600

30 Days of Biking Mileage Counter: 644.8

Today marked the culmination of my second consecutive #30daysofbiking attempt, and what better way to finish than with an epic birthday celebration ride? None.

If you followed me last year, you may remember the ride I took with some friends in celebration of my friend Todd's birthday. He's got this cool tradition of riding his age in miles every year on or close to his birthday, a tradition I've since decided to start for myself. He turned 59 a couple weeks ago, no easy ride to complete even for a veteran cyclist.

Noted event coordinator that I am, I helped him organize the ride this year. We originally had about 10 people say they were interested, which dwindled down to 6 by the time this morning rolled around. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 9:30AM, we met behind the Philadelphia Art Museum and set off on the Schuylkill River Trail bound for Valley Forge:

It's tough to ride 6 guys on 4 bikes

Unfortunately, Todd's bike fell victim to a flat tire early on, so he and my friend Elliot had to ride back to a nearby bike shop to pick up a new tire. That set us back about 45 minutes, but with every curse comes a blessing. We met this woman riding along the trail who was about to embark on a bikepacking trip. She needed some assistance with her tire, and she told us all about what she was doing. She gave me the name of Adventure Cycling Association, the website she used to plan her travel. Definitely worth a look if you're interested in touring (I have aspirations of doing this one day). We ended up seeing her further out on the trail on our return later as well.

Anyway, after Todd was patched up and ready to roll again, we continued on. His friend Jay had to drop off about halfway up due to time constraints, so we were left with 5 by the time we got to Valley Forge to stop for water and snacks:

And sits

The ride there was quite nice. It seemed to be an ideal day for a long ride, with overcast skies keeping us relatively cool, and low humidity keeping us feeling light. After we turned around, we began to face a much fiercer headwind (why the ride out was so pleasant, no doubt), but we still reached our next way point pretty much on schedule, Conshohocken Brewing Company:

I think this is the 22nd brewery I've visited this month

In case you're not familiar with Conshy either through this blog or from your own travels, it's a very bike-friendly place, as are many micro breweries. In fact, I've been here twice and I don't know if there's another entrance other than the one you see above, which is within spitting distance of the SRT:

I don't recommend trying to spit over all these bikes, though

Strangely enough, the overcast and 70-degree weather (which is ideal for riding) seemingly deterred a lot of riders. This bike rack is usually packed at 1PM on a Sunday. I didn't mind, of course. More room for us and less time waiting for service means more time to ride.

After a few tastings and some light grub, we were back on our way. The wind seemed to pick up a bit more as we got closer to center city Philly (more on that later). I felt fine up until about mile 48 or so when atrophy started to set in, but we did survive long enough to make it back to the fountain. No after picture. We were all a bit bushed, and I still had about 5 miles to go to get home:

I burned 75% of my recommended daily calories

As you can see, I didn't quite make it to 59 in one ride. Todd did make it to 59 combining his extra couple miles to go pick up a new tire and his rides to and from our meeting place at the Art Museum. I did, however, add 6.5 miles riding to and from dinner after I got home, which got me to 58.5 for the day. Close enough. Hey, it's not my birthday...those 6.5 miles were quite arduous, with even fiercer winds and darkening skies. I feel a storm may be coming. We got our ride in just in the nick of time. :)

I'm not going to lie and tell you I'm brimming with energy right now, but today was seriously a lot of fun. You learn a lot about someone when you share a long ride together, and there were a couple first time encounters that I think will lead to friendships, at least for me. The more you ride, the more cycling friends just seem to come into your life, right? I also like that we had a wide array of age groups represented, including my friend Jeffrey who joined me for my birthday ride last year and is more than twice my age!

If I didn't mention this before, Todd's also the guy who inspired me to do the 30 Days of Biking Challenge last year. Interestingly enough, I crossed 300 miles for the month last year and 600 miles for the month this year on his birthday rides. I can't thank him (and everyone who rode along) enough for all of the memories that 30 Days of Biking has produced. This was the best possible way to end an epic month that shattered all of my expectations once again. Cheers to many more birthdays, and of course many more rides...

Add Ons & Add Ups

30 Days of Biking Mileage Counter: 586.1

Day 29 of #30daysofbiking is in the books, and beyond the 13ish miles I logged today, I'm grateful that I finally used the gift cards my aunt and great aunt bought for me for Christmas/Birthday gifts several months ago:

And of course, my Mom for buying the bike as a Christmas/birthday gift well over a year ago

On first glance, it doesn't look like much happened. BUT, 3,500+ miles later, I finally made a much-anticipated (to me) fender upgrade today:

Not just a guitar brand anymore

Even though I think fenders should be standard on a commuter bike, this is really the fun of owning a bike in general - customizing it and putting shit together! Like I said, I feel like you wouldn't notice them up there if I didn't tell you they were there, which is kinda cool too. Also pictured, the neat little rear-mount bag, perfect for storing all the tools, food, and other stuff I need to take long rides, like the one I'm about to take tomorrow (spoiler alert):

Including a six pack

Don't get me wrong, my little duffel will do the trick, but this guy will actually lock to the back rack and allow me to stack on top if necessary, and I can throw it over my shoulder too. Double duffel, if you will. I also picked up a couple small but VERY important items today, a bottle of chain lubricant and a truing wrench:

Triple nipple and lube? Excuse me for a minute...

They cost about 20 bucks combined but could save you hundreds in the long run. Do it. I spent a couple hours after I got back home working on installing the fenders and truing my wheels. Installing wasn't necessarily easy, but considering how often I ride in the rain, I'm betting it will be worth it. At the very least, things went well on the "dry run" up to my friend's house in Fishtown, pun intended:

I'm not praying for rain, either

That being said, things did shift around a bit and I know I need to make a few adjustments tomorrow morning before heading out.

The fun never ends, even though 30 Days of Biking has nearly reached its terminus. Be thankful for the experience, and that we have one more day. Barring catastrophe, I'm going to reach 600 miles in a month for the very first time...!

A Challenge, You Say?

30 Days of Biking Mileage Counter: 572.7

I spotted this ad on the front page of the Philly Metro this morning:

I've mentioned the Circuit Trails many times on this blog, and being that I've already logged 500+ miles this month, I feel I'm up to the task of riding 500 miles on the trails over the next few months. Let's see what happens, shall we?

Anywho, day 28 of #30daysofbiking was gorgeous, with temps in the 80s and a light breeze in the forecast. Views like these make you forget all about the chaos going on in Center City:

I managed to go largely unscathed by the ensuing traffic jams caused by the NFL Draft and Penn Relays, but trust me - they were still present. I got a little cooked (my own fault - at least I'll have a nice cyclist tan eventually), but I have nothing but good things to say about the riding from today, all 17 miles of it. Mostly commutes, nothing major, and that's just peachy.

The day did take a bittersweet turn in the afternoon, as my week of training a new cyclist came to an end, and I was also forced to say goodbye to these felines that I've been babysitting for the last week:

I will say that, due in large part to the 570+ miles I've logged so far this month, I was pretty tired this afternoon, so I did share one final cat nap with them before leaving. That was nice. It gave me enough energy to go see my brand new nephew for the very first time! I didn't ride there. Maybe one day, but not today:

I see plenty of rides in his future ;)

So here we are. 2 more days, one last weekend, zero regrets. It's been super real once again, 30 Days of Biking! I'm already at or above last year's mileage total. Think I can get to 600? I think you know the answer...

Draft Hoarse

30 Days of Biking Mileage Counter: 554.8

Day 27 was beeeeeeeeauty-full! Well, weather-wise. Event-wise...not so much.

It didn't start off bad, although I made the mistake of carrying a rain jacket in my bag (just in case) and wearing a sweatshirt when I left the house this morning, not to mention zip-off pants. None of those were necessary by 11AM, when the temperature approached 80 degrees and it felt like early Summer as opposed to late Winter. What a week...

After another morning of riding along for training (which went well), I hopped on the trike briefly to finish up a couple appointments. I love this fella:

He's indifferent to me

I headed back southward to grab lunch and move to the office. Today happened to be the first day of the NFL Draft, so I skidded by just to take a look:

Not much to see, IMHO

I really didn't want to get any closer. The entire Ben Franklin Parkway area and beyond is a shitshow right now and will be for the next few days. You'd think as an avid sports fan I'd be interested in this fiasco, but no. At least, not this time. Between the crowd of "bros" that frequent the draft and the hoity-toity folk that attend the Penn Relays (also in town this weekend) combined with your average obnoxious pedestrians, I had my fair share of close calls with humans today (and some yelling), more than I care to write about here. I'd take the Pope-ocalypse any day over this.

Anyway, I got outside as much as I could today in spite of all the obstacles, putting in a lot of miles going to and back from West Philly a couple more times and...well let's just leave it at that. I'd rather not start a rant. Friday and day 28 are next, and a big weekend finish to #30daysofbiking...3 more days, y'all!

Wednesday Night Flight

30 Days of Biking Mileage Counter: 524.1

I've been doing a lot of traveling this month, in case you haven't been paying attention (and some of it hasn't been via bike, believe it or not). I don't know how I survived as long as I did without a rear-mount rack on my bike. More accurately, I don't know how my shoulders and arms survived carrying everything I have carried while riding this fella:

No pain, no gain

That pack on the back is also a recent addition, an interesting gift from my Dad who re-gifted it from someone who cleaned out a house of someone who saved up enough Marlboro Miles to buy a promotional duffel bag they never used. Follow all that?

Aside from being a conversation starter when people notice what it says on the side, it happens to fit perfectly on my back rack. Also perfectly sized to pack for an overnight trip, including the multiple cat-sitting trips to and back from West Philly I've made the last couple nights. All this considered, I think my next investment is going to be in a nice set of panniers so I can seriously think about an extended weekend tour...or more. And maybe a set of fenders to avoid getting soaked like I have been the past couple days.

Anyway, today was actually much nicer than yesterday. I did another couple rides out to West Philly, and the milder conditions reminded me that I'm still in love with this view from Drexel Park:

I've got biking on a cloudy day

Today's cycling was kinda uneventful otherwise, which again, I appreciate occasionally. I did have some conversations about biking adventures with my trainee which kinda got that whole pannier thought started. I also decided on a couple other trails to explore in the area, but that's for another day. ;)

I finished up by biking back to South Philly for dinner at Brigantessa, a restaurant that specializes in Southern Italian cuisine and also features Italian beer on draft. Gotta try 'em all:

Hit the one in the middle. Then the right. Then the left. Or any order really as long as you hit them all.

Those aren't full size glasses, just so you're aware. If I could write more than a sentence about a beer, I really could start another blog.

At any rate, we are down to FOUR days. Can you believe it? #30daysofbiking really does get easier every time. Let's do this weekend right.

500 Degrees of Inner Turbulence

30 Days of Biking Mileage Counter: 508.2

Major props if you get the reference in the title.

For the second consecutive day, Philadelphia was mired in gray, overcast conditions, today's being much more water-logged than yesterday's. Today was challenging. The ride in wasn't so terrible, just cloudy. I stopped by the United By Blue coffee shop near our West Philly plant, where I picked up this card with my coffee and perhaps a bit of foreshadowing:

Foreshadowing a trip to the ER if you try to look up while riding

The card itself is pretty neat if you're into constellations and stargazing (which I am). The message at the bottom, I'd need to help me through the day. UBB's mission is to preserve waterways because we are "united by blue," blue being water. Get it? We had plenty of water today...

Today happened to be a training day, in which I showed a new cyclist some of the commercial deliveries we do for Wash Cycle in North Philly. You could say it wasn't the best day for this kind of exercise, with an all-day rain and sometimes near gale-force winds battering us. You could also say it was the best day for this, because if you can survive this kind of training, well, you can survive anything:

It doesn't look that bad when you take a picture before your cell phone camera has a chance to fog up

I actually enjoy training days in most cases. It's a great chance to ride along with someone else on the job for a change, and also a chance to get to know a co-worker. You really learn a lot about a person when you spend a few hours riding around with them, and if things go well (weather notwithstanding), you learn a lot about yourself in the process. We were on the road for a solid 10+ miles in this mess today, no cakewalk for sure, but let me assure you that both of us can survive anything. It wasn't easy, but that was a positive I'll surely take from today.

I returned to the office and had a bazillion tasks to take care of, on top of a whole bunch of chores at home that I've been putting off, and by the way, I'm still cat-sitting for my friend in West Philly so I had to venture all the way out there again today too (hey, you can't predict the weather when you agree to do these things three weeks in advance). So you can imagine that when I pulled my bike into my house tonite and realized I'd picked up a flat, I was a little deflated, no pun intended...

But whatever. I got as much done as I felt I possibly could. I fixed the tire. I even put in another 4 miles in the rain after the fact, and didn't even realize until I got back to my computer that today was my 500-mile day, one day earlier than last year. So hey, remember to look up more. 500 miles in a month for the 3rd time is pretty awesome, rain or shine.

'Sup, #30daysofbiking? We're not through yet...

Earth Gray

30 Days of Biking Mileage Counter: 485.1

I returned to reality this morning, reality being work and/or Philadelphia. I had a great night's sleep, but due to traveling and the associated preparations, I was pretty beat when I got up this morning. A gray, overcast sky didn't help much, but hey, we ride on anyway.

After a short, uneventful trip out to Swarthmore and back, I got on the Wash Cycle to table at Jefferson University's belated Earth Day Fair. If this sounds familiar, it's because I did the same thing last year. Due to the aforementioned gray skies and threatening showers, we hurriedly moved our tables from the lawn to some cover underneath one of the buildings on campus. Not pictured, the spectacle of me loading our table onto the back of the trailer:

I mean, we move heavy objects every day...

If you look at the left side of the table, you'll notice the "Boxed Water" they give out at this event every year. I can't tell you how many people thought that's what I was selling. Surprisingly, I still ran out of materials by 12:30, about a half hour earlier than the conclusion of the event. Perhaps going under cover made that possible, because I'm not sure anyone would have stopped by even with the showers being light and random in nature. Even when not exposed to the drizzle, the temperature was still in the low 50's, too chilly for my liking this time of year. The mere notion that I was wishing I'd brought a beanie with me in mid-April was kinda annoying, but again, we survived.

I returned to base camp and got back home unscathed. After a brief rest, I ran some errands, not the least of which included another trip out to West Philly to feed my friend's cats again. I'll always love this view from Drexel Park and will take any excuse I get to view it:

I was once standing naked in this park. Thankfully not on a day like today.

How I put in 23.4 miles today is beyond me. I guess it just sort of happens at this point. Day 24 is in the books and day 25 looks like it could be nasty. Let's see what we can do, #30daysofbiking...only 6 more to go!