Since I was feeling bloggy and started this blog, I figured I'd go ahead and write up my cycling history up to this point, or I may never do it. So here it is.
I first started biking as an adult in 2011. The bike was some type of Dick's Sporting Goods bike, and I was badly needing to lose weight. I couldn't ride more than 5-7 miles without being on the verge of death. I only road about 100 miles that year. The bike was pathetic. Probably the wrong size. I lost interest.
I started going to a gym spin class in 2012, and the instructor kept telling us about how awesome the mountain biking trails were at our local state park. Eventually, I was persuaded, and I bought a better bike. An entry level Trek Wahoo 29'r mountain bike. Much better. I went for a ride on the beginner trail at Chewacla and was immediately hooked. Why sit and spin on a stationary bike in a stinky, sweaty gym room when you can be getting the same workout in fresh air and beautiful scenery? There were weeks I'd go down to the park 6 or 7 days in a row.
I also started riding around town here and there. To the post office. Through campus. To the store. Riding on the road with cars never really bothered me like it does some. I figure if I get hit and killed it'll be quick... probably painful... but quick. And that'll be much better than a slow death by obesity. Just don't leave me a vegetable. Back up and finish the job. Probably a sick perspective, I know. But it's how I think about it when I do.
I was just enjoying being outdoors and getting the exercise. I figured out pretty quick that I needed a decent road bike for road rides. The more I looked around, the more I liked the idea of getting a bike that could carry groceries, my laptop and some files or maybe even gear for a camping trip... or all of the above. The long distance multi-day trips I read about on crazyguyonabike.com really got me excited. I wanted to do something like that.
I settled on a Surly Long Haul Trucker, one of the most popular long-distance touring bikes in the world. You can load them up with, for example, everything an Appalachian Trail hiker would carry for an entire AT hike, and then some. Works great for commuting around town with lighter loads too.
2012-2014
Between the Trek mountain bike and the Surly LHT, which I got late in the year, my total mileage was about 1,000 for 2012. Not much, but more than I'd ever done before Once I accumulated a good set of panniers and ultralight camping gear in 2013, my mileage started going up. 4,400 miles in 2013-2014, including
* my first multi-day bike tour - an attempt to ride from Auburn to Huntsville. I only made it 4 out of the 5 days planned (200 out of 250 miles) due to a mishap on day 3, but I loved every bit of it
* a couple of 2-day rail trail rides
* a failed attempt at an Auburn to Gulf Shores beach ride - heat exhaustion and dehydration on day #2 of 5 - this was a big learning experience for hot weather riding
* a personal high-mileage ride record of 76 miles
* the first annual Skyway Beer Run in 2014, a difficult 50 mile and 6,000 feet elevation dirt/gravel/service road ride in the Talladega National Forest. I bonked and had to call for a rescue at mile #38. I was the only one out of a dozen that failed to make it.
2015
2015 was a big year for me. There was the awesome Skyway Beer Run #2 in February, which I completed, but couldn't have made it another mile. Then, in early March, I challenged myself to bike commute to work every day for an entire workweek, rain or shine. It took me until the end of March to have success, and then I started looking for another challenge. I noticed the hashtag #30daysofbiking starting to show up on social media, so I decided to keep going and ride every day of the month in April. Needing a new goal after that, I discovered the National Bike Challenge, a May through September competition where riders accumulate points throughout the Challenge (20 points per day of riding at least 1 mile, plus 1 point per mile ridden). Once I got going with that, things got a little bit obsessive-compulsive insane.
In addition to a couple of fairly short and easy 2-day rail trail rides, I completed a number of bigger multi-day rides:
* 3-day bike tour in rural Alabama (Auburn-Ashland-Piedmont-Fruithurst)
* 3-day bike tour in rural Alabama (Jennings Ferry-Eutaw-Reform)
* 4-day bike tour in rural Alabama (Auburn-Clio-Dozier-Andalusia-Troy)
* 5-day, 250-mile Auburn to Gulf Shores beach ride
* 7-day RAGBRAI (the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa) - 536 miles and 13,500 feet elevation - including my first century
* 3 centuries back-to-back-to-back in August (Auburn-Anniston-Atlanta-Anniston)
* 16-day circumnavigation of Alabama (including all border counties) - 1,030 miles and 37,000 feet elevation - including 2 centuries
* back-to-back 140 mile days on the Chief Ladiga rail trail in September
For the year, I had a total of 6,225 miles, including 8 century rides, and I managed to get 2nd place National Bike Challenge for state of Alabama.
2016
2016 was my biggest year yet, and I'm kindof still recovering from it. After taking it easy from October to December following 2015's intense National Bike Challenge competition, I decided on a goal of riding every day of 2016 - #366dayofbiking.
After completing a custom build of a Salsa Deadwood dropbar bikepacking bike, I started doing more dirt and gravel road rides.
* 2-day, 100-mile Chambers County dirt road bikepacking trip
* 2-day Talladega Traverse bikepacking trip
* Skyway Beer Run #3
* 2-day Bull's Gap to Cheaha ride
* Standard Deluxe Dirt Road metric century
On pavement, there were numerous single day and 2-day rail trail rides, and several multi-day rides:
* 4-day Auburn to Gulf Shores beach bike tour
* 5-day Anniston-Atlanta-Anniston trip in September
* 5-day Anniston-Atlanta-Anniston ride in December
* 7-day RAGBRAI (492 miles and 21,750 feet of elevation)
While I only made it 310 of the #366daysofbiking, I managed to ride approx 7,000 miles in 2016, including 11 centuries, with 1,000+ mile months in May, July and August, and scored 1st place in the National Bike Challenge for state of Alabama (My buddy Bob came in 2nd place. Auburn cyclists had 4 spots out of the top 10 in the state).
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