bit of adjustment that has to come from the rider to avoid tipping over. It's called slowing down for turns. What a concept.

All told, I finished all of my deliveries around 12:30. Even I was surprised to see this mileage total:

Quite the hectic morning, but again, the weather was so gorgeous I didn't even notice the time until I got back to the laundromat. Riding is just easier on days like today, and the rhythm of the day just feels more natural. No missed appointments, either (I'll pat myself on the back).

I made a pit stop on the ride home to sum it up:

Days like these, I will miss once I leave Wash Cycle at the end of May (which, by the way, is happening in case I didn't mention it here - more on that some other time). For now, I'm glad Spring seems to have finally arrived and I intend on soaking up every last bit of it. This might have been the best Monday I've had in a long time, and it's not over. Time to take a ride and find some dinner. I highly recommend you get out and enjoy the evening too...

#30daysofbiking

Team Work Makes Dream Work

30 Days of Biking 2018 Mileage Total: 440.6

When I left the office very late on Friday afternoon, I'd just picked up 15 bags of laundry to be processed on Saturday so I could deliver them early this morning (I'm just about to leave my house now to do so). This, after my staff had already worked 5 days last week AND processed several hundred pounds of laundry for a same-day service on Friday afternoon:

I know people think we Wash Cyclists are somewhat like superheroes, carting around hundreds of pounds of laundry while also dealing with the precariousness of an aggressive urban cycling environment. I don't think I mention often enough just how important my laundry team is to my day-to-day life. Without them, I wouldn't have the ability to do all these things that I do on a "normal" Monday-Friday. Kudos to them for also pulling a weekend shift on this special occasion and for always holding it down.

With a beautiful sunny day in the forecast today, I'm hopeful for more scenes like this one that I snapped on the ride home Friday afternoon:

In case you can't tell, I'm trying to be as positive and uplifting as possible and forget that it is still Monday morning and I'm still going in to work at 7AM... Anywho, have a great day and a great week everyone. Only 7 more days left in April...

#30daysofbiking

On Trail, Off Topic

30 Days of Biking 2018 Mileage Counter: 438.9

I spent the majority of this weekend off the bike, spending time catching up with friends, family, and culminating in my nephew's first birthday party this afternoon. When I'm not riding, I generally have a pretty good reason...

That said, I did ride. Saturday was limited to a short lap around my home town with my girlfriend, which included a stop for coffee:

Sunday, I briefly rode my girlfriend's bike around the block before helping her pack it into the car:

I just got back to Philly and did take another short ride after parking my car, but ultimately my bike logged more miles in the car this weekend than on the road:

That doesn't mean I took the weekend off entirely. I mean, I technically kept the 30 days challenge going by simply getting on a bike both days, but beyond that, my girlfriend and I took advantage of a gorgeous Saturday afternoon in Northeast PA to tackle one of my favorite trails I haven't visited since I was in high school:

Glen Onoko Falls Trail near Jim Thorpe has a reputation for being a tough and/or dangerous trail. Living back home, it seemed like I'd hear about a hiker getting stuck or injured there on a weekly basis during the Summer time. Sometimes these would lead to deaths, too. However, it's also one of the most beautiful trails you'll encounter in the state, in my opinion. Basically, you hike next to a series of waterfalls of varying size, some of which are quite large:

Obviously, as you can tell by the fact that I'm writing this, we not only survived, but we also had a great time. The trail gains more than 750 feet within its first half mile or so if you start at the trail head closest to the Lehigh River. As my girlfriend put it, "Quite the way to get in your first hike of the season..."

We were only out there for about 2 hours, but it was a solid 2 hours. The steepness and treachery of the terrain can't be overstated, and I can completely understand how some of the incidents mentioned above could have happened to a novice hiker. That's also what makes it so much fun. I mean, what's life if you don't live a little dangerously, right?

All things considered, I'm glad I didn't have time to ride a bike very much the last couple days, because my legs were ready for a break after yesterday. We'll call it a rest day of sorts. So, with my hiking season now officially underway (and trust me - the lady and I have a long list of destinations for this Summer), I'm looking forward to a strong final week of 30 Days of Biking, which also includes some big plans and celebrations. 8 more days, everyone. Where does the time go?

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