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

I'm Gonna Need A Bigger Goal

When I started really getting into bicycling this spring I decided I was going to set a goal of doing 300 miles on my bike this year.  After my ride yesterday I am now at 312 miles.  I guess it's time to set a new goal.

Yesterday's ride not only broke my yearly goal, it set a new record for most miles in a day at 52, breaking my previous ride record of 36 miles.  So what made me ride so far?  A brewery of course.  Deep River Brewing Company in Clayton.

Steve and I were riding last week when we ran into some other riders who told us it was doable mostly by trail and it quickly became our next ride.  We left yesterday around 10am and got there just before they opened at 1.  We took a quick trip down to the grocery store for some sandwiches and went back to the brewery for a few pints before our trip back.

The ride was gorgeous.  It was also hot as hell in some spots but what do you expect when riding in the midday sun on roads with no shade.  Most of the trip was on the greenway trails.  We had a few miles in Clayton on the roads to get to the brewery, including a ball busting hill where the climb was almost two miles, there was no shoulder and traffic was going by at 45 mph.  It was intense but good to get used to riding in areas like that.  Most cars give you plenty of space because they tend to not want a bicyclist hood ornament.

I think the beers were extra tasty because we worked so hard to get there.  I swear half the ride I was just thinking how great it was to be out on the trails with my buddy enjoying the day.  At least until the way home when I spent a lot of time cursing the hills and the head wind we were pushing through but it was so worth it.