A Grand Year

2015 was the year of the bike for me.  I really fell in love with cycling this past year and I'm pretty sure it's a love that is going to last a lifetime.  I started the year off with a goal of doing 300 miles in the year and by July I had hit my goal.  So I upped my goal, bought a new bike and put the pedal(s) down.  I ended the year at a total of 1,022 miles!

I started off this year by riding right around my birthday.  March 17 ended up being unseasonably warm, well maybe not unseasonably, since here in NC it's not that unusual for a 70 degree March day.  Steve and I had a great ride through Umstead Park and it was a great way to celebrate my b-day.

Birthday ride

 After my birthday ride, I didn't ride again until May 6th.  I've never been a winter rider.  In fact if the weather was basically perfect I didn't really ride.  This year I'm working on changing that.  I want to be able to ride in any condition.

Crank Arm Group ride

I somehow skipped riding in April and didn't start again until May.  That's when Steve and I did our first Crank Arm Brewery ride.  It was my first group ride and actually a lot of fun.  The rides are on Wednesday in the evening after work and I've got to meet some cool people and hang out at what has become my favorite Raleigh brewery.

A cemetery with a grocery store built around it. Odd.

 Once June hit I really started going down the rabbit hole of biking.  I started riding 3 or 4 times a week and for longer distance.  When I went out to Seattle over the summer I had one thing on my list of things to: bike.

A Seattle rental ride.

 In July I had my first wreck.  Wet trail, a curve and too much speed are a bad combination.  It was a short ride to Lowe's that turned into a bit of a bloody mess.  The people at Lowe's must have been wondering where the hell I came from.  I knew getting into cycling that this was going to happen eventually, especially considering my tendency to be somewhat accident prone.  But even on that day, I wasn't going to let a little blood stop me from my riding.  I kept up the rides, adding in little runs like to the bank, the grocery store or anywhere else I could ride instead of drive.

My first bike crash.

 July also marked my longest ride of the year.  Steve and I did just over 52 miles down to Deep River Brewery in Clayton.  It was an amazing summer day, pretty damn hot too but the long country trails along the Neuse River made for some gorgeous scenery.   

White picket fences and country trails.

 In the last days of July I made a trip up to NYC to see a friend and meet up with Steve.  Once again I was
determined to make sure I got a bike ride in.  Steve and I spent a Saturday afternoon biking through the boroughs of New York, going over the bridge to Brooklyn and back, fighting throngs of NYC tourist and crazy cabbies.  It was one of the best rides of the year.

NYC

 In August I decided it was time to get a new bike.  My old Fuji was starting to breakdown.  I fixed the crank arm when it broke but when the brakes started wearing down I knew it was time to make the Fuji my backup bike.  I had a lot of great rides on that bike but it was time to move on.

My Fuji.

 With my new bike, Arch, I hit the roads and really started eating up the miles.  Thirty mile loops through Umstead have become the norm.  I love this new bike and it was worth every penny I paid.

New bike. I'm in love.

Crank Arm's grain grinding machine is a beast but good training.

 I started doing night rides this year.  Another type of riding that I'm starting to enjoy.

Night time rides.

 I logged over 100 miles in the week I was at the beach.  I took both bikes so I could get a few rides in with my sister and we had two nice morning rides together.

Topsail Island rides

 I really fell in love with Fall rides.  The colors man, the colors.  These are the days where Umstead Park seemed like it was just a piece of heaven that had fallen to Earth.

Fall ride

Football season means the Terrible Towel comes along.

 This year I stopped letting the cold stop me.  Just gotta bundle up, baby.  And I get to look like a ninja.

Gearing up for winter rides.

If it's got 2 wheels I'm going to try and ride it.

Raleigh

So that was my year on my bikes.  I spent over 82 hours in the saddle this year and it was very therapeutic.  There is just something about being outside, having the smells of fresh flowers, fires burning, grass being cut that makes you feel in touch with the world.  You're not stuck behind some windshield that blocks out the world.  It's hard to describe but it's where I want to be.

And now I'm off to start 2016 on the right foot.  Or should I say the right pedal? Let's ride.