Has anyone heard anything solid about the 2013 challenge? I have 1 March on my calendar as the start of the warm-up period.
The Garmin import worked - finally- hope it continues! Thanks!
Well, Endo still will not download from garmin 800. I'm liking the Strava account- also free.
Still cannot get Endo to import from Garmin- just set up a Strava account- will see how that goes......
Like Bob said, keep pedaling!! I have taken a few days off work lately to help my wife with her http://handmaidenstore.com business, so my mileage is down a bit. Plus, my work-from-home day got changed to Monday and it's hard to get up early and ride on a cold Monday morning. ;-) But, I'm still plugging away.
I'll soon have even more reason to bike to work. We just found out this week that the new Braves stadium will be built right across the street from our office. It'll be nice to ride past all those gridlocked autos that'll soon be tying up the roads there.
I had a bit of a road warrior (i.e., driving) phase in late Sept and throughout October, but am back to my normal bike only mode again. Need to get some longer rides in but back to my normal biking almost every day mode. Glad to see you page 1 guys continuing to grind it out, too.
Looks like Endo may have some more import issues... I'm riding, but miles are not showing up... Will check it out this weekend....
Keep pedaling, Frank!
Amazing how people fall away after "The Challenge" ends. I am having a mediocre November and am in the top 300 nationally. I wouldn't be in the top 1500 during the Summer frenzy. This is my favorite part of Endomondo. When I can charge up the rankings while not working particularly hard. Cheap thrills. I've even gone past Bullet Ben Allen in the Savannah standings, now that he seems to have quit logging his manic mileage.
Welcome, Peggy
YAY....we made it to the first page......:)
Congrats to Daniel McKinley for leading the Ga Bikes team, and for winning a Planet Bike light from the Nat Bike Challenge!
Thanks, fellow velocitizens!
thank you all, for the encouragement you have been to help me keep pedaling! it's always fun, but a little friendly competition is very good motivation! it is great to see so many other folks cycling,-- the more folks that get out there, the safer our roads will be for all! thank you, Brent Buice, for what you do thru GA BIKES for all of us!
This was much more of a challenge this year. Congrats to all but our two king of the hills. PCP's, Wayne Hospedales for first place Ga and Sharon Thompson for first place women in Ga. AWESOME.
As I sit here trying to recover, it is with fond memories of doing 663.7 miles in three days and crossing the State of Georgia twice this past week. Maybe next year I can get more Randonneurs to log their miles as well.
Final day of the Challenge. Thanks to all of you for your enthusiastic participation! We'll have a blog post re-capping the overall top cities, teams, and riders on GeorgiaBikes.org very soon. Ride on!
Let's hear it for Daniel McKinley of team GA Bikes. Daniel knocked out a cool 755 miles last week. Absolutely awesome.
Awwww. Not easy to watch everybody else biking. My role with Bike Campaign last few years had me riding in the lead police car for the Midnight Garden Ride helping coordinate ride control and cleaning up the party site the morning after instead of riding the Savannah Century. Got to ride in the mob this year (with a bike mounted stereo) and rode the Century. It is definitely more fun to be on the pedalling end of things. Sun gonnna shine round your door once more, Lonnie. Get yourself mended and think how sweet it will be.
Think that is bad he helped me at home base on the Nut Roll and I thought he was going to cry when the ride went off. He has never not ridden a ride he attended.
Richard> Oh, man, bummer. I looked at Lonnie's profile and saw he was a mega-commuter which always impresses me. Good luck, Lonnie. I know you'll be out there cranking out the miles again soon. It'll only seem like forever.
Frank , Lonnie hurt his leg and was put on a no riding sabbatical. He is a big time commuter . Good Luck. This has truely been a challenge.
Who knows Lonnie Wormley? I notice I am about to catch him and earlier in the Challenge that certainly didn't look likely or even possible. Lonnie, hope things are well with and you get back to kicking my butt. I was hoping for top 15 in GA this year, but don't want to back into it either.
i am hopeful we all meet somewhere mutual and enjoy the ride and fellowship
Richard, it sounds like you all put on a good ride, if a little Nutty. I was considering riding it but decided to ride the BBC (http://bikebbc.com) this Saturday instead. It's a lot closer to home and unfortunately I could not take the time to ride both - although I'd sure like to.
Richard, glad to hear of a successful ride, and wish I could have been there, but we are in Charlotte with the kids, and going to VA Mon. (with my bike, of course!). Met up with a small group in Charlotte Sun pm and rode a few miles with them.
Thnaks so much to Benny and Ali for coming to the Nut Roll in Albany , Ga It was a great turnout. The weather was on our side and the add on of music was a big hit.
I did not get to ride even a mile for the last two days but took one for the team. Looks like bob and eric have put some distance in there. That will be a challenge. :) Thanks to all who came out.
That's not going to happen!
Eric, Nata director is the one running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. I am however trying to figure out how I am going to get my mileage this sat. Hoping one day we can all meet at a ride somewhere.
Richard, will you get to ride the Nut Roll, or will you be too busy with your Director duties?
Nut Roll 2013. we rode the course today and two new roads have been repaved. AWESOME. The sam short train was in Plains and a bussling crowd for a beautiful day. Peanut butter soft serve in Plains is the best. Bill Doering and Jeff Davies did there first Century today. We are looking forward to all who can come.
Benny, I agree with the glitch it seems to be on the National side. I logged miles yesterday and never recorded on National but did everywhere else.
Bob , I will tell the home office for sure. Semi's and clearance are the biggest factor in the bike riding saga. The cool part is all the north florida drivers come to the facility I manage. they see me ride at lunch riding and it gives me an opportunity to personalize the problem with them all.
>Richard Thompson- 2 of your milk trucks passed me on US 27,eastbound, between Waukeenah and Capps, FL, at 9:45 this morning. They were more than a mile apart, under the speed limit, and both changed lanes for me, I was in the bike lane. Please pass my kudos to them! (Even the cows were smiling!) (See my route under my profile-workouts) Keep pedaling, Thanks!
Congratulations to Richard and PCP. I really thought BMC was going to grab August, but the Endomondo/Garmin glitch really caught us unaware leaving many of our rides near the end of the month uncounted. Heck, if you look on the National leaderboard we are ahead of you by a little and both teams have more points than on the local. But for all I know, your team may have been impacted as much as ours. I hope they can get their act together soon.
Wow, Eric, that's a hell of a month. I feel like a piker dawdling in with a piddling 650-ish. If that cat hadn't taken me down and I hadn't felt the need to taper a bit before Sunday's century, I would have got over 700 but still would have been piddly. Good on you.
Thanks PCP members for getting out there and making an effort to pull us back into first place. Finally got a break in the weather.
Eric, we too have been camping with the family . Doing the beach at Destin. It is such a delicate balance between wanting to bike and explore and spending time with the grandchildren. Good job. Last month push.
Aw man! Two more laps around Stone Mountain on Saturday would've pushed me over 1,000 miles in August. I *knew* I was close! Oh well. It's a good thing that I didn't have Internet access while camping with my family this weekend. I might've spoiled a bit of our family time and spent too much time on my bicycle. It was a perfect balance as it was.
Just in from my first ever Century. Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noonday sun. And bicyclists. A pretty cool experience. The organizers of the Savannah Century do an incredible job.
Hmmmm, if 17 Savannahians who are registered in the Century on Sunday complete the big trip, we could do that. Not betting on it.
Dang sandbaggers! 2,000 points in a day? I thought we had a shot at running the table for August.
Happy birthday Frank. Hit Diamond for your birthday. Enjoy the holiday y'all
Benny> My Garmin does the same, defaulting to running. They should know I can't run! Hope they fix that, since this is the "Bike" Challenge!
Sharon> may have to wait until I retire to do the Nut Roll- this year I'm planning on vacation to VA at that time.
Frank> I'm not gonna rush your birthday- they come too fast, as is!
Thanks, Sharon.
My rides are now uploading completely, but it is defaulting to running and I'm having to change them to cycling via ediit.
Bob> Frank> always the second Saturday in Sept. Hope to see you both next year. And early Birthday wishes Frank
Endo has fixed the Garmin loading issue- thanks!
Sharon>at a memorial service for the eldest of my 1st cousins. When my herd of 1sts gathers it is always fun, but the dude we're mourning was pretty darn cool. Have to join you someday for the Roll if it's around this time every year. My birthday is the 13th. (Friday the 13th this year.)
Sharon> The Nut Roll is a ride I have wanted to do for a while, but, alas, it seems a schedule conflict arises as I'll be heading to VA then. I have ridden out from Albany, and there are some excellent roads there.
Daniel> Regarding Garmin- it works that way; thank you! After logging (just) miles manually so long, then learning to import the whole workout directly; I did not want to go back to logging manually. Thanks so much.
Hey everyone, wanted to invite all to come and join us in Albany for The Nut Roll, Sept 14th. pecancitypedalers.org. Please help spread the word. Great ride and some GOOD MILEAGE :)
Mama said I can't sing, but I've gone platinuuuuuuuum!!!!!
@Bob: Motivation? You're one of the reasons I keep trying so hard! I'm glad the contest is going through September this year; I think I'm going to need the extra time to catch up. Somebody has to be the rabbit for the hounds to chase, and right now it's you. (And then Sharon, if we can stay ahead of Richard!)
@Frank: I guess you can call my mileage commute miles--after all, I do--but since the direct route is 18 miles each way, some of my mileage arguably could be classified as sport. It's simpler to just enter it all as commute and since there are no bonus points for commute miles, it really doesn't impact the challenge how their classified. Either way, I'm sure having fun!
Regarding Garmin, you can still directly upload the .fit file using the import file feature. /Garmin/Activities folder
@Brent- I thought it was pretty good, too!!! I need to talk more with him!
Found out Endo is having a problem downloading workouts from Garmin- it gets to "saving workouts" and just hangs up.... saw some comments on National page. Hope they get it fixed soon!
@Bob: that's FANTASTIC to hear!
Frank and Eric>> You are definitely motivating some other folks like myself! Thanks for promoting GA BIKES!
Was talking to one of my city commissioners today, and he is pushing for "Bike-Friendly Community" status for Douglas (we have a long way to go) due to meeting Brent at a meeting in Savannah in June. You never know what kind of influence you can have on somebody- I had no idea he even went to stuff like that!
I'm only top ten if you just look at standings via the local tab. If you go to national tab, then to state, then to GA, then to leaderboard, you find some more people between me and top ten, including one of my biking buddies from Savannah. (You, by the way, are securely in the top ten.) Between my trip to Europe and some contract work I'll be doing in September, I'm really just hoping to make top 15. I have a very good August going even with cat crash (on pace for personal best monthly mileage), so glad I'm still kicking it for team GA Bikes. Thanks for the good thoughts. As ever, I'm totally wowed by your prodigious commuting mileage.
@Frank: Welcome back to top 10.
@Bob: I'd rather ride through steady, light rain like this morning's commute.
I'm gonna quit reading about animal/bike combo's.... bad combinations.....
I sense something sinister here: THE ATTACK OF THE SUICIDAL BIKE CRASHING ANIMALS.
I killed my 1st squirrel while riding about a week ago. Poor guy sprinted right into my front wheel, got caught between tire & fender. :/
I'm sure I would have crashed if I hadn't been riding an all steel tank of a bike.
I ran over a squirrel many years ago going fast down a hill. I couldn't brake or avoid without injuring myself. The squirrel didn't survive.
I'm a cat person and have always admired their blazing quickness. When it positions them under one's front wheel, however, it is not such an admirable trait. Bike seems to be okay. Brake lever was all torqued over toward middle of bike, but I just laid the bike on its side in a way that allowed me to put a foot on the frame and then just tugged it back into position. Rode home about 5 miles and didn't notice anything out of shape. It's been needing a checkup/tuneup for the Savannah Century on Sept 1, so I suppose this is extra motivation. Helmet (cracked on side toward impact) was probably due for retirement so heading to replace it right now. Helpful hints: if you bleed through your shirt at dinner following a bike crash, a soak in hydrogen peroixide and liquid laundry detergent does a great job of almost completely removing the stains. Just a faint memory on the elbow of one of my favorite shirts.
Ouch!!! Thank God for helmets. My life has been saved by them more times than I care to recall. Glad you're relatively uninjured. How's the bike? I broke a brake lever last year in a similar run-in (literally) with a cat.
Talk about your heavy-handed irony, I just rode home from a fairly impressive crash caused by a young cat bolting underneath my wheels. And then having managed to cross my path safely, doubling back (I thought only squirrels did that) and taking me down. I, for one, will never, ever try to herd a cat with a bicycle. I'm okay. A little bit of road pizza on my elbow and knee, but remarkably intact. Helmet absolutely saved me from a trip to the emergency room.
Brent, you've invented a new sport!
Frank, you inspired a new phrase: "like herding cats...by bicycle"
Good on you, Brent. Toddler toting may be the most noble of transport uses because the arrival of children is often a reason people stop cycling. I keep trying to figure out how to take my cats to the vet and always decide it will be too hard on all of us and crank up Truckie and go. (I also rationalize it by saying that I only drive my truck about once a month, so he needs the work anyway.)
Moving in on platinum, one toddler-toting commute at a time!
Good idea, Frank. C'mon Bill!
Major, major kudos to Bill Hanger down in Valdosta, with about 60% of his 4500+ miles as transportation. Bill, if you get tired of riding solo, there might be a spot on the Ga Bikes! squad for you. Maybe we could hold off the thundering herd from CBTC.
Hear hear, Frank!
I would like to say some words of praise for the Georgia Bikes! squad for its having the highest percentage of transportation miles of any of the teams near the top of Ga's leaderboard. Better than double the next squad if (a failing) memory serves. It's great to go out and roll up miles, but when they substitute for car miles, it's twice as great. Kudos to all the mega-commuters out there. Working from memory, but Eric Quackenbush, Lonnie Wormsley and Daniel McKinley come to mind among team affiliated riders. I like to think I'm a bike-transpo warrior, but you folks kick my butt. And I like it.
Bob>I lived at Isle of Hope from ages 6-17. Sort of like growing up at summer camp. Started riding my bike to Isle of Hope Elementary in grade 2, so I've been bike commuting for about a half century at this point. We usually rode Bluff Drive part of the way to school. There were gaps in my bike career, but I got off to a good start.
Frank> How 'bout that! Yes, I was on Bluff Dr- real nice, a lot of folks out walking, but no other bikes. I went out to Dutch Is, but, watching the clock, had to head back before reaching the end. Go to my profile page, and click workouts, and my route is posted there. Started at WM 605/Sams on Montgomery Cross Rd.
Eric>glad everyone was okay, but nothing like a car (or bike) crash to make you go "doh."
Bob>dadgummit, we need to go riding sometime when you're in the hood. McIntosh Dr. is named for my folks who were original settlers on the island. I would have loved to have taken you down to the end of Island Drive where my folks lived. Hope you got to Bluff Drive. One of the really scenic rides anywhere.
Thanks, Bob. I hear ya about starting in the rain. I don't really mind it so much if it's a light drizzle, but it sure is tough to head out into a downpour -- especially when there's a car available. I have done it, but it doesn't take much to talk me out of it!
Eric> Sorry to hear of your incident, but glad nobody hurt- I cannot get on the bike and head out into rain, but if I get caught in the rain while riding, it's different!
Frank> I was riding on McIntosh Dr on the "Isle Of Hope" off Skidaway Rd this morning, and thought I might see you riding on your road! Will post my route later....
Amen, Bill
Rain, Rain go away!
I drove in to work yesterday. I let the combination of heavy morning rain and forecasted thunderstorms for the afternoon ride scare me off the bike. It was only the third time in nearly three months that I drove.
Well, it turned out to be sunny for the drive home AND I was involved in a collision. (Worse yet, it was my fault.) Fortunately nobody was hurt and the vehicles are drivable, so it could've been worse.
Anyway, I'm back on the bike again today! Maybe I'll just leave my truck parked until winter.
I've been riding to work three times a week. Brings a smile to my face whenever I do have to get in my car knowing that it's been sitting more than me.
Woot! Closing in on Platinum this month - not bad for a lowly, slowly moving commuter guy ;-)
Tom, again. Oops, if you haven't done the National thing before, after clicking that you have to go to States, thence to GA. After that you should see all scores that are being reported.
Tom, might be the problem with local/national leaderboard. Try clicking on National and see if they manifest then.
Anybody experiencing any weirdness uploading workouts today? It seemed to upload fine but isn't showing up in the challenge mileage/points.
Finally got internet to log some miles- hard to get miles with all the rain!
Hey Bob, Thanks for the encouragement. You know, I was only kidding about laying off the bike to let me catch up! :)
>Bob. Thanks, good to be back home and in the saddle again. Looks like a lot of y'all had the hammer down pretty good while I was gone. Looks like my dreams of being on the Georgia Endomondo Team Time Trial squad (top 8) are pretty well shot. Well, Ga Bikes has my pledge that I will give it all I got the rest of the way. I tend to do my heaviest biking a lot in the hot months. I'll try to give y'all a good lead out.
>Frank- Good to see you back! I was wondering where you went....
>Eric- You are moving up rapidly! Good job! GA Bikes appreciates your hard work!
Whoa! CBTC just pulled ahead of team Georgia Bikes. Way to go, flatlanders! ;-)
Now if Bob DeCamp goes on vacation for a couple weeks I can move up another notch but those Wing Nuts are going to be hard to catch.
@Frank: Well, I suppose that's an excused absence. :) It sounds like a good time was had by all. Welcome back!
Welcome back, Frank! I've been to Bruges, and I'll second everything you said. "Venice of the north" is also a great place to get a decent beer and chocolate.
Thanks for checking on me Eric. Just back from 10 days in NJ (family wedding) and Europe. Never got on a bike once. Walked miles and miles most every day, so my legs feel great. Looking forward to trying to climb back into the peleton. For what it's worth, I was in Paris, Bruges and Brussels, where I attended a family reunion with my Belgian relations. Bruges is the most bike-friendly place I've ever seen--about 5 bikes for every car--but it is also so pretty and compact that it is absolutely the most pleasant walking city you could ever visit.
Anybody hear from Frank? It's not like him to miss 2 days in a row, let alone a whole week!
great job again to Wayne Hopedales for the king of the hill in June
Good on you, Lonnie! I had an Endomondo malfunction so had to manually log 6.5 miles of my 8 miler today. Was really curious about my pace & burned cals on this ride too :/
Good on you, Lonnie! I had an Endomondo malfunction so had to manually log 6.5 miles of my 8 miler today. Was really curious about my pace & burned cals on this ride too :/
Thank you to "Play It Again Sports" of Grove City, OH, who sold me a bike Wed and took it back Thurs just so I did not have to miss 2 days of riding. Could not find a rental bike, so they worked with me on this deal! Thank you! Never been here before, but had a couple of nice rides!
Thank you to "Play It Again Sports" of Grove City, OH, who sold me a bike Wed and took it back Thurs just so I did not have to miss 2 days of riding. Could not find a rental bike, so they worked with me on this deal! Thank you! Never been here before, but had a couple of nice rides!
Spoke too soon. I am 110.
working my way back into the top 100. Started the week at 145 for the challenge period. Today I am 118.
Spoke too soon. I am 110.
working my way back into the top 100. Started the week at 145 for the challenge period. Today I am 118.
Nationally, we have three teams in the top 75, with the teams from Milledgeville and Albany in the top 40 - woohoo! Keep it up, y'all. :D
Nationally, we have three teams in the top 75, with the teams from Milledgeville and Albany in the top 40 - woohoo! Keep it up, y'all. :D
Brent, you missed Douglas :( ; but thanks for all you do to promote safety between cyclists and motorists. I could compete with you on geographical diversity, however, it is very enjoyable to ride in a different place most days!
I wish there was a category for broadest geographical diversity of rides. I think I would have won based on this past week! In order, I logged rides in Columbus, Americus, Albany, Valdosta, Tifton, St. Simons Island, Jekyll Island, and Savannah. Southwest, south, and coastal GA are truly great places to ride. Many thanks to all the gracious hosts and "tour guides" I met along the way!
Brent, you missed Douglas :( ; but thanks for all you do to promote safety between cyclists and motorists. I could compete with you on geographical diversity, however, it is very enjoyable to ride in a different place most days!
I wish there was a category for broadest geographical diversity of rides. I think I would have won based on this past week! In order, I logged rides in Columbus, Americus, Albany, Valdosta, Tifton, St. Simons Island, Jekyll Island, and Savannah. Southwest, south, and coastal GA are truly great places to ride. Many thanks to all the gracious hosts and "tour guides" I met along the way!
Saw a beautiful 3 foot long black snake crossing the street on my commute yesterday. Made sure he got into the woods so he wouldn't get run over. Cycling has its great nature moments.
Saw a beautiful 3 foot long black snake crossing the street on my commute yesterday. Made sure he got into the woods so he wouldn't get run over. Cycling has its great nature moments.
Just logged my BRAG Miles!
Just logged my BRAG Miles!
Well my first BRAG is over and I completed 463 miles, wonderful experience but definatley out of my comfort zone with sleeping arrangements. Thank you to my wonderful husband Richard who drove to St. Marys and cheered me in, what a fabulous feeling. I met lots of great people. Bob it was great to finally meet you and it was very gracious of you to ride with us. Benny a very great pleasure as well. Thursday we rode in the rain and I experienced my only flat of the week but that will also go down in memory with rain, rear tire, dirty, tired and showing Misty tire changing 101 at the same time. Done, not too bad if I say so myself. Brent so happy to meet you and Thank you for coming to Albany last night we had a great time I hope Pecan City Pedalers can help GA Bikes make an impact in Albany.
Had a blast meeting the Pecan City Pedalers last night! Y'all are wonderful hosts.
Well my first BRAG is over and I completed 463 miles, wonderful experience but definatley out of my comfort zone with sleeping arrangements. Thank you to my wonderful husband Richard who drove to St. Marys and cheered me in, what a fabulous feeling. I met lots of great people. Bob it was great to finally meet you and it was very gracious of you to ride with us. Benny a very great pleasure as well. Thursday we rode in the rain and I experienced my only flat of the week but that will also go down in memory with rain, rear tire, dirty, tired and showing Misty tire changing 101 at the same time. Done, not too bad if I say so myself. Brent so happy to meet you and Thank you for coming to Albany last night we had a great time I hope Pecan City Pedalers can help GA Bikes make an impact in Albany.
Had a blast meeting the Pecan City Pedalers last night! Y'all are wonderful hosts.
Just logged my BRAG miles ... sorry I didn't meet up with any of the rest of you (not that I knew it, anyway). Glad we shared the journey, though!
Just logged my BRAG miles ... sorry I didn't meet up with any of the rest of you (not that I knew it, anyway). Glad we shared the journey, though!
>Diana, you were doing a great job, and the great company made the miles fly by!
>Diana, you were doing a great job, and the great company made the miles fly by!
Thanks Bob for pulling me into the 104! finish!!!!
Thanks Bob for pulling me into the 104! finish!!!!
>Benny- That was a good ride in spite of the shake and bake! You musta been way ahead of me- I was late getting there. It's fun to put faces on the names we see here, and BRAG was an excellent opportunity. Wish I could ride the rest of the week, but can't... :(
>Benny- That was a good ride in spite of the shake and bake! You musta been way ahead of me- I was late getting there. It's fun to put faces on the names we see here, and BRAG was an excellent opportunity. Wish I could ride the rest of the week, but can't... :(
I also had the pleasure of meeting Sharon and Diana on BRAG after the century ride. What a great ride that was!
I also had the pleasure of meeting Sharon and Diana on BRAG after the century ride. What a great ride that was!
What a treat to meet and ride with Sharon Thompson and Diana Kirbo on the BRAG century ride! Thanks, yall!!
What a treat to meet and ride with Sharon Thompson and Diana Kirbo on the BRAG century ride! Thanks, yall!!
I'll see some of you on BRAG on Wed in Douglas- still unsure if i can ride Thurs to Wayx......... Keep pedaling!
Yeah Eric and add to the fact that Brag started yesterday with a huge turnout. Work wins every time. Those folks will get close to 400 miles if they select the hammer option. I droped Sharon off yesterday and the parking lot was standing room only.
Competition is definitely stiffer this year compared to last. I'll see about June but it isn't off to a great start because I didn't ride over the weekend. Perhaps I can make it up by Friday. I sure do hate getting dropped.
I'll see some of you on BRAG on Wed in Douglas- still unsure if i can ride Thurs to Wayx......... Keep pedaling!
Yeah Eric and add to the fact that Brag started yesterday with a huge turnout. Work wins every time. Those folks will get close to 400 miles if they select the hammer option. I droped Sharon off yesterday and the parking lot was standing room only.
Competition is definitely stiffer this year compared to last. I'll see about June but it isn't off to a great start because I didn't ride over the weekend. Perhaps I can make it up by Friday. I sure do hate getting dropped.
Whoops, Ed Jewell was, of course, second to Daniel McKinley on Ga Bikes! Daniel likened himself to an old Ford, as I recall: a little slow to start but awesome once rolling.
While we're kudoing, let's give it up for Ed Jewell, leading the Ga Bikes! squad with a tad over 1,000 miles for the month. And let's give it up for Georgia. Sure seems like a lot stronger competition than last year. I beat last year's May by 110 miles and barely snuck into top ten with 55 miles on last day of month and 31 days in the saddle. Good on you all.
Whoops, Ed Jewell was, of course, second to Daniel McKinley on Ga Bikes! Daniel likened himself to an old Ford, as I recall: a little slow to start but awesome once rolling.
While we're kudoing, let's give it up for Ed Jewell, leading the Ga Bikes! squad with a tad over 1,000 miles for the month. And let's give it up for Georgia. Sure seems like a lot stronger competition than last year. I beat last year's May by 110 miles and barely snuck into top ten with 55 miles on last day of month and 31 days in the saddle. Good on you all.
Good work, Pecan City Pedalers!
Good work, Pecan City Pedalers!
Congrats to Wayne Hospedales for being the winner for the month of May. Glad were on your team . Over 1500 miles
Congrats to Wayne Hospedales for being the winner for the month of May. Glad were on your team . Over 1500 miles
Made it a darn competiton Michelle!
Made it a darn competiton Michelle!
Thanks Brent, Albany is working it with some great participation. Go Pecan City Pedalers.
Pecan City Pedalers: In awe and appreciation of your outstanding showing in the Challenge in May, I'll be bringing all two dozen of you a custom GA Bikes/Terrapin pint glass when I'm in Albany on June 9th. Stop by the Manor House at Merry Acres Inn & Event Center on June 9th from 7-9 PM to pick yours up, and keep up the impressive pace!
Thanks Brent, Albany is working it with some great participation. Go Pecan City Pedalers.
Pecan City Pedalers: In awe and appreciation of your outstanding showing in the Challenge in May, I'll be bringing all two dozen of you a custom GA Bikes/Terrapin pint glass when I'm in Albany on June 9th. Stop by the Manor House at Merry Acres Inn & Event Center on June 9th from 7-9 PM to pick yours up, and keep up the impressive pace!
Cycling pays off in so many ways, today while commuting to work on my bike I found $5 in the street.
Cycling pays off in so many ways, today while commuting to work on my bike I found $5 in the street.
Managed 3 quick rides while in At in-laws on Glenn Shealy's old cruiser :)
Managed 3 quick rides while in At in-laws on Glenn Shealy's old cruiser :)
Daniel, You're in GA! Me too, but closer to Macon and WR
Daniel, You're in GA! Me too, but closer to Macon and WR
Glad to have you on the team, Daniel!
Glad to have you on the team, Daniel!
Hopefully I'll be like a good old Ford (Bless my maternal Grandfather); slow to get started but keeps on running. Griffin Rides was a day late in their recruiting efforts so Georgia Bikes will have to root me on this weekend!
Hopefully I'll be like a good old Ford (Bless my maternal Grandfather); slow to get started but keeps on running. Griffin Rides was a day late in their recruiting efforts so Georgia Bikes will have to root me on this weekend!
I wondered how long it would take Bob DeCamp and Daniel McKinley to run me down. It appears to have pretty much happened yesterday. Team Georgia Bikes! getting up to speed here.
I wondered how long it would take Bob DeCamp and Daniel McKinley to run me down. It appears to have pretty much happened yesterday. Team Georgia Bikes! getting up to speed here.
Off work again, and out riding, so I biked to work again! Just not directly.......:)
Off work again, and out riding, so I biked to work again! Just not directly.......:)
I was off work today, so I "biked to work" while out riding!
I was off work today, so I "biked to work" while out riding!
Happy Bike to Work Day! We had an excellent turnout on a beautiful morning in Athens for our event at Daily Groceries on Prince Ave - many thanks to BikeAthens for coordinating the event and to Jittery Joe's Coffee and Daily for the refreshments.
Happy Bike to Work Day! We had an excellent turnout on a beautiful morning in Athens for our event at Daily Groceries on Prince Ave - many thanks to BikeAthens for coordinating the event and to Jittery Joe's Coffee and Daily for the refreshments.
I biked to work today... and yesterday... and the day before... and the day before...
grin
Actually my 17.5 mile direct route was causing me to fall behind considerably so I've been exploring some creative options. The city of Roswell is a great place to ride (the mayor's an avid cyclist) so I've been including a bit of it in my routes.
I biked to work today... and yesterday... and the day before... and the day before...
grin
Actually my 17.5 mile direct route was causing me to fall behind considerably so I've been exploring some creative options. The city of Roswell is a great place to ride (the mayor's an avid cyclist) so I've been including a bit of it in my routes.
I biked to work on the 8th (while on vacation) thinking it was bike to work day...
then I found out it was bike to school day.... I better just stick to biking while "working"...
Thanks, Brent, for the GA Bikes! coca cola glass! Nice!
@Doug: <thumbs up!>
I biked to work on the 8th (while on vacation) thinking it was bike to work day...
then I found out it was bike to school day.... I better just stick to biking while "working"...
Thanks, Brent, for the GA Bikes! coca cola glass! Nice!
@Doug: <thumbs up!>
It's National Bike to Work Week and I bike-commuted today. Feels good! (Now I think I'll put something in my Georgia Bikes! pint glass <grin>.)
It's National Bike to Work Week and I bike-commuted today. Feels good! (Now I think I'll put something in my Georgia Bikes! pint glass <grin>.)
Since I've had my Ortlieb waterproof panniers, I haven't minded that as much as I used to. :)
Since I've had my Ortlieb waterproof panniers, I haven't minded that as much as I used to. :)
Don't you hate when you are out riding and get caught in a heavy down pour.
Don't you hate when you are out riding and get caught in a heavy down pour.
Heads up to all you supporters of a bike friendly GA: if you become a member of Georgia Bikes in May, you'll receive a custom Terrapin Brewing Company pint glass, a copy of our Bicyclist Pocket Guide, and a hi-vis velcro leg band! Join by May 31 at http://georgiabikes.org/index.php/support/join
Heads up to all you supporters of a bike friendly GA: if you become a member of Georgia Bikes in May, you'll receive a custom Terrapin Brewing Company pint glass, a copy of our Bicyclist Pocket Guide, and a hi-vis velcro leg band! Join by May 31 at http://georgiabikes.org/index.php/support/join
For anyone in the Atlanta area, the Mobile Social and Atlanta Moon Ride for Big Bert's Adventure this Friday. http://www.themobilesocial.com/ and http://atlantamoonride.com/ .
Also, there's the New Belgium Tour de Fat the very next day. Get your bicycle and let's go have fun!
For anyone in the Atlanta area, the Mobile Social and Atlanta Moon Ride for Big Bert's Adventure this Friday. http://www.themobilesocial.com/ and http://atlantamoonride.com/ .
Also, there's the New Belgium Tour de Fat the very next day. Get your bicycle and let's go have fun!
Wow! Warthen, GA in zip code 31094 with a population around 1,100 is going to be tough to beat. Even with just a single rider posting to the challenge, Warthen is running away with the community category. Glad the other two riders I know of there are not posting. :)
I'm glad you're tracking on that, Brent. I wouldn't figure that out in twenty years. It would be nice to have Ben and other SBCers on the board. Nice to have some locals to knock heads with.
Wow! Warthen, GA in zip code 31094 with a population around 1,100 is going to be tough to beat. Even with just a single rider posting to the challenge, Warthen is running away with the community category. Glad the other two riders I know of there are not posting. :)
I'm glad you're tracking on that, Brent. I wouldn't figure that out in twenty years. It would be nice to have Ben and other SBCers on the board. Nice to have some locals to knock heads with.
The Savannah team must be showing up on the statewide leaderboard at all because a member of the team lives outside the zip codes that define the local Challenge SBC has going on. My guess is it's Neil Usher, based on how the points match up. I'll ask the League folks who can see what's up with the coding on their end.
It's because Savannah has its own local challenge this year. You can only see Savannah folks if you look at GA's stats via the National view. The "local" view is everywhere outside of the city of Savannah, theoretically. When I look at the full statewide #s via the National view, I see Ben as #6, just ahead of you. The local view excludes Savannhians (unless you're in Savannah, in which case that's all you should see).
Our friends at the Savannah Bicycle Campaign are not registering on the leaderboard and the team seems to be woefully undercounted in the team standings. Ben Allen should be ahead of me in individual standings, for instance. Any ideas on how to cure this injustice, Brent?
The Savannah team must be showing up on the statewide leaderboard at all because a member of the team lives outside the zip codes that define the local Challenge SBC has going on. My guess is it's Neil Usher, based on how the points match up. I'll ask the League folks who can see what's up with the coding on their end.
It's because Savannah has its own local challenge this year. You can only see Savannah folks if you look at GA's stats via the National view. The "local" view is everywhere outside of the city of Savannah, theoretically. When I look at the full statewide #s via the National view, I see Ben as #6, just ahead of you. The local view excludes Savannhians (unless you're in Savannah, in which case that's all you should see).
Our friends at the Savannah Bicycle Campaign are not registering on the leaderboard and the team seems to be woefully undercounted in the team standings. Ben Allen should be ahead of me in individual standings, for instance. Any ideas on how to cure this injustice, Brent?
way to go, Brent! I had to grab 2 miles last night the same way in a lull in the same monsoon! It's beautiful today, though!
Aha! Break in the monsoon - got in a quick 2 miles in the 'hood.
way to go, Brent! I had to grab 2 miles last night the same way in a lull in the same monsoon! It's beautiful today, though!
Due to rain & work travel, no riding for me until Wed at the earliest. My pedals miss me, and I them.
Aha! Break in the monsoon - got in a quick 2 miles in the 'hood.
Due to rain & work travel, no riding for me until Wed at the earliest. My pedals miss me, and I them.
For what it's worth, GA is 25th nationally so far and did slightly worse than that last year as I recall. The contest in Ga didn't seem to kick in in earnest until BRAG last year but we need to get busy. Don't want to peak too early but it would be nice to see Ga in the top ten. (Population rank is 9th--so that would seem a reasonable goal.) I would like personally to finish in the top ten in Ga again this year, but if the serious riders out there got with the Challenge, I shouldn't be in the top ten. Sign up your friends, from hammerheads to occasional noodlers. I know Ga is better than 25th.
For what it's worth, GA is 25th nationally so far and did slightly worse than that last year as I recall. The contest in Ga didn't seem to kick in in earnest until BRAG last year but we need to get busy. Don't want to peak too early but it would be nice to see Ga in the top ten. (Population rank is 9th--so that would seem a reasonable goal.) I would like personally to finish in the top ten in Ga again this year, but if the serious riders out there got with the Challenge, I shouldn't be in the top ten. Sign up your friends, from hammerheads to occasional noodlers. I know Ga is better than 25th.
Michael> from here- click "Leaderboard" at the top- if you are registered in Ga, click "local", (and it will show just Ga) , there is a little box for "Teams" above the rider list. Then join Georgia Bikes team! That's an invite to support a great cycling advocacy group!
Michael> from here- click "Leaderboard" at the top- if you are registered in Ga, click "local", (and it will show just Ga) , there is a little box for "Teams" above the rider list. Then join Georgia Bikes team! That's an invite to support a great cycling advocacy group!
Are above the numbers just for the state of Georgia? How can we see the list of Georgia teams and how they compare?
Are above the numbers just for the state of Georgia? How can we see the list of Georgia teams and how they compare?
I should have! Thanks for coming out, Doug.
I should have! Thanks for coming out, Doug.
Brent was tooling around the Terrapin Brewery garden on a sweet vintage Raleigh Sports this evening at the Georgia Bikes! Percentage Night at Terrapin. Wonder if he's going to log those tenths.... <grin>
Top 10 in Ga! Sadly, that will not last long. lol. Had to get a little distance in before the rain this weekend.
Brent was tooling around the Terrapin Brewery garden on a sweet vintage Raleigh Sports this evening at the Georgia Bikes! Percentage Night at Terrapin. Wonder if he's going to log those tenths.... <grin>
Top 10 in Ga! Sadly, that will not last long. lol. Had to get a little distance in before the rain this weekend.
>Terry Landreth-- join the Ga Bikes! team! (please!) and bring the Camden bunch with you!
@Alex - sadly, you can only see the Challenge stats via a web browser. The app just feeds the data to the Challenge. You can see your personal history, but not Challeneg-related points or rankings on your phone (unless you go to the site via your mobile browser).
>Terry Landreth-- join the Ga Bikes! team! (please!) and bring the Camden bunch with you!
This challenge doesn't display in the Endomondo app. Does anyone have a link to help me do this?
@Alex - sadly, you can only see the Challenge stats via a web browser. The app just feeds the data to the Challenge. You can see your personal history, but not Challeneg-related points or rankings on your phone (unless you go to the site via your mobile browser).
This challenge doesn't display in the Endomondo app. Does anyone have a link to help me do this?
@Anthony - nice! Last year, I definitely found that the Challenge prompted me to "take the scenic route" more than a few times.
Well, broke my previous record for monthly total miles. Let's make May even better! I've done the same for my commute route. Shortest route is 3.5 miles, and longest so far planned is 18 miles. :)
@Anthony - nice! Last year, I definitely found that the Challenge prompted me to "take the scenic route" more than a few times.
Last week was family vacation time. I'm looking forward to trying to be competitive. I'm already mapping out longer commute routes. :-)
A very merry NBC-eve to you all! Have fun, ride safely, and ride often! :D
Well well last day for the training wheels. I look at the list of folks who are bringing there A game and got to say the only one I am worried about is my wife Sharon Thompson. She is putting war paint on today. Stay thirsty my friends.
Well, broke my previous record for monthly total miles. Let's make May even better! I've done the same for my commute route. Shortest route is 3.5 miles, and longest so far planned is 18 miles. :)
Last week was family vacation time. I'm looking forward to trying to be competitive. I'm already mapping out longer commute routes. :-)
A very merry NBC-eve to you all! Have fun, ride safely, and ride often! :D
Well well last day for the training wheels. I look at the list of folks who are bringing there A game and got to say the only one I am worried about is my wife Sharon Thompson. She is putting war paint on today. Stay thirsty my friends.
We start again Wednesday with a clean slate. Happy riding all. Bring it!
We start again Wednesday with a clean slate. Happy riding all. Bring it!
no internet all week, and busy getting ready for the Relay For Life Bike Ride in the morning - come join us in Coffee County for a metric century + !
no internet all week, and busy getting ready for the Relay For Life Bike Ride in the morning - come join us in Coffee County for a metric century + !
Despite GA Bikes statewide constituency, BCM is not going down without a fight. ;-)
But on the community front, Milledgeville plans to keep this lead and grow it. You ain't seen nothing yet! :D
Despite GA Bikes statewide constituency, BCM is not going down without a fight. ;-)
But on the community front, Milledgeville plans to keep this lead and grow it. You ain't seen nothing yet! :D
'Ut oh Brent looks like our Pecan Pedalers Wing Nuts here in Albany will have to step it up. Your all going to give us a run this year.
@Daniel - thanks for joining team GA Bikes! Watch out, Milledgeville & Albany, we're a contender this year! ;-)
'Ut oh Brent looks like our Pecan Pedalers Wing Nuts here in Albany will have to step it up. Your all going to give us a run this year.
@Daniel - thanks for joining team GA Bikes! Watch out, Milledgeville & Albany, we're a contender this year! ;-)
Glad to see Daniel McKinley on Ga Bikes! squad. Ought to be at least a great battle for 2nd team in GA now and maybe even a fight for first. Brent, I'm happy to throw in totally with GaBikes! As noted, I'm trying to recruit some hosses from down in Savannah. There are one or two of my buddies down here who could definitely make it real intresting. There are a couple of other folks down here who would be real useful to GaBikes! squad who are riding more or less solo and was hoping to bring them on board without their having to abandon their other team.
I think I just joined GA Bikes team... I hope to help add the miles for the challenge.
Glad to see Daniel McKinley on Ga Bikes! squad. Ought to be at least a great battle for 2nd team in GA now and maybe even a fight for first. Brent, I'm happy to throw in totally with GaBikes! As noted, I'm trying to recruit some hosses from down in Savannah. There are one or two of my buddies down here who could definitely make it real intresting. There are a couple of other folks down here who would be real useful to GaBikes! squad who are riding more or less solo and was hoping to bring them on board without their having to abandon their other team.
I think I just joined GA Bikes team... I hope to help add the miles for the challenge.
@Frank, I don't believe you can ride for more than one team. Best case is your stats will feed the city of Savannah's stats...unless you want to create 2 profiles and ride twice as often. ;-)
Frank don't feel alone I am trying to recruit and get our folks to ride more so we can catch Albany lol
I've been recruiting mightily for GaBikes! Thought if we gathered an army of competent riders of all ilks we might have a shot at Milledgeville or even, dare we hope, Albany. I think it take a few dozen of us to catch either of those but a man can dream.
Question has come up whether someone may ride for more than one team. I'd like to split loyalities between Savannah and GaBikes! if that is possible but haven'tt noticed a button that allows that. Do you have anything on that, Brent?
Glad to see some new riders joining the Georgia crew! A few important reminders:
1) Right now, we're in the "warm up" period. Your points will be re-set to zero on May 1st when the Challenge officially begins.
2) You *must* record your rides to gain points in the Challenge. You can do it manually on this site, through the free Endomondo app for your smartphone, or you can upload ride data from a Garmin.
3) The Challenge ain't just for roadies! Regular commuters can rack up points too, even if your ride is just a few miles. You get plenty of points for riding often ...of course, if you ride 50 miles a day, you'll blow us all away! :)
@Frank, I don't believe you can ride for more than one team. Best case is your stats will feed the city of Savannah's stats...unless you want to create 2 profiles and ride twice as often. ;-)
Frank don't feel alone I am trying to recruit and get our folks to ride more so we can catch Albany lol
I've been recruiting mightily for GaBikes! Thought if we gathered an army of competent riders of all ilks we might have a shot at Milledgeville or even, dare we hope, Albany. I think it take a few dozen of us to catch either of those but a man can dream.
Question has come up whether someone may ride for more than one team. I'd like to split loyalities between Savannah and GaBikes! if that is possible but haven'tt noticed a button that allows that. Do you have anything on that, Brent?
Glad to see some new riders joining the Georgia crew! A few important reminders:
1) Right now, we're in the "warm up" period. Your points will be re-set to zero on May 1st when the Challenge officially begins.
2) You *must* record your rides to gain points in the Challenge. You can do it manually on this site, through the free Endomondo app for your smartphone, or you can upload ride data from a Garmin.
3) The Challenge ain't just for roadies! Regular commuters can rack up points too, even if your ride is just a few miles. You get plenty of points for riding often ...of course, if you ride 50 miles a day, you'll blow us all away! :)
Come ride with us anytime, Frank. We do have some great roads to ride. You should have been here last Saturday for the April Fools Ride.
Sorry, Jim, I just now figured out all I had to do was accept Brent's invitation and I joined Ga Bikes! a few minutes ago. Of course, we haven't signed the contract yet, so if Milledgeville could sweeten the deal, you guys were pretty darn strong last year and everyone wants to play for a winner. Nah, I couldn't do that to Brent but thanks for the offer. I do want to come ride some of the rollers up around M'ville somewhere along the line. That looks like some wonderful bicycling country.
Come ride with us anytime, Frank. We do have some great roads to ride. You should have been here last Saturday for the April Fools Ride.
Sorry, Jim, I just now figured out all I had to do was accept Brent's invitation and I joined Ga Bikes! a few minutes ago. Of course, we haven't signed the contract yet, so if Milledgeville could sweeten the deal, you guys were pretty darn strong last year and everyone wants to play for a winner. Nah, I couldn't do that to Brent but thanks for the offer. I do want to come ride some of the rollers up around M'ville somewhere along the line. That looks like some wonderful bicycling country.
Frank if you looking for a team bicycle club of Milledgeville could use you
Brent>
GA Bikes! link doesn't seem to be active. LAB and KC look live but I can't seem to push your button. (Well, I mean in a manly, team-joining sort of way.)
Brent>I'll sign right up.
Thanks!
You should see the "Join Team" button over on the right side of the screen on your "Home" page. Frank, I will happily invite you directly to the GB team. One of the changes Endomondo made this year is that teams don't have a membership cap.
Frank if you looking for a team bicycle club of Milledgeville could use you
Brent>
GA Bikes! link doesn't seem to be active. LAB and KC look live but I can't seem to push your button. (Well, I mean in a manly, team-joining sort of way.)
Brent>I'll sign right up.
Thanks!
You should see the "Join Team" button over on the right side of the screen on your "Home" page. Frank, I will happily invite you directly to the GB team. One of the changes Endomondo made this year is that teams don't have a membership cap.
Well, I left the garmin in the truck, so will have to wait to log some miles............
Brent> thanks for supporting safe cycling in Ga- it's an honor to pedal for GA Bikes! and thank you for all you do! :)
Frank> would love to have you join the GA Bikes! team!
Eric> you can join us, too, or set up a new team, but I don't know how to do that.....
Well, I left the garmin in the truck, so will have to wait to log some miles............
Brent> thanks for supporting safe cycling in Ga- it's an honor to pedal for GA Bikes! and thank you for all you do! :)
Frank> would love to have you join the GA Bikes! team!
Eric> you can join us, too, or set up a new team, but I don't know how to do that.....
I don't see the settings to join a team. They were here last year but now I can't find them.
Yo, Brent. Maybe I should join Ga Bikes!, if there are slots available. Team Savannah didn't seem particularly involved last year.
I don't see the settings to join a team. They were here last year but now I can't find them.
Yo, Brent. Maybe I should join Ga Bikes!, if there are slots available. Team Savannah didn't seem particularly involved last year.
Bob & Bo: Thanks for joining team Georgia Bikes. Y'all really boosted our numbers. :)
Bob & Bo: Thanks for joining team Georgia Bikes. Y'all really boosted our numbers. :)
Have been on the road monitoring properties for Georgia Land Trust and just logged last couple of weeks. Not that many miles last week--almost all of them were on dirt roads and trails--but I earned every point. Man, that was some hard riding. Much more efficient than hiking it like I used to do a few years ago. Looking forward to the official launch in May.
Have been on the road monitoring properties for Georgia Land Trust and just logged last couple of weeks. Not that many miles last week--almost all of them were on dirt roads and trails--but I earned every point. Man, that was some hard riding. Much more efficient than hiking it like I used to do a few years ago. Looking forward to the official launch in May.
Hi Everyone!! It's good to be back!
I tell folks all the time: I can ride in the cold and I can ride in the rain but I try to avoid cold rain.
It'll be harder to keep up this year. My new job is a 17.5 mile commute instead of 24. Maybe I'll get to ride a few more weekend days and earn those 20-point bonuses.
Hi Everyone!! It's good to be back!
I tell folks all the time: I can ride in the cold and I can ride in the rain but I try to avoid cold rain.
It'll be harder to keep up this year. My new job is a 17.5 mile commute instead of 24. Maybe I'll get to ride a few more weekend days and earn those 20-point bonuses.
I understand Bob. I wish I could have skipped those cold mornings but job says otherwise. Nothing like pedaling in 20 degree weather lol
I understand Bob. I wish I could have skipped those cold mornings but job says otherwise. Nothing like pedaling in 20 degree weather lol
Jim- I tried to take off a couple of cold mornings, but my bike made me get on it
later in the day :) Frank- I FINALLY figured how to import to Endo from Garmin, I like it!
Now try to remember to start (and stop) the timer!
Jim- I tried to take off a couple of cold mornings, but my bike made me get on it
later in the day :) Frank- I FINALLY figured how to import to Endo from Garmin, I like it!
Now try to remember to start (and stop) the timer!
Lol bob would you take a day off so I can at least try and catch you
Lol bob would you take a day off so I can at least try and catch you
Whoops, looks like next month is the official "warm up" month. Well, as noted, good to check in with the Challenge crowd. Noticed your thread regarding year round riding. I've averaged about 340 days a year in the saddle the last three years, so at least down here in sunny Savannah, year round is a definite possibility.
Whoops, looks like next month is the official "warm up" month. Well, as noted, good to check in with the Challenge crowd. Noticed your thread regarding year round riding. I've averaged about 340 days a year in the saddle the last three years, so at least down here in sunny Savannah, year round is a definite possibility.
Ditto what Jim says- welcome back Frank!
Ditto what Jim says- welcome back Frank!
Nice to see you back frank
Nice to see you back frank
Hey, folks. I've joined the warmup month. I rode almost 40 miles in snow flurries in Atlanta the other day, so I'm in with a vengeance. Probably did more climbing in a day than I have done in the last 5 years down here in the flatlands.
Hey, folks. I've joined the warmup month. I rode almost 40 miles in snow flurries in Atlanta the other day, so I'm in with a vengeance. Probably did more climbing in a day than I have done in the last 5 years down here in the flatlands.
Jim- I guess that's why they have a month warm-up-- to recruit more riders!
Bob look like it just me and you so far lol
Hot me riding solo :(
Jim- I guess that's why they have a month warm-up-- to recruit more riders!
Bob look like it just me and you so far lol
Hot me riding solo :(
Looks like you have to "join" the Nat Bike Challenge again this year, but then it put me in the same team as last year.
Looks like you have to "join" the Nat Bike Challenge again this year, but then it put me in the same team as last year.
Thanks Jim! These versions have been updated with info about the three-foot safe passing distance law, as well as other changes to Georgia vehicular code:
Law Enforcement Pocket Guide:
http://www.georgiabikes.org/images/stories/docs/2012_pocket_guide_web.pdf
Bicyclist Pocket Guide:
http://www.georgiabikes.org/images/stories/docs/bpg-web.pdf
http://www.gahighwaysafety.org/docs/gabicyclelawenforcementguide.pdf
The link above is pretty useful for a quick access to what law enforcement is taught in Georgia
They are saying May 1 will be official start to coincide with national bike month
Thanks Jim! These versions have been updated with info about the three-foot safe passing distance law, as well as other changes to Georgia vehicular code:
Law Enforcement Pocket Guide:
http://www.georgiabikes.org/images/stories/docs/2012_pocket_guide_web.pdf
Bicyclist Pocket Guide:
http://www.georgiabikes.org/images/stories/docs/bpg-web.pdf
http://www.gahighwaysafety.org/docs/gabicyclelawenforcementguide.pdf
The link above is pretty useful for a quick access to what law enforcement is taught in Georgia
They are saying May 1 will be official start to coincide with national bike month
Has anyone heard anything solid about the 2013 challenge? I have 1 March on my calendar as the start of the warm-up period.
The Garmin import worked - finally- hope it continues! Thanks!
The Garmin import worked - finally- hope it continues! Thanks!
Well, Endo still will not download from garmin 800. I'm liking the Strava account- also free.
Well, Endo still will not download from garmin 800. I'm liking the Strava account- also free.
Still cannot get Endo to import from Garmin- just set up a Strava account- will see how that goes......
Still cannot get Endo to import from Garmin- just set up a Strava account- will see how that goes......
Like Bob said, keep pedaling!! I have taken a few days off work lately to help my wife with her http://handmaidenstore.com business, so my mileage is down a bit. Plus, my work-from-home day got changed to Monday and it's hard to get up early and ride on a cold Monday morning. ;-) But, I'm still plugging away.
I'll soon have even more reason to bike to work. We just found out this week that the new Braves stadium will be built right across the street from our office. It'll be nice to ride past all those gridlocked autos that'll soon be tying up the roads there.
Like Bob said, keep pedaling!! I have taken a few days off work lately to help my wife with her http://handmaidenstore.com business, so my mileage is down a bit. Plus, my work-from-home day got changed to Monday and it's hard to get up early and ride on a cold Monday morning. ;-) But, I'm still plugging away.
I'll soon have even more reason to bike to work. We just found out this week that the new Braves stadium will be built right across the street from our office. It'll be nice to ride past all those gridlocked autos that'll soon be tying up the roads there.
I had a bit of a road warrior (i.e., driving) phase in late Sept and throughout October, but am back to my normal bike only mode again. Need to get some longer rides in but back to my normal biking almost every day mode. Glad to see you page 1 guys continuing to grind it out, too.
I had a bit of a road warrior (i.e., driving) phase in late Sept and throughout October, but am back to my normal bike only mode again. Need to get some longer rides in but back to my normal biking almost every day mode. Glad to see you page 1 guys continuing to grind it out, too.
Looks like Endo may have some more import issues... I'm riding, but miles are not showing up... Will check it out this weekend....
Keep pedaling, Frank!
Looks like Endo may have some more import issues... I'm riding, but miles are not showing up... Will check it out this weekend....
Keep pedaling, Frank!
Amazing how people fall away after "The Challenge" ends. I am having a mediocre November and am in the top 300 nationally. I wouldn't be in the top 1500 during the Summer frenzy. This is my favorite part of Endomondo. When I can charge up the rankings while not working particularly hard. Cheap thrills. I've even gone past Bullet Ben Allen in the Savannah standings, now that he seems to have quit logging his manic mileage.
Amazing how people fall away after "The Challenge" ends. I am having a mediocre November and am in the top 300 nationally. I wouldn't be in the top 1500 during the Summer frenzy. This is my favorite part of Endomondo. When I can charge up the rankings while not working particularly hard. Cheap thrills. I've even gone past Bullet Ben Allen in the Savannah standings, now that he seems to have quit logging his manic mileage.
Welcome, Peggy
Welcome, Peggy
YAY....we made it to the first page......:)
YAY....we made it to the first page......:)
Congrats to Daniel McKinley for leading the Ga Bikes team, and for winning a Planet Bike light from the Nat Bike Challenge!
Congrats to Daniel McKinley for leading the Ga Bikes team, and for winning a Planet Bike light from the Nat Bike Challenge!
Thanks, fellow velocitizens!
thank you all, for the encouragement you have been to help me keep pedaling! it's always fun, but a little friendly competition is very good motivation! it is great to see so many other folks cycling,-- the more folks that get out there, the safer our roads will be for all! thank you, Brent Buice, for what you do thru GA BIKES for all of us!
This was much more of a challenge this year. Congrats to all but our two king of the hills. PCP's, Wayne Hospedales for first place Ga and Sharon Thompson for first place women in Ga. AWESOME.
Thanks, fellow velocitizens!
As I sit here trying to recover, it is with fond memories of doing 663.7 miles in three days and crossing the State of Georgia twice this past week. Maybe next year I can get more Randonneurs to log their miles as well.
thank you all, for the encouragement you have been to help me keep pedaling! it's always fun, but a little friendly competition is very good motivation! it is great to see so many other folks cycling,-- the more folks that get out there, the safer our roads will be for all! thank you, Brent Buice, for what you do thru GA BIKES for all of us!
This was much more of a challenge this year. Congrats to all but our two king of the hills. PCP's, Wayne Hospedales for first place Ga and Sharon Thompson for first place women in Ga. AWESOME.
As I sit here trying to recover, it is with fond memories of doing 663.7 miles in three days and crossing the State of Georgia twice this past week. Maybe next year I can get more Randonneurs to log their miles as well.
Final day of the Challenge. Thanks to all of you for your enthusiastic participation! We'll have a blog post re-capping the overall top cities, teams, and riders on GeorgiaBikes.org very soon. Ride on!
Final day of the Challenge. Thanks to all of you for your enthusiastic participation! We'll have a blog post re-capping the overall top cities, teams, and riders on GeorgiaBikes.org very soon. Ride on!
Let's hear it for Daniel McKinley of team GA Bikes. Daniel knocked out a cool 755 miles last week. Absolutely awesome.
Let's hear it for Daniel McKinley of team GA Bikes. Daniel knocked out a cool 755 miles last week. Absolutely awesome.
My points don't seem to have registered for the last two days. Looking at my log, I should have about 70 points more. So, for those of you either ahead of me or behind me (I guess that would be everyone), I'm a little farther along than I appear. Don't know if anyone else is having this issue.
Awwww. Not easy to watch everybody else biking. My role with Bike Campaign last few years had me riding in the lead police car for the Midnight Garden Ride helping coordinate ride control and cleaning up the party site the morning after instead of riding the Savannah Century. Got to ride in the mob this year (with a bike mounted stereo) and rode the Century. It is definitely more fun to be on the pedalling end of things. Sun gonnna shine round your door once more, Lonnie. Get yourself mended and think how sweet it will be.
Awwww. Not easy to watch everybody else biking. My role with Bike Campaign last few years had me riding in the lead police car for the Midnight Garden Ride helping coordinate ride control and cleaning up the party site the morning after instead of riding the Savannah Century. Got to ride in the mob this year (with a bike mounted stereo) and rode the Century. It is definitely more fun to be on the pedalling end of things. Sun gonnna shine round your door once more, Lonnie. Get yourself mended and think how sweet it will be.
Think that is bad he helped me at home base on the Nut Roll and I thought he was going to cry when the ride went off. He has never not ridden a ride he attended.
Think that is bad he helped me at home base on the Nut Roll and I thought he was going to cry when the ride went off. He has never not ridden a ride he attended.
Richard> Oh, man, bummer. I looked at Lonnie's profile and saw he was a mega-commuter which always impresses me. Good luck, Lonnie. I know you'll be out there cranking out the miles again soon. It'll only seem like forever.
Richard> Oh, man, bummer. I looked at Lonnie's profile and saw he was a mega-commuter which always impresses me. Good luck, Lonnie. I know you'll be out there cranking out the miles again soon. It'll only seem like forever.
Frank , Lonnie hurt his leg and was put on a no riding sabbatical. He is a big time commuter . Good Luck. This has truely been a challenge.
Who knows Lonnie Wormley? I notice I am about to catch him and earlier in the Challenge that certainly didn't look likely or even possible. Lonnie, hope things are well with and you get back to kicking my butt. I was hoping for top 15 in GA this year, but don't want to back into it either.
Frank , Lonnie hurt his leg and was put on a no riding sabbatical. He is a big time commuter . Good Luck. This has truely been a challenge.
Who knows Lonnie Wormley? I notice I am about to catch him and earlier in the Challenge that certainly didn't look likely or even possible. Lonnie, hope things are well with and you get back to kicking my butt. I was hoping for top 15 in GA this year, but don't want to back into it either.
i am hopeful we all meet somewhere mutual and enjoy the ride and fellowship
i am hopeful we all meet somewhere mutual and enjoy the ride and fellowship
Richard, it sounds like you all put on a good ride, if a little Nutty. I was considering riding it but decided to ride the BBC (http://bikebbc.com) this Saturday instead. It's a lot closer to home and unfortunately I could not take the time to ride both - although I'd sure like to.
Richard, it sounds like you all put on a good ride, if a little Nutty. I was considering riding it but decided to ride the BBC (http://bikebbc.com) this Saturday instead. It's a lot closer to home and unfortunately I could not take the time to ride both - although I'd sure like to.
Richard, glad to hear of a successful ride, and wish I could have been there, but we are in Charlotte with the kids, and going to VA Mon. (with my bike, of course!). Met up with a small group in Charlotte Sun pm and rode a few miles with them.
Richard, glad to hear of a successful ride, and wish I could have been there, but we are in Charlotte with the kids, and going to VA Mon. (with my bike, of course!). Met up with a small group in Charlotte Sun pm and rode a few miles with them.
Thnaks so much to Benny and Ali for coming to the Nut Roll in Albany , Ga It was a great turnout. The weather was on our side and the add on of music was a big hit.
I did not get to ride even a mile for the last two days but took one for the team. Looks like bob and eric have put some distance in there. That will be a challenge. :) Thanks to all who came out.
Thnaks so much to Benny and Ali for coming to the Nut Roll in Albany , Ga It was a great turnout. The weather was on our side and the add on of music was a big hit.
I did not get to ride even a mile for the last two days but took one for the team. Looks like bob and eric have put some distance in there. That will be a challenge. :) Thanks to all who came out.
That's not going to happen!
That's not going to happen!
Eric, Nata director is the one running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. I am however trying to figure out how I am going to get my mileage this sat. Hoping one day we can all meet at a ride somewhere.
Eric, Nata director is the one running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. I am however trying to figure out how I am going to get my mileage this sat. Hoping one day we can all meet at a ride somewhere.
Richard, will you get to ride the Nut Roll, or will you be too busy with your Director duties?
Richard, will you get to ride the Nut Roll, or will you be too busy with your Director duties?
Nut Roll 2013. we rode the course today and two new roads have been repaved. AWESOME. The sam short train was in Plains and a bussling crowd for a beautiful day. Peanut butter soft serve in Plains is the best. Bill Doering and Jeff Davies did there first Century today. We are looking forward to all who can come.
Nut Roll 2013. we rode the course today and two new roads have been repaved. AWESOME. The sam short train was in Plains and a bussling crowd for a beautiful day. Peanut butter soft serve in Plains is the best. Bill Doering and Jeff Davies did there first Century today. We are looking forward to all who can come.
Benny, I agree with the glitch it seems to be on the National side. I logged miles yesterday and never recorded on National but did everywhere else.
Bob , I will tell the home office for sure. Semi's and clearance are the biggest factor in the bike riding saga. The cool part is all the north florida drivers come to the facility I manage. they see me ride at lunch riding and it gives me an opportunity to personalize the problem with them all.
Benny, I agree with the glitch it seems to be on the National side. I logged miles yesterday and never recorded on National but did everywhere else.
Bob , I will tell the home office for sure. Semi's and clearance are the biggest factor in the bike riding saga. The cool part is all the north florida drivers come to the facility I manage. they see me ride at lunch riding and it gives me an opportunity to personalize the problem with them all.
>Richard Thompson- 2 of your milk trucks passed me on US 27,eastbound, between Waukeenah and Capps, FL, at 9:45 this morning. They were more than a mile apart, under the speed limit, and both changed lanes for me, I was in the bike lane. Please pass my kudos to them! (Even the cows were smiling!) (See my route under my profile-workouts) Keep pedaling, Thanks!
>Richard Thompson- 2 of your milk trucks passed me on US 27,eastbound, between Waukeenah and Capps, FL, at 9:45 this morning. They were more than a mile apart, under the speed limit, and both changed lanes for me, I was in the bike lane. Please pass my kudos to them! (Even the cows were smiling!) (See my route under my profile-workouts) Keep pedaling, Thanks!
Congratulations to Richard and PCP. I really thought BMC was going to grab August, but the Endomondo/Garmin glitch really caught us unaware leaving many of our rides near the end of the month uncounted. Heck, if you look on the National leaderboard we are ahead of you by a little and both teams have more points than on the local. But for all I know, your team may have been impacted as much as ours. I hope they can get their act together soon.
Congratulations to Richard and PCP. I really thought BMC was going to grab August, but the Endomondo/Garmin glitch really caught us unaware leaving many of our rides near the end of the month uncounted. Heck, if you look on the National leaderboard we are ahead of you by a little and both teams have more points than on the local. But for all I know, your team may have been impacted as much as ours. I hope they can get their act together soon.
Wow, Eric, that's a hell of a month. I feel like a piker dawdling in with a piddling 650-ish. If that cat hadn't taken me down and I hadn't felt the need to taper a bit before Sunday's century, I would have got over 700 but still would have been piddly. Good on you.
Wow, Eric, that's a hell of a month. I feel like a piker dawdling in with a piddling 650-ish. If that cat hadn't taken me down and I hadn't felt the need to taper a bit before Sunday's century, I would have got over 700 but still would have been piddly. Good on you.
Thanks PCP members for getting out there and making an effort to pull us back into first place. Finally got a break in the weather.
Eric, we too have been camping with the family . Doing the beach at Destin. It is such a delicate balance between wanting to bike and explore and spending time with the grandchildren. Good job. Last month push.
Thanks PCP members for getting out there and making an effort to pull us back into first place. Finally got a break in the weather.
Eric, we too have been camping with the family . Doing the beach at Destin. It is such a delicate balance between wanting to bike and explore and spending time with the grandchildren. Good job. Last month push.
Aw man! Two more laps around Stone Mountain on Saturday would've pushed me over 1,000 miles in August. I *knew* I was close! Oh well. It's a good thing that I didn't have Internet access while camping with my family this weekend. I might've spoiled a bit of our family time and spent too much time on my bicycle. It was a perfect balance as it was.
Aw man! Two more laps around Stone Mountain on Saturday would've pushed me over 1,000 miles in August. I *knew* I was close! Oh well. It's a good thing that I didn't have Internet access while camping with my family this weekend. I might've spoiled a bit of our family time and spent too much time on my bicycle. It was a perfect balance as it was.
Just in from my first ever Century. Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noonday sun. And bicyclists. A pretty cool experience. The organizers of the Savannah Century do an incredible job.
Just in from my first ever Century. Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noonday sun. And bicyclists. A pretty cool experience. The organizers of the Savannah Century do an incredible job.
This site is still not ready for prime time.
Will my 80 points for today show up before midnight?
Hmmmm, if 17 Savannahians who are registered in the Century on Sunday complete the big trip, we could do that. Not betting on it.
Hmmmm, if 17 Savannahians who are registered in the Century on Sunday complete the big trip, we could do that. Not betting on it.
Dang sandbaggers! 2,000 points in a day? I thought we had a shot at running the table for August.
Dang sandbaggers! 2,000 points in a day? I thought we had a shot at running the table for August.
Happy birthday Frank. Hit Diamond for your birthday. Enjoy the holiday y'all
Happy birthday Frank. Hit Diamond for your birthday. Enjoy the holiday y'all
Benny> My Garmin does the same, defaulting to running. They should know I can't run! Hope they fix that, since this is the "Bike" Challenge!
Sharon> may have to wait until I retire to do the Nut Roll- this year I'm planning on vacation to VA at that time.
Frank> I'm not gonna rush your birthday- they come too fast, as is!
Benny> My Garmin does the same, defaulting to running. They should know I can't run! Hope they fix that, since this is the "Bike" Challenge!
Sharon> may have to wait until I retire to do the Nut Roll- this year I'm planning on vacation to VA at that time.
Frank> I'm not gonna rush your birthday- they come too fast, as is!
Thanks, Sharon.
My rides are now uploading completely, but it is defaulting to running and I'm having to change them to cycling via ediit.
Thanks, Sharon.
Bob> Frank> always the second Saturday in Sept. Hope to see you both next year. And early Birthday wishes Frank
My rides are now uploading completely, but it is defaulting to running and I'm having to change them to cycling via ediit.
Bob> Frank> always the second Saturday in Sept. Hope to see you both next year. And early Birthday wishes Frank
Endo has fixed the Garmin loading issue- thanks!
Endo has fixed the Garmin loading issue- thanks!
Sharon>at a memorial service for the eldest of my 1st cousins. When my herd of 1sts gathers it is always fun, but the dude we're mourning was pretty darn cool. Have to join you someday for the Roll if it's around this time every year. My birthday is the 13th. (Friday the 13th this year.)
Sharon>at a memorial service for the eldest of my 1st cousins. When my herd of 1sts gathers it is always fun, but the dude we're mourning was pretty darn cool. Have to join you someday for the Roll if it's around this time every year. My birthday is the 13th. (Friday the 13th this year.)
Sharon> The Nut Roll is a ride I have wanted to do for a while, but, alas, it seems a schedule conflict arises as I'll be heading to VA then. I have ridden out from Albany, and there are some excellent roads there.
Daniel> Regarding Garmin- it works that way; thank you! After logging (just) miles manually so long, then learning to import the whole workout directly; I did not want to go back to logging manually. Thanks so much.
Hey everyone, wanted to invite all to come and join us in Albany for The Nut Roll, Sept 14th. pecancitypedalers.org. Please help spread the word. Great ride and some GOOD MILEAGE :)
Sharon> The Nut Roll is a ride I have wanted to do for a while, but, alas, it seems a schedule conflict arises as I'll be heading to VA then. I have ridden out from Albany, and there are some excellent roads there.
Daniel> Regarding Garmin- it works that way; thank you! After logging (just) miles manually so long, then learning to import the whole workout directly; I did not want to go back to logging manually. Thanks so much.
Hey everyone, wanted to invite all to come and join us in Albany for The Nut Roll, Sept 14th. pecancitypedalers.org. Please help spread the word. Great ride and some GOOD MILEAGE :)
Mama said I can't sing, but I've gone platinuuuuuuuum!!!!!
Mama said I can't sing, but I've gone platinuuuuuuuum!!!!!
@Bob: Motivation? You're one of the reasons I keep trying so hard! I'm glad the contest is going through September this year; I think I'm going to need the extra time to catch up. Somebody has to be the rabbit for the hounds to chase, and right now it's you. (And then Sharon, if we can stay ahead of Richard!)
@Frank: I guess you can call my mileage commute miles--after all, I do--but since the direct route is 18 miles each way, some of my mileage arguably could be classified as sport. It's simpler to just enter it all as commute and since there are no bonus points for commute miles, it really doesn't impact the challenge how their classified. Either way, I'm sure having fun!
Regarding Garmin, you can still directly upload the .fit file using the import file feature. /Garmin/Activities folder
@Bob: Motivation? You're one of the reasons I keep trying so hard! I'm glad the contest is going through September this year; I think I'm going to need the extra time to catch up. Somebody has to be the rabbit for the hounds to chase, and right now it's you. (And then Sharon, if we can stay ahead of Richard!)
@Frank: I guess you can call my mileage commute miles--after all, I do--but since the direct route is 18 miles each way, some of my mileage arguably could be classified as sport. It's simpler to just enter it all as commute and since there are no bonus points for commute miles, it really doesn't impact the challenge how their classified. Either way, I'm sure having fun!
Regarding Garmin, you can still directly upload the .fit file using the import file feature. /Garmin/Activities folder
@Brent- I thought it was pretty good, too!!! I need to talk more with him!
Found out Endo is having a problem downloading workouts from Garmin- it gets to "saving workouts" and just hangs up.... saw some comments on National page. Hope they get it fixed soon!
@Bob: that's FANTASTIC to hear!
@Brent- I thought it was pretty good, too!!! I need to talk more with him!
Found out Endo is having a problem downloading workouts from Garmin- it gets to "saving workouts" and just hangs up.... saw some comments on National page. Hope they get it fixed soon!
@Bob: that's FANTASTIC to hear!
Frank and Eric>> You are definitely motivating some other folks like myself! Thanks for promoting GA BIKES!
Was talking to one of my city commissioners today, and he is pushing for "Bike-Friendly Community" status for Douglas (we have a long way to go) due to meeting Brent at a meeting in Savannah in June. You never know what kind of influence you can have on somebody- I had no idea he even went to stuff like that!
Frank and Eric>> You are definitely motivating some other folks like myself! Thanks for promoting GA BIKES!
Was talking to one of my city commissioners today, and he is pushing for "Bike-Friendly Community" status for Douglas (we have a long way to go) due to meeting Brent at a meeting in Savannah in June. You never know what kind of influence you can have on somebody- I had no idea he even went to stuff like that!
I'm only top ten if you just look at standings via the local tab. If you go to national tab, then to state, then to GA, then to leaderboard, you find some more people between me and top ten, including one of my biking buddies from Savannah. (You, by the way, are securely in the top ten.) Between my trip to Europe and some contract work I'll be doing in September, I'm really just hoping to make top 15. I have a very good August going even with cat crash (on pace for personal best monthly mileage), so glad I'm still kicking it for team GA Bikes. Thanks for the good thoughts. As ever, I'm totally wowed by your prodigious commuting mileage.
I'm only top ten if you just look at standings via the local tab. If you go to national tab, then to state, then to GA, then to leaderboard, you find some more people between me and top ten, including one of my biking buddies from Savannah. (You, by the way, are securely in the top ten.) Between my trip to Europe and some contract work I'll be doing in September, I'm really just hoping to make top 15. I have a very good August going even with cat crash (on pace for personal best monthly mileage), so glad I'm still kicking it for team GA Bikes. Thanks for the good thoughts. As ever, I'm totally wowed by your prodigious commuting mileage.
@Frank: Welcome back to top 10.
@Frank: Welcome back to top 10.
@Bob: I'd rather ride through steady, light rain like this morning's commute.
@Bob: I'd rather ride through steady, light rain like this morning's commute.
I'm gonna quit reading about animal/bike combo's.... bad combinations.....
I sense something sinister here: THE ATTACK OF THE SUICIDAL BIKE CRASHING ANIMALS.
I killed my 1st squirrel while riding about a week ago. Poor guy sprinted right into my front wheel, got caught between tire & fender. :/
I'm sure I would have crashed if I hadn't been riding an all steel tank of a bike.
I'm gonna quit reading about animal/bike combo's.... bad combinations.....
I sense something sinister here: THE ATTACK OF THE SUICIDAL BIKE CRASHING ANIMALS.
I killed my 1st squirrel while riding about a week ago. Poor guy sprinted right into my front wheel, got caught between tire & fender. :/
I'm sure I would have crashed if I hadn't been riding an all steel tank of a bike.
I ran over a squirrel many years ago going fast down a hill. I couldn't brake or avoid without injuring myself. The squirrel didn't survive.
I ran over a squirrel many years ago going fast down a hill. I couldn't brake or avoid without injuring myself. The squirrel didn't survive.
I'm a cat person and have always admired their blazing quickness. When it positions them under one's front wheel, however, it is not such an admirable trait. Bike seems to be okay. Brake lever was all torqued over toward middle of bike, but I just laid the bike on its side in a way that allowed me to put a foot on the frame and then just tugged it back into position. Rode home about 5 miles and didn't notice anything out of shape. It's been needing a checkup/tuneup for the Savannah Century on Sept 1, so I suppose this is extra motivation. Helmet (cracked on side toward impact) was probably due for retirement so heading to replace it right now. Helpful hints: if you bleed through your shirt at dinner following a bike crash, a soak in hydrogen peroixide and liquid laundry detergent does a great job of almost completely removing the stains. Just a faint memory on the elbow of one of my favorite shirts.
I'm a cat person and have always admired their blazing quickness. When it positions them under one's front wheel, however, it is not such an admirable trait. Bike seems to be okay. Brake lever was all torqued over toward middle of bike, but I just laid the bike on its side in a way that allowed me to put a foot on the frame and then just tugged it back into position. Rode home about 5 miles and didn't notice anything out of shape. It's been needing a checkup/tuneup for the Savannah Century on Sept 1, so I suppose this is extra motivation. Helmet (cracked on side toward impact) was probably due for retirement so heading to replace it right now. Helpful hints: if you bleed through your shirt at dinner following a bike crash, a soak in hydrogen peroixide and liquid laundry detergent does a great job of almost completely removing the stains. Just a faint memory on the elbow of one of my favorite shirts.
Ouch!!! Thank God for helmets. My life has been saved by them more times than I care to recall. Glad you're relatively uninjured. How's the bike? I broke a brake lever last year in a similar run-in (literally) with a cat.
Ouch!!! Thank God for helmets. My life has been saved by them more times than I care to recall. Glad you're relatively uninjured. How's the bike? I broke a brake lever last year in a similar run-in (literally) with a cat.
Talk about your heavy-handed irony, I just rode home from a fairly impressive crash caused by a young cat bolting underneath my wheels. And then having managed to cross my path safely, doubling back (I thought only squirrels did that) and taking me down. I, for one, will never, ever try to herd a cat with a bicycle. I'm okay. A little bit of road pizza on my elbow and knee, but remarkably intact. Helmet absolutely saved me from a trip to the emergency room.
Talk about your heavy-handed irony, I just rode home from a fairly impressive crash caused by a young cat bolting underneath my wheels. And then having managed to cross my path safely, doubling back (I thought only squirrels did that) and taking me down. I, for one, will never, ever try to herd a cat with a bicycle. I'm okay. A little bit of road pizza on my elbow and knee, but remarkably intact. Helmet absolutely saved me from a trip to the emergency room.
Brent, you've invented a new sport!
Brent, you've invented a new sport!
Frank, you inspired a new phrase: "like herding cats...by bicycle"
Frank, you inspired a new phrase: "like herding cats...by bicycle"
Good on you, Brent. Toddler toting may be the most noble of transport uses because the arrival of children is often a reason people stop cycling. I keep trying to figure out how to take my cats to the vet and always decide it will be too hard on all of us and crank up Truckie and go. (I also rationalize it by saying that I only drive my truck about once a month, so he needs the work anyway.)
Good on you, Brent. Toddler toting may be the most noble of transport uses because the arrival of children is often a reason people stop cycling. I keep trying to figure out how to take my cats to the vet and always decide it will be too hard on all of us and crank up Truckie and go. (I also rationalize it by saying that I only drive my truck about once a month, so he needs the work anyway.)
Moving in on platinum, one toddler-toting commute at a time!
Moving in on platinum, one toddler-toting commute at a time!
Good idea, Frank. C'mon Bill!
Major, major kudos to Bill Hanger down in Valdosta, with about 60% of his 4500+ miles as transportation. Bill, if you get tired of riding solo, there might be a spot on the Ga Bikes! squad for you. Maybe we could hold off the thundering herd from CBTC.
Good idea, Frank. C'mon Bill!
Major, major kudos to Bill Hanger down in Valdosta, with about 60% of his 4500+ miles as transportation. Bill, if you get tired of riding solo, there might be a spot on the Ga Bikes! squad for you. Maybe we could hold off the thundering herd from CBTC.
Hear hear, Frank!
Hear hear, Frank!
I would like to say some words of praise for the Georgia Bikes! squad for its having the highest percentage of transportation miles of any of the teams near the top of Ga's leaderboard. Better than double the next squad if (a failing) memory serves. It's great to go out and roll up miles, but when they substitute for car miles, it's twice as great. Kudos to all the mega-commuters out there. Working from memory, but Eric Quackenbush, Lonnie Wormsley and Daniel McKinley come to mind among team affiliated riders. I like to think I'm a bike-transpo warrior, but you folks kick my butt. And I like it.
I would like to say some words of praise for the Georgia Bikes! squad for its having the highest percentage of transportation miles of any of the teams near the top of Ga's leaderboard. Better than double the next squad if (a failing) memory serves. It's great to go out and roll up miles, but when they substitute for car miles, it's twice as great. Kudos to all the mega-commuters out there. Working from memory, but Eric Quackenbush, Lonnie Wormsley and Daniel McKinley come to mind among team affiliated riders. I like to think I'm a bike-transpo warrior, but you folks kick my butt. And I like it.
Bob>I lived at Isle of Hope from ages 6-17. Sort of like growing up at summer camp. Started riding my bike to Isle of Hope Elementary in grade 2, so I've been bike commuting for about a half century at this point. We usually rode Bluff Drive part of the way to school. There were gaps in my bike career, but I got off to a good start.
Bob>I lived at Isle of Hope from ages 6-17. Sort of like growing up at summer camp. Started riding my bike to Isle of Hope Elementary in grade 2, so I've been bike commuting for about a half century at this point. We usually rode Bluff Drive part of the way to school. There were gaps in my bike career, but I got off to a good start.
Frank> How 'bout that! Yes, I was on Bluff Dr- real nice, a lot of folks out walking, but no other bikes. I went out to Dutch Is, but, watching the clock, had to head back before reaching the end. Go to my profile page, and click workouts, and my route is posted there. Started at WM 605/Sams on Montgomery Cross Rd.
Frank> How 'bout that! Yes, I was on Bluff Dr- real nice, a lot of folks out walking, but no other bikes. I went out to Dutch Is, but, watching the clock, had to head back before reaching the end. Go to my profile page, and click workouts, and my route is posted there. Started at WM 605/Sams on Montgomery Cross Rd.
Eric>glad everyone was okay, but nothing like a car (or bike) crash to make you go "doh."
Bob>dadgummit, we need to go riding sometime when you're in the hood. McIntosh Dr. is named for my folks who were original settlers on the island. I would have loved to have taken you down to the end of Island Drive where my folks lived. Hope you got to Bluff Drive. One of the really scenic rides anywhere.
Thanks, Bob. I hear ya about starting in the rain. I don't really mind it so much if it's a light drizzle, but it sure is tough to head out into a downpour -- especially when there's a car available. I have done it, but it doesn't take much to talk me out of it!
Eric>glad everyone was okay, but nothing like a car (or bike) crash to make you go "doh."
Bob>dadgummit, we need to go riding sometime when you're in the hood. McIntosh Dr. is named for my folks who were original settlers on the island. I would have loved to have taken you down to the end of Island Drive where my folks lived. Hope you got to Bluff Drive. One of the really scenic rides anywhere.
Eric> Sorry to hear of your incident, but glad nobody hurt- I cannot get on the bike and head out into rain, but if I get caught in the rain while riding, it's different!
Frank> I was riding on McIntosh Dr on the "Isle Of Hope" off Skidaway Rd this morning, and thought I might see you riding on your road! Will post my route later....
Bob>I lived at Isle of Hope from ages 6-17. Sort of like growing up at summer camp. Started riding my bike to Isle of Hope Elementary in grade 2, so I've been bike commuting for about a half century at this point. We usually rode Bluff Drive part of the way to school. There were gaps in my bike career, but I got off to a good start.
Thanks, Bob. I hear ya about starting in the rain. I don't really mind it so much if it's a light drizzle, but it sure is tough to head out into a downpour -- especially when there's a car available. I have done it, but it doesn't take much to talk me out of it!
Eric> Sorry to hear of your incident, but glad nobody hurt- I cannot get on the bike and head out into rain, but if I get caught in the rain while riding, it's different!
Frank> I was riding on McIntosh Dr on the "Isle Of Hope" off Skidaway Rd this morning, and thought I might see you riding on your road! Will post my route later....
Amen, Bill
Frank> How 'bout that! Yes, I was on Bluff Dr- real nice, a lot of folks out walking, but no other bikes. I went out to Dutch Is, but, watching the clock, had to head back before reaching the end. Go to my profile page, and click workouts, and my route is posted there. Started at WM 605/Sams on Montgomery Cross Rd.
Amen, Bill
Rain, Rain go away!
Rain, Rain go away!
I drove in to work yesterday. I let the combination of heavy morning rain and forecasted thunderstorms for the afternoon ride scare me off the bike. It was only the third time in nearly three months that I drove.
Well, it turned out to be sunny for the drive home AND I was involved in a collision. (Worse yet, it was my fault.) Fortunately nobody was hurt and the vehicles are drivable, so it could've been worse.
Anyway, I'm back on the bike again today! Maybe I'll just leave my truck parked until winter.
I drove in to work yesterday. I let the combination of heavy morning rain and forecasted thunderstorms for the afternoon ride scare me off the bike. It was only the third time in nearly three months that I drove.
Well, it turned out to be sunny for the drive home AND I was involved in a collision. (Worse yet, it was my fault.) Fortunately nobody was hurt and the vehicles are drivable, so it could've been worse.
Anyway, I'm back on the bike again today! Maybe I'll just leave my truck parked until winter.
I've been riding to work three times a week. Brings a smile to my face whenever I do have to get in my car knowing that it's been sitting more than me.
Woot! Closing in on Platinum this month - not bad for a lowly, slowly moving commuter guy ;-)
I've been riding to work three times a week. Brings a smile to my face whenever I do have to get in my car knowing that it's been sitting more than me.
Woot! Closing in on Platinum this month - not bad for a lowly, slowly moving commuter guy ;-)
Tom, again. Oops, if you haven't done the National thing before, after clicking that you have to go to States, thence to GA. After that you should see all scores that are being reported.
Tom, might be the problem with local/national leaderboard. Try clicking on National and see if they manifest then.
Tom, again. Oops, if you haven't done the National thing before, after clicking that you have to go to States, thence to GA. After that you should see all scores that are being reported.
Tom, might be the problem with local/national leaderboard. Try clicking on National and see if they manifest then.
Anybody experiencing any weirdness uploading workouts today? It seemed to upload fine but isn't showing up in the challenge mileage/points.
Anybody experiencing any weirdness uploading workouts today? It seemed to upload fine but isn't showing up in the challenge mileage/points.
Finally got internet to log some miles- hard to get miles with all the rain!
Finally got internet to log some miles- hard to get miles with all the rain!
Hey Bob, Thanks for the encouragement. You know, I was only kidding about laying off the bike to let me catch up! :)
Hey Bob, Thanks for the encouragement. You know, I was only kidding about laying off the bike to let me catch up! :)
Hey Bob, Thanks for the encouragement. You know, I was only kidding about laying off the bike to let me catch up! :)
>Bob. Thanks, good to be back home and in the saddle again. Looks like a lot of y'all had the hammer down pretty good while I was gone. Looks like my dreams of being on the Georgia Endomondo Team Time Trial squad (top 8) are pretty well shot. Well, Ga Bikes has my pledge that I will give it all I got the rest of the way. I tend to do my heaviest biking a lot in the hot months. I'll try to give y'all a good lead out.
>Bob. Thanks, good to be back home and in the saddle again. Looks like a lot of y'all had the hammer down pretty good while I was gone. Looks like my dreams of being on the Georgia Endomondo Team Time Trial squad (top 8) are pretty well shot. Well, Ga Bikes has my pledge that I will give it all I got the rest of the way. I tend to do my heaviest biking a lot in the hot months. I'll try to give y'all a good lead out.
>Frank- Good to see you back! I was wondering where you went....
>Eric- You are moving up rapidly! Good job! GA Bikes appreciates your hard work!
>Frank- Good to see you back! I was wondering where you went....
>Eric- You are moving up rapidly! Good job! GA Bikes appreciates your hard work!
Whoa! CBTC just pulled ahead of team Georgia Bikes. Way to go, flatlanders! ;-)
Whoa! CBTC just pulled ahead of team Georgia Bikes. Way to go, flatlanders! ;-)
Now if Bob DeCamp goes on vacation for a couple weeks I can move up another notch but those Wing Nuts are going to be hard to catch.
@Frank: Well, I suppose that's an excused absence. :) It sounds like a good time was had by all. Welcome back!
Welcome back, Frank! I've been to Bruges, and I'll second everything you said. "Venice of the north" is also a great place to get a decent beer and chocolate.
Thanks for checking on me Eric. Just back from 10 days in NJ (family wedding) and Europe. Never got on a bike once. Walked miles and miles most every day, so my legs feel great. Looking forward to trying to climb back into the peleton. For what it's worth, I was in Paris, Bruges and Brussels, where I attended a family reunion with my Belgian relations. Bruges is the most bike-friendly place I've ever seen--about 5 bikes for every car--but it is also so pretty and compact that it is absolutely the most pleasant walking city you could ever visit.
Now if Bob DeCamp goes on vacation for a couple weeks I can move up another notch but those Wing Nuts are going to be hard to catch.
@Frank: Well, I suppose that's an excused absence. :) It sounds like a good time was had by all. Welcome back!
Welcome back, Frank! I've been to Bruges, and I'll second everything you said. "Venice of the north" is also a great place to get a decent beer and chocolate.
Thanks for checking on me Eric. Just back from 10 days in NJ (family wedding) and Europe. Never got on a bike once. Walked miles and miles most every day, so my legs feel great. Looking forward to trying to climb back into the peleton. For what it's worth, I was in Paris, Bruges and Brussels, where I attended a family reunion with my Belgian relations. Bruges is the most bike-friendly place I've ever seen--about 5 bikes for every car--but it is also so pretty and compact that it is absolutely the most pleasant walking city you could ever visit.
I'll be in Athens all day Monday attending my son's orientation at UGA. Hoping to sneak out for a short bike ride at some point if I can find a bike. Any suggestions? I normally ride a 58cm road bike or 19" MTB, but can be flexible for a short ride.
Anybody hear from Frank? It's not like him to miss 2 days in a row, let alone a whole week!
Anybody hear from Frank? It's not like him to miss 2 days in a row, let alone a whole week!
great job again to Wayne Hopedales for the king of the hill in June
great job again to Wayne Hopedales for the king of the hill in June
Good on you, Lonnie! I had an Endomondo malfunction so had to manually log 6.5 miles of my 8 miler today. Was really curious about my pace & burned cals on this ride too :/
Thank you to "Play It Again Sports" of Grove City, OH, who sold me a bike Wed and took it back Thurs just so I did not have to miss 2 days of riding. Could not find a rental bike, so they worked with me on this deal! Thank you! Never been here before, but had a couple of nice rides!
Spoke too soon. I am 110.
working my way back into the top 100. Started the week at 145 for the challenge period. Today I am 118.
Nationally, we have three teams in the top 75, with the teams from Milledgeville and Albany in the top 40 - woohoo! Keep it up, y'all. :D
Brent, you missed Douglas :( ; but thanks for all you do to promote safety between cyclists and motorists. I could compete with you on geographical diversity, however, it is very enjoyable to ride in a different place most days!
I wish there was a category for broadest geographical diversity of rides. I think I would have won based on this past week! In order, I logged rides in Columbus, Americus, Albany, Valdosta, Tifton, St. Simons Island, Jekyll Island, and Savannah. Southwest, south, and coastal GA are truly great places to ride. Many thanks to all the gracious hosts and "tour guides" I met along the way!
Saw a beautiful 3 foot long black snake crossing the street on my commute yesterday. Made sure he got into the woods so he wouldn't get run over. Cycling has its great nature moments.
Just logged my BRAG Miles!
Well my first BRAG is over and I completed 463 miles, wonderful experience but definatley out of my comfort zone with sleeping arrangements. Thank you to my wonderful husband Richard who drove to St. Marys and cheered me in, what a fabulous feeling. I met lots of great people. Bob it was great to finally meet you and it was very gracious of you to ride with us. Benny a very great pleasure as well. Thursday we rode in the rain and I experienced my only flat of the week but that will also go down in memory with rain, rear tire, dirty, tired and showing Misty tire changing 101 at the same time. Done, not too bad if I say so myself. Brent so happy to meet you and Thank you for coming to Albany last night we had a great time I hope Pecan City Pedalers can help GA Bikes make an impact in Albany.
Had a blast meeting the Pecan City Pedalers last night! Y'all are wonderful hosts.
Just logged my BRAG miles ... sorry I didn't meet up with any of the rest of you (not that I knew it, anyway). Glad we shared the journey, though!
>Diana, you were doing a great job, and the great company made the miles fly by!
Thanks Bob for pulling me into the 104! finish!!!!
>Benny- That was a good ride in spite of the shake and bake! You musta been way ahead of me- I was late getting there. It's fun to put faces on the names we see here, and BRAG was an excellent opportunity. Wish I could ride the rest of the week, but can't... :(
I also had the pleasure of meeting Sharon and Diana on BRAG after the century ride. What a great ride that was!
What a treat to meet and ride with Sharon Thompson and Diana Kirbo on the BRAG century ride! Thanks, yall!!
I'll see some of you on BRAG on Wed in Douglas- still unsure if i can ride Thurs to Wayx......... Keep pedaling!
Yeah Eric and add to the fact that Brag started yesterday with a huge turnout. Work wins every time. Those folks will get close to 400 miles if they select the hammer option. I droped Sharon off yesterday and the parking lot was standing room only.
Competition is definitely stiffer this year compared to last. I'll see about June but it isn't off to a great start because I didn't ride over the weekend. Perhaps I can make it up by Friday. I sure do hate getting dropped.
Whoops, Ed Jewell was, of course, second to Daniel McKinley on Ga Bikes! Daniel likened himself to an old Ford, as I recall: a little slow to start but awesome once rolling.
While we're kudoing, let's give it up for Ed Jewell, leading the Ga Bikes! squad with a tad over 1,000 miles for the month. And let's give it up for Georgia. Sure seems like a lot stronger competition than last year. I beat last year's May by 110 miles and barely snuck into top ten with 55 miles on last day of month and 31 days in the saddle. Good on you all.
Good work, Pecan City Pedalers!
Congrats to Wayne Hospedales for being the winner for the month of May. Glad were on your team . Over 1500 miles
Made it a darn competiton Michelle!
Thanks Brent, Albany is working it with some great participation. Go Pecan City Pedalers.
Pecan City Pedalers: In awe and appreciation of your outstanding showing in the Challenge in May, I'll be bringing all two dozen of you a custom GA Bikes/Terrapin pint glass when I'm in Albany on June 9th. Stop by the Manor House at Merry Acres Inn & Event Center on June 9th from 7-9 PM to pick yours up, and keep up the impressive pace!
Cycling pays off in so many ways, today while commuting to work on my bike I found $5 in the street.
Managed 3 quick rides while in At in-laws on Glenn Shealy's old cruiser :)
Daniel, You're in GA! Me too, but closer to Macon and WR
Glad to have you on the team, Daniel!
Hopefully I'll be like a good old Ford (Bless my maternal Grandfather); slow to get started but keeps on running. Griffin Rides was a day late in their recruiting efforts so Georgia Bikes will have to root me on this weekend!
I wondered how long it would take Bob DeCamp and Daniel McKinley to run me down. It appears to have pretty much happened yesterday. Team Georgia Bikes! getting up to speed here.
Off work again, and out riding, so I biked to work again! Just not directly.......:)
I was off work today, so I "biked to work" while out riding!
Happy Bike to Work Day! We had an excellent turnout on a beautiful morning in Athens for our event at Daily Groceries on Prince Ave - many thanks to BikeAthens for coordinating the event and to Jittery Joe's Coffee and Daily for the refreshments.
I biked to work today... and yesterday... and the day before... and the day before...
grin
Actually my 17.5 mile direct route was causing me to fall behind considerably so I've been exploring some creative options. The city of Roswell is a great place to ride (the mayor's an avid cyclist) so I've been including a bit of it in my routes.
I biked to work on the 8th (while on vacation) thinking it was bike to work day...
then I found out it was bike to school day.... I better just stick to biking while "working"...
Thanks, Brent, for the GA Bikes! coca cola glass! Nice!
@Doug: <thumbs up!>
It's National Bike to Work Week and I bike-commuted today. Feels good! (Now I think I'll put something in my Georgia Bikes! pint glass <grin>.)
Monday is clearly drive inconsiderately close to cyclists ay here. Got driven off the road (luckiliy plenty of space) on an inside corner br a big truck on 8th Street just before US80 in Garden City/Savannah this morning.
Since I've had my Ortlieb waterproof panniers, I haven't minded that as much as I used to. :)
Don't you hate when you are out riding and get caught in a heavy down pour.
Heads up to all you supporters of a bike friendly GA: if you become a member of Georgia Bikes in May, you'll receive a custom Terrapin Brewing Company pint glass, a copy of our Bicyclist Pocket Guide, and a hi-vis velcro leg band! Join by May 31 at http://georgiabikes.org/index.php/support/join
For anyone in the Atlanta area, the Mobile Social and Atlanta Moon Ride for Big Bert's Adventure this Friday. http://www.themobilesocial.com/ and http://atlantamoonride.com/ .
Also, there's the New Belgium Tour de Fat the very next day. Get your bicycle and let's go have fun!
Wow! Warthen, GA in zip code 31094 with a population around 1,100 is going to be tough to beat. Even with just a single rider posting to the challenge, Warthen is running away with the community category. Glad the other two riders I know of there are not posting. :)
I'm glad you're tracking on that, Brent. I wouldn't figure that out in twenty years. It would be nice to have Ben and other SBCers on the board. Nice to have some locals to knock heads with.
The Savannah team must be showing up on the statewide leaderboard at all because a member of the team lives outside the zip codes that define the local Challenge SBC has going on. My guess is it's Neil Usher, based on how the points match up. I'll ask the League folks who can see what's up with the coding on their end.
It's because Savannah has its own local challenge this year. You can only see Savannah folks if you look at GA's stats via the National view. The "local" view is everywhere outside of the city of Savannah, theoretically. When I look at the full statewide #s via the National view, I see Ben as #6, just ahead of you. The local view excludes Savannhians (unless you're in Savannah, in which case that's all you should see).
Our friends at the Savannah Bicycle Campaign are not registering on the leaderboard and the team seems to be woefully undercounted in the team standings. Ben Allen should be ahead of me in individual standings, for instance. Any ideas on how to cure this injustice, Brent?
way to go, Brent! I had to grab 2 miles last night the same way in a lull in the same monsoon! It's beautiful today, though!
Aha! Break in the monsoon - got in a quick 2 miles in the 'hood.
Due to rain & work travel, no riding for me until Wed at the earliest. My pedals miss me, and I them.
For what it's worth, GA is 25th nationally so far and did slightly worse than that last year as I recall. The contest in Ga didn't seem to kick in in earnest until BRAG last year but we need to get busy. Don't want to peak too early but it would be nice to see Ga in the top ten. (Population rank is 9th--so that would seem a reasonable goal.) I would like personally to finish in the top ten in Ga again this year, but if the serious riders out there got with the Challenge, I shouldn't be in the top ten. Sign up your friends, from hammerheads to occasional noodlers. I know Ga is better than 25th.
Michael> from here- click "Leaderboard" at the top- if you are registered in Ga, click "local", (and it will show just Ga) , there is a little box for "Teams" above the rider list. Then join Georgia Bikes team! That's an invite to support a great cycling advocacy group!
Are above the numbers just for the state of Georgia? How can we see the list of Georgia teams and how they compare?
I should have! Thanks for coming out, Doug.
Brent was tooling around the Terrapin Brewery garden on a sweet vintage Raleigh Sports this evening at the Georgia Bikes! Percentage Night at Terrapin. Wonder if he's going to log those tenths.... <grin>
Top 10 in Ga! Sadly, that will not last long. lol. Had to get a little distance in before the rain this weekend.
>Terry Landreth-- join the Ga Bikes! team! (please!) and bring the Camden bunch with you!
@Alex - sadly, you can only see the Challenge stats via a web browser. The app just feeds the data to the Challenge. You can see your personal history, but not Challeneg-related points or rankings on your phone (unless you go to the site via your mobile browser).
This challenge doesn't display in the Endomondo app. Does anyone have a link to help me do this?
@Anthony - nice! Last year, I definitely found that the Challenge prompted me to "take the scenic route" more than a few times.
Well, broke my previous record for monthly total miles. Let's make May even better! I've done the same for my commute route. Shortest route is 3.5 miles, and longest so far planned is 18 miles. :)
Last week was family vacation time. I'm looking forward to trying to be competitive. I'm already mapping out longer commute routes. :-)
A very merry NBC-eve to you all! Have fun, ride safely, and ride often! :D
Well well last day for the training wheels. I look at the list of folks who are bringing there A game and got to say the only one I am worried about is my wife Sharon Thompson. She is putting war paint on today. Stay thirsty my friends.
We start again Wednesday with a clean slate. Happy riding all. Bring it!
no internet all week, and busy getting ready for the Relay For Life Bike Ride in the morning - come join us in Coffee County for a metric century + !
Despite GA Bikes statewide constituency, BCM is not going down without a fight. ;-)
But on the community front, Milledgeville plans to keep this lead and grow it. You ain't seen nothing yet! :D
'Ut oh Brent looks like our Pecan Pedalers Wing Nuts here in Albany will have to step it up. Your all going to give us a run this year.
@Daniel - thanks for joining team GA Bikes! Watch out, Milledgeville & Albany, we're a contender this year! ;-)
Glad to see Daniel McKinley on Ga Bikes! squad. Ought to be at least a great battle for 2nd team in GA now and maybe even a fight for first. Brent, I'm happy to throw in totally with GaBikes! As noted, I'm trying to recruit some hosses from down in Savannah. There are one or two of my buddies down here who could definitely make it real intresting. There are a couple of other folks down here who would be real useful to GaBikes! squad who are riding more or less solo and was hoping to bring them on board without their having to abandon their other team.
I think I just joined GA Bikes team... I hope to help add the miles for the challenge.
@Frank, I don't believe you can ride for more than one team. Best case is your stats will feed the city of Savannah's stats...unless you want to create 2 profiles and ride twice as often. ;-)
Frank don't feel alone I am trying to recruit and get our folks to ride more so we can catch Albany lol
I've been recruiting mightily for GaBikes! Thought if we gathered an army of competent riders of all ilks we might have a shot at Milledgeville or even, dare we hope, Albany. I think it take a few dozen of us to catch either of those but a man can dream.
Question has come up whether someone may ride for more than one team. I'd like to split loyalities between Savannah and GaBikes! if that is possible but haven'tt noticed a button that allows that. Do you have anything on that, Brent?
Glad to see some new riders joining the Georgia crew! A few important reminders:
1) Right now, we're in the "warm up" period. Your points will be re-set to zero on May 1st when the Challenge officially begins.
2) You *must* record your rides to gain points in the Challenge. You can do it manually on this site, through the free Endomondo app for your smartphone, or you can upload ride data from a Garmin.
3) The Challenge ain't just for roadies! Regular commuters can rack up points too, even if your ride is just a few miles. You get plenty of points for riding often ...of course, if you ride 50 miles a day, you'll blow us all away! :)
Come ride with us anytime, Frank. We do have some great roads to ride. You should have been here last Saturday for the April Fools Ride.
Sorry, Jim, I just now figured out all I had to do was accept Brent's invitation and I joined Ga Bikes! a few minutes ago. Of course, we haven't signed the contract yet, so if Milledgeville could sweeten the deal, you guys were pretty darn strong last year and everyone wants to play for a winner. Nah, I couldn't do that to Brent but thanks for the offer. I do want to come ride some of the rollers up around M'ville somewhere along the line. That looks like some wonderful bicycling country.
Frank if you looking for a team bicycle club of Milledgeville could use you
Brent>
GA Bikes! link doesn't seem to be active. LAB and KC look live but I can't seem to push your button. (Well, I mean in a manly, team-joining sort of way.)
Brent>I'll sign right up.
Thanks!
You should see the "Join Team" button over on the right side of the screen on your "Home" page. Frank, I will happily invite you directly to the GB team. One of the changes Endomondo made this year is that teams don't have a membership cap.
Well, I left the garmin in the truck, so will have to wait to log some miles............
Brent> thanks for supporting safe cycling in Ga- it's an honor to pedal for GA Bikes! and thank you for all you do! :)
Frank> would love to have you join the GA Bikes! team!
Eric> you can join us, too, or set up a new team, but I don't know how to do that.....
I don't see the settings to join a team. They were here last year but now I can't find them.
Yo, Brent. Maybe I should join Ga Bikes!, if there are slots available. Team Savannah didn't seem particularly involved last year.
Bob & Bo: Thanks for joining team Georgia Bikes. Y'all really boosted our numbers. :)
Have been on the road monitoring properties for Georgia Land Trust and just logged last couple of weeks. Not that many miles last week--almost all of them were on dirt roads and trails--but I earned every point. Man, that was some hard riding. Much more efficient than hiking it like I used to do a few years ago. Looking forward to the official launch in May.
Hi Everyone!! It's good to be back!
I tell folks all the time: I can ride in the cold and I can ride in the rain but I try to avoid cold rain.
It'll be harder to keep up this year. My new job is a 17.5 mile commute instead of 24. Maybe I'll get to ride a few more weekend days and earn those 20-point bonuses.
I understand Bob. I wish I could have skipped those cold mornings but job says otherwise. Nothing like pedaling in 20 degree weather lol
Jim- I tried to take off a couple of cold mornings, but my bike made me get on it
later in the day :) Frank- I FINALLY figured how to import to Endo from Garmin, I like it!
Now try to remember to start (and stop) the timer!
Lol bob would you take a day off so I can at least try and catch you
Whoops, looks like next month is the official "warm up" month. Well, as noted, good to check in with the Challenge crowd. Noticed your thread regarding year round riding. I've averaged about 340 days a year in the saddle the last three years, so at least down here in sunny Savannah, year round is a definite possibility.
Ditto what Jim says- welcome back Frank!
Ditto what Jim says- welcome back Frank!
Nice to see you back frank
Hey, folks. I've joined the warmup month. I rode almost 40 miles in snow flurries in Atlanta the other day, so I'm in with a vengeance. Probably did more climbing in a day than I have done in the last 5 years down here in the flatlands.
Jim- I guess that's why they have a month warm-up-- to recruit more riders!
Bob look like it just me and you so far lol
Hot me riding solo :(
Looks like you have to "join" the Nat Bike Challenge again this year, but then it put me in the same team as last year.
Thanks Jim! These versions have been updated with info about the three-foot safe passing distance law, as well as other changes to Georgia vehicular code:
Law Enforcement Pocket Guide:
http://www.georgiabikes.org/images/stories/docs/2012_pocket_guide_web.pdf
Bicyclist Pocket Guide:
http://www.georgiabikes.org/images/stories/docs/bpg-web.pdf
http://www.gahighwaysafety.org/docs/gabicyclelawenforcementguide.pdf
The link above is pretty useful for a quick access to what law enforcement is taught in Georgia
They are saying May 1 will be official start to coincide with national bike month
Has anyone heard anything solid about the 2013 challenge? I have 1 March on my calendar as the start of the warm-up period.
I agree about being in warm enough climate to ride year-round! I'm learning how to dress/ride in cold and be comfortable, was in Sav twice this week, but it was wet- so waited till later to ride somewhere else. I'll send you an email, will include road design in Pooler issues.
I agree about being in warm enough climate to ride year-round! I'm learning how to dress/ride in cold and be comfortable, was in Sav twice this week, but it was wet- so waited till later to ride somewhere else. I'll send you an email, will include road design in Pooler issues.
Bob>Endo appears o be shut down. they did post something regarding pre-challenge warmup launching in March, so maybe they give their folks the "off season" to recuperate. Always makes me grateful to live in Savannah when I read about people with biking "seasons." . If you're in town you can reach me at [email protected]. Also, any general questions regarding biknig in Savannah or suggestions to make it better welcome at that address.
Bob>Endo appears o be shut down. they did post something regarding pre-challenge warmup launching in March, so maybe they give their folks the "off season" to recuperate. Always makes me grateful to live in Savannah when I read about people with biking "seasons." . If you're in town you can reach me at [email protected]. Also, any general questions regarding biknig in Savannah or suggestions to make it better welcome at that address.
Frank> Catsitting, ehh?? Whatever it takes to get a ride in! I occasionally get to ride in Sav, but if I have a choice, I try to get as far away from large cities as possible- unless they have bike-friendly roads or railtrails. (I have had some pleasant pedaling in Sav, near Armstrong in Windsor Forest area, and I want to check out the Hunter base route behind the mall you told me about). I'd like to ride with you, but I don't always have internet on the road, and can't yell loud enough!
Will Jan miles start showing up soon? Maybe the Endo crew gets a couple weeks off for Christmas like the schools do!
Frank> Catsitting, ehh?? Whatever it takes to get a ride in! I occasionally get to ride in Sav, but if I have a choice, I try to get as far away from large cities as possible- unless they have bike-friendly roads or railtrails. (I have had some pleasant pedaling in Sav, near Armstrong in Windsor Forest area, and I want to check out the Hunter base route behind the mall you told me about). I'd like to ride with you, but I don't always have internet on the road, and can't yell loud enough!
Will Jan miles start showing up soon? Maybe the Endo crew gets a couple weeks off for Christmas like the schools do!
Bob> looks like my catsitting the last 10 or so days got me over the hump for second. It was about 2.5 miles each day and two days where it was my only ride, so had the 20 point bonuses, or about 65 points altogether. I knew there was some upside to all that cat poop I've been scooping. Look forward to Endo-ing again in 2013. If your rig brings you down Savannah way, please give a yell--I'd love to go for a spin with you.
Bob> looks like my catsitting the last 10 or so days got me over the hump for second. It was about 2.5 miles each day and two days where it was my only ride, so had the 20 point bonuses, or about 65 points altogether. I knew there was some upside to all that cat poop I've been scooping. Look forward to Endo-ing again in 2013. If your rig brings you down Savannah way, please give a yell--I'd love to go for a spin with you.
Frank> you have blown everybody away in Dec, and you're just behind Sharon for the year- great job! I still cannot ride like most normal people- have to park the truck in an area where I can ride the next morn when I get up, before I start my driving day. If the weather is good New Years Day, I'll get a rare local ride in with a friend. Thanks for the constant encouragement, and be safe out there!
Frank> you have blown everybody away in Dec, and you're just behind Sharon for the year- great job! I still cannot ride like most normal people- have to park the truck in an area where I can ride the next morn when I get up, before I start my driving day. If the weather is good New Years Day, I'll get a rare local ride in with a friend. Thanks for the constant encouragement, and be safe out there!
Today was my 351st day in the saddle in 2012. Of those, 236 were from when the Challenge started in May thru end of year. It is interesting how those numbers mount up when you decide "no more short trips by car." The Endomondo points formula rewards that behavior, so I again express my thanks for that little boost. I might have ridden just as many days (and driven just as few) without the motivation of competing with you fine folks, but it made it much more enjoyable. Happy New Year to you all. If you're biking to a party, remember they open the gates to the nut houses tonight.
Today was my 351st day in the saddle in 2012. Of those, 236 were from when the Challenge started in May thru end of year. It is interesting how those numbers mount up when you decide "no more short trips by car." The Endomondo points formula rewards that behavior, so I again express my thanks for that little boost. I might have ridden just as many days (and driven just as few) without the motivation of competing with you fine folks, but it made it much more enjoyable. Happy New Year to you all. If you're biking to a party, remember they open the gates to the nut houses tonight.
Hope everybody had a great Christmas. Was glad weather finally broke here so I could ride for the first time in 4 days.
Hope everybody had a great Christmas. Was glad weather finally broke here so I could ride for the first time in 4 days.
alright y'all endo 2013 starts in march . Study hard and enjoy the holidays
Bob> glad you didn't blow yourself off Endo forever. I always bike some on Christmas morning. I really like to see kids out on their new bikes. Probably will do a fun if somewhat hair-raising out to my sister's house for Christmas lunch. (You go over the big bridge and onto the causeway out of Thunderbolt and cars go by 55-60 miph--beautiful ride, though.) Merry Christmas to you and yours.
alright y'all endo 2013 starts in march . Study hard and enjoy the holidays
Frank> I tried the link and accidently deleted my Endo acct- finally got it restored, I better leave it alone and keep logging manually! My wife tells me I'm too quick to push buttons (without knowledge) and she's right! Thanks, anyway- yall have a very Merry and Blessed Christmas! Celebrate with a bike ride!
Thanks, Frank- I'll check it out this weekend when i get home! RE: NY- I've heard there are some good places to ride in the city, but haven't been there... Gotta get out and ride now in Vidalia.
Bob>I searched "Garmin 800 to Endomondo" and got sent to following link: http://www.endomondo.com/help/garmin . No clue if it works but every now and then the direct route works. Maybe if we get you running on this I can keep a better eye on you. I'd still be riding every day (four days off at Thanksgiving when I went to New York were tough, although I walked just about everywhere I went there) but it's more fun to be battling with Bob. Looks like we're helping keep Sharon cranking, too. Happy holiday pedalling, all.
Does anyone know how to get the Garmin 800 to put miles on Endomondo automatically? I'm trying to learn what this Garmin can do, and I'm afraid I'll have to read the instruction manual.......
Although the solstice is still a few days a way, one happy thing I noticed years ago is that the shortest afternoon of the year is around Dec 9th, so the afternoons are actually already getting longer. The shortest day of the year is later because the sun, like many of us, just doesn't want to get up in the morning in the winter and rises later all the way through January 13th. The longer afternoons catch up and start making the days' total sunlight longer on Dec 22nd this year. So, good news for afternoon rec rides but not the best of news for the morning commute.
Way to go, Eric. Look forward to seeing your pedal strokes gobbling up ground again.
I was hoping to celebrate 12-12-12 with a bike ride, but, alas, rain all day from Swainsboro, to Douglas, to Walterboro, SC, and back to Douglas. So I just stayed dry in the truck.....
Eric> good to see you back, and glad you've got work!
Jim> you are doing great! Keep it fun, and you'll keep on doing it!
Frank> the root canals are great when it's over! Thanks for the encouragement!
Maybe the weather will be better Thurs- I'm going to Hardeeville, SC Thurs afternoon.
Welcome, Jim! We're all here because we love cycling!
I hope to be back in the daily (at least weekday) riding category very soon. I had to take several weeks off while I hunted for a new job, and then a few more while I began feeling my way around the new digs. Unfortunately the workplace arrangements aren't as bike-friendly as at the last place but I'm starting to get a couple of cycling commutes in each week.
I haven't yet given up on a top-5 "entire period" spot. <grin>
Oh yeah, I also don't have time at work to even check the leaderboard, so I'll have to check in on weekends or the occasional evening.
Bob>nice to see you riding Again now I will have to struggle to stay in top 4 lol
Bob> I guess if you had a good crackup with a recently rebuilt tooth, there could be repercussions. ;-] I wound up having a root canal this summer which did get rid of the pain, so have been a lot happier since August.
Frank> had zero pain w/ the tooth as it had a root canal way back, still supposed to take it easy till it heals, though. I did sneak in a couple of 1 & 2 mile days. Hopefully can start back riding more if the weather cooperates!
Jim> I second Bob's emotion--the challenge has been fun and I've had by far my best year ever in part because of the challenge. Bob> sorry to hear about the tooth. I had an abcess this summer and I think part of my crazy mileage during that time was that it was about the only thing that took my mind off the pain. Dental pain is the absolute worst.
Jim> It's the best exercise you can get, and it's FUN! Good to see you on here, it motivates me, too. Have to take a day or 2 off as I had surgery fri to remove a broken tooth.... bummer.... Hope to be back soon! :)
Frank, Bob, Sharon as a newbie cyclist ( okay picking the sport back up after a 20 yr layoff) I would like to thank you folks for your daily riding as it motivates me to just try and hang with you folks near the top.
>Sharon, thanks for dates for rides. Might have to take my bride back to the Windsor for a second honeymoon and a long ride next fall. Hope your foot mends well and quickly.
When I hear about people riding 16k mi in a year, I'm always stunned. I have about 7 days of over 40 miles this year. 16k is 40+ per day. That's awesome.
>Sharon- haven't been on here most of the week as I had no internet on the road. Hope your foot surgery went well and heals quickly. Yes, I knew of JimAnne's 16,000 mile year and I share your admiration for her! I was riding in Albany not too long ago, and called her and she was at school with a grandchild. Thanks for saying hello to her for me. By the way, yall are invited to the Relay for Life Bike Ride in Coffee County on April 27, 2013. Here's the link- http://www.freewebs.com/douglasbikerides/relayforlifebikeride.htm
Keep on pedaling!!
>Bob, sorry didnt get back to you for the last couple of weeks, had foot surgury. No JimAnne wasnt with us. She's not riding as much as she use to. Didnt realize you knew her. She's enjoying family. I will tell her you inquired. She is my mileage hero. You know she did one year at 16,000 miles on her bike and two other years not much shy of that. Glad to hear your positive experience at Cycle World, they try very hard. >Frank the Prison to Peanuts ride was in early summer and this past ride (Presidents to Patriots) should be around Vetrans Day again next year. Both of those rides are sponsored by the River Valley Regional Commission and the GA State Parks.
Sounds like a really fun ride! Thanks, >Richard and Sharon! Did JimAnne ride it with you?
FYI- Also, I had a very good experience at Cycleworld, Albany, when I needed a bottombracket (as a walkin customer) in June- Terry and Terrell gave excellent service, and very fast, too!
>Frank- That was a great experience- a good example of why one should always have their bike with them! :)
Is the ride this tme of year every year? That sounds wonderful. I rode Americus to Andersonville years ago when my wife was at a conference and I was jjust hanging out. (We honeymooned at the Windsor Hotel. Not first marriage for either of us.) Wonderful country to ride in that part of the world. I rode a big chunk of the ride to Andersonville on an amazing red clay road.I (Saw a red fox close up.) Didn't have a clue where I was until I came into Andersonville.
Bob, also last year there was no cost for the prison to peanuts ride. It had some good climbs and flowed well. Awesome
Bob>Presidents to Patriots Bike ride was from Florence Marina State Park past Little Grand Canyon to Plains then we took the SAMS shortline train to Veterans State Park, overnight then rode to Andersonville and back to Plains. Great trip. Keep an eye on the River Valley Regional Commission they with the GA Parks put the ride together. If your looking to ride that area they also put on the Prison to Peanuts ride in the Spring. Great trip.
Richard> I had not heard of that ride - did it include Plains and Andersonville by any chance? I have always wanted to ride in those areas, but have not. (yet).
Want to make a comment on how awesome the Presidents to Patriots weekend was. I have never been to a ride so well supported by the parks and the rest stops. We were treated like royalty. Ride included a train ride as well and two of the towns had festivals. The parks provided breakfast and lunch. So amazing.
you know, one would think that having no job to report to would enable one to log some extra miles, but for me the opposite seems to be true. Seeking employment is a full-time job, apparrently.
Read on the national blog that 4545 participants had logged miles this month. Bob is now number 61 in October nationally, so that's not too shabby. We're both 150-something for entire period. Sharon has moved up to number 80 for entire period.
I forgot about the national part---- been having some extra good rides while on vacation this week- went from Fernandina Bch to Jax on A1A and back with a small group yesterday- nice wide smooth bike lanes and a parallel multiuse trail under construction off road!
For what it's worth, in addition to fighting it out for 3rd in GA, Bob and I are slugging it out for number 161 nationally.
Thanks Eric
We have a new overall leader. Congratulations, Sharon!
Anthony, It's still the same time to your body the day after they change out of daylight savings time, so, hey, no problem getting up an hour earlier, right? I've tried to convince myself of that for about 20 years and have generally failed, but it's a nice concept.
Eric> No way I'm ready for that, but I'm sure if I can keep this commute up and some training rides during the weekend I might be ready for some rides over the gaps come spring. I also hope to get a lighter bike come spring, currently riding a cheap, steel 14-speed with a lowest gearing of 39 f, 28 r. Just feels too high for commuting at least.
Frank> I thought panniers would be the best choice. I already have a rack ready to go, just needs the bags. Lights are on there, though I feel I need something brighter on the front. I don't have a vest, but do tend to ride in a bright yellow jacket.
Plus, I wish they did away with daylight savings. I'm so not a morning person. haha
Well my ranking in the Atlanta Bike to Work Challenge 2012 (http://www.atlbiketowork.org/) isn't too impressive. It turns out that they don't even track mileage. They do have ways to earn extra points--silliness like posting a picture, driving across town to attend a meeting about cycling, etc.
Anthony: Get panniers. Lowers your center of gravity and doesn't put all that heat and weight on your back/butt. Just be attentive when setting them up that you have adequate heel clearance and that they can't pivot into your spokes.
Re: only 3.2 miles "eachway," that's one of the joys of bike commuting. If the weather's nice and you're feeling strong, the return trip can be as long as you feel like turning the cranks. Make sure you get some good lights and a reflective vest. We're going to be losing an hour of daylight in the evening soon. (It moves to the morning, so while your internal alarm clock is still set to daylight savings, it's a good time to add some miles in the morning. Awfully pretty that time of day.)
Anthony> Dahlonega? Sweet! Now you just have to figure out how to include Wolfpen Gap into your ride. <grin>
First day I commuted from my new apartment to college/ work (student IT service desk tech) and it felt good minus the 30 lbs I'm currently lugging around on my back. Can't wait to get either better pack or panniers. Only 3.2 miles each way, but this is Dahlonega. lol
Eric> You still need to get out take at least your morning ride. The morning ride is the greatest thing in the world for you. I know a hard core transport cyclist has a hard time riding just to ride, but it can be done. I hope the next job comes in tomorrow and is far enough from home to give you a good bike ride, but it isn't against the rules just to go out and just turn the cranks for a while. You can also keep your transport miles up just not driving if you can bike. I home office but my 60% transport miles are honest; I just don't drive anywhere unless I'm toting something too big to fit on my bike. (And that doesn't include groceries. I do all our grocery shopping by bike.)
Thanks for the condolences, Frank and Bob. I figure none of us old guys are strangers to the occasional road rash. It comes with the territory.
On a less pleasant note (yeah, less pleasant than road rash), I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to compete for a top-10 slot. I found out yesterday that my responsibilities here at work will end next week. Anyone out there need an experienced Windows admin / man-of-many-hats IT guy?
Eric> I was rained out this morning in Pulaski, GA. I have been involved in a "slide-ride" while racing a T-storm and don't want that again! Glad you could get back out there! Safety first!
The sun peeked out when I was in Albany, so I snuck in a 45 min ride.
Ouch. Always good to get back on that horse and ride it. Glad you could get back on that horse and ride it.
Well, if you need some extra skin, I left some on the pavement at a street corner in Roswell. I rode home tonight. It wasn't exactly my fastest time ever but it felt good* to be back on the bike.
* emotionally, not physically
Eric, hope your finding out about traction on wet surfaces didn't involve you and pavement becoming too intimately involved.
Yesterday morning I discovered the limits of traction when cornering on wet pavement, so I wimped out and drove last night and this morning. But I haven't given up on that 6th place spot yet.
Rode 35 this morning with Bo Bannister, then my 14 year old grandson called and wanted to ride the neighborhood with me! Made my day!
For what it's worth, I found Daniel McKinley on Facebook and messaged him asking him to rejoin the contest. Maybe he'll dive back in. Just in case we need extra motivation. He was defintiely tapping out some miles.
It's all in fun and for health- thankful I get to ride while working! Had a liveload backhaul yesterday which allowed me to ride an extra hour. Yall keep it up, though, it is an extra motivation to know there are others riding out there, too! :)
Tell me about it. I had gotten used to gaining gound through the work week, losing a bit over the weekends and then gaining it back. But not so this time. Bob's hounding me pretty hard right through the week. I might have to seek out some extra miles along the way the next couple of days. <grin> Unfortunately I haven't the time to ride any more weekend centuries this year, so from here on out my commute miles will have to suffice.
And for accuracy's sake--I am also about to be trampled by a galloping Bob DeCamp. As noted earlier, if I can wind up in the top ten by year's end, I will be happy. Sort of. I will have to eat a few "I'm Number 4" t-shirts I had printed, but I won't let that worry me too much.
Yep. Don't you all need a rest?
I'm about to be trampled by a herd of galloping Thompsons.
Frank>I spent Wed night at walmart in my walmart truck,(I call it the walmart hilton) :)and rode by the mall Thurs am and worked my way over to Middleground Rd. Traffic was not bad at all, drivers were courteous. I saw the road behind the fence but did not know you could go on base at Hunter. I go back to work tomorrow after sunday school, but not likely to be in Sav. Never know where I'm gonna be, but that keeps it interesting! Thanks for the invite!
Re: GDOT- we need to be sure our local dot project managers know of and abide by the Complete Streets policy!
Bob, we might have been within a mile or two of one another. I biked out to the Red Cross donor center out that way and donated platelets this morning. Best way to get out to where it sounds like you were is to go through Hunter Army Air Field and emerge at Savannah Mall via Rio Gate. Pretty cool ride. You parallel Middleground Road along a long section of the ride inside the base. You only need a license and brigthly colored clothes to ride on the base. --- There is a nice group ride launches from Cafe Espresso downtown tomorrow at 8 a.m. If you're in town through Sunday, I'm leading a gang on a fun ride Sunday a.m. ---- I posted on Facebook regarding kudos to GDOT, Ga Bikes and bike advocates all over the state for getting Complete Streets done. Great stuff. An opportunity to work routine accommodation into a lot of regular road work like resurfacing, widening, etc.
Frank, I rode in Sav this am, looked for you....:) , from Walmart Abercorn, Middle???? Rd, to Montgomery Cross Rd, and back thru Windsor Forest.
Here's some great news from GA Bikes re: GDOT policy changes !!!!!!
http://georgiabikes.org/index.php/blog/266-advocacy-works-gdot-adopts-complete-streets-policy
Yes, Richard established himself as not only a hell of a rider but a gentleman to boot. I said he should go out and ride another 3 miles to win the lead medal and cap off his awesome comeback. He declined, saying I had won it fair and square. It would have been pretty funny if we'd both been out there hammering until midnight. I'm glad our mutual civility won out.
Ah, I see that now. I do remember that 2-point difference, now that you mention it. And Bob's now in between you two. Hmm. That means if you overall front runners lay off the bikes for a while I might catch up a bit. Wait; isn't that a rain cloud out there?
Eric, I wound up 2 points ahead of Richard Thompson for the lead medal (4th) at end of the first 4 months. I'm farther ahead now because as Richard noted, he and Sharon were busy on a project. Seems like it is still tallying as we proceed.
Thanks, Bo, for the Honey Bee ride info. - Mark your calendar for April 27, 2013 Relay For Life ride in Coffee County. Still working on the route, but will have at least a metric century, and quite possibly a full century.
Just got my 1st internet connection this week to log some miles!
Hey Frank, the "Entire period" stats aren't changing since the contest ended August 31. (I think they should rename it "Summer 2012 contest period" or similar.) So it's month-to month now (apparently) until the 2013 contest. Meanwhile I've signed up for the Atlanta Bike To Work Challenge (http://www.atlbiketowork.org/). Maybe I'll place in that one.
Does anyone know Daniel McKinley? He's still in third overall but looks to have quit logging miles. Seems like it would make the rest of the year more interesting if the bronze medlaist were defending his position.
For anyone interested, the Honey Bee Festival Century In Hahira, Ga. is Oct. 6. This is a really good ride and well supported. Several ride options are available. Hope to see some of you there. Additional information at VLPRA.com. I hope they get it on the Ga. Ride Calendar soon. This is the 7th annual ride.
Oops. a lead over the Thompsons. Doh.
Glad to have been spotted a lead over the Thomases this month. It should hold up for a day or two. I did just celebrate a birthday on the 13th, so y'all should be nice to me. Celebrated by teaching a Traffic Skills 101 course in Augusta.
My long sprint on Bike Advocate stuff is winding down a bit, so I will have more time for just going out and running up some miles. If I average a hair over 14 miles per day the rest of the year, I'll reach my 2012 goal of 6000 miles, so I will be riding a good bit. Not as much as I did during the official "challenge," but riding. Given the mileage you crazy people knock out, if I can manage top ten in the monthly standings, I'll be happy. As long as you get 20 pts a day for just getting on the bike, I should have a chance on that one. I am out there pretty much every day. (At current rate, I will be in the saddle 352 days this year. Hmmm, if I did that and averaged 1.5 miles per ride, I'd reach quintuple Platinum status. We definitely need to tweak the rules.)
I might be a little harder to catch this time, having just finished the full BBC route after 5 straight days of commuting. Fun time. Set personal best. 4:58 riding time, 5:08 actual.
sharon and I lost an entire week in prep for the nut roll . We had a great time and now it is time to catch Frank and Eric. Anyone Doing Brag bike fest in columbus?
Frank, I haven't done much since I was in Savannah without my bike since Sun eve till this eve.. Maybe I can can get back to pedaling tomorrow at work (Wed).
Vote for Joe Castillo (Sand Story) on NBC's America's Got Talent Wed Sept 12 at 8 pm- I went to school with him!!! Then pedal some more!
I checked again today and damned if the contest isn't still rocking along. I needed to pretend it was gone for a few days so I'd get some rest but had missed the old gang. I logged the rest of my September tonight. Game on.
I checked again today and damned if the contest isn't still rocking along. I needed to pretend it was gone for a few days so I'd get some rest but had missed the old gang. I logged the rest of my September tonight. Game on.
Frank, I saw the Endo link was still active, so I thought I'd keep logging miles. I just bought a GPS, so when/if I can figure out how to use it, maybe it'll log miles for me. I believe the prize part is finished till next year. This site seems to make me want to ride more! Thank you, KC and Endo!
Don't know if anyone is still reading these posts, but yesterday was my first day not on the bike in 96 days. Rode about 2 today. I think I'll feel like it again tomorrow, but no guarantees. Between the Challenge and Saturday's Midnight Garden Ride, I am significantly burnt toast.
Don't know if anyone is still reading these posts, but yesterday was my first day not on the bike in 96 days. Rode about 2 today. I think I'll feel like it again tomorrow, but no guarantees. Between the Challenge and Saturday's Midnight Garden Ride, I am significantly burnt toast.
Not doing the Beautiful Backroads but I am signed up for the Teardrop Metric Century a week from day out of Watkinsville.
Are any of you folks planning to ride the Beautiful Backroads Century September 15? See http://hugeelvis.tripod.com/ for details and registration. I'll be there--it was the only Saturday that I wasn't already committed elsewhere, so I signed up. Rode it last year and it was a blast, so I'm looking forward to it. If I get to meet some of you there that'd be an extra bonus!
Hey! The leaderboard was just updated to include the rest of the year. Does the contest continue??
honor man honor. I will be looking for you next year. Keep smilin. I even blew a spoke on the last 20 and finished with a sigh. thank goodness I did not have to walk home. Had to pull off the brake to get the tire to spin. Next destination savannah
Ironically, the 2 points I am ahead of Richard by were miles ridden to go pick up my truck from someone I had loaned him to. My other mileage today was riding over to Staples to get signs printed and laminated for tomorrow's big event. And, of course, 20 points for getting on the bike. Richard, you should go out and ride another 3 miles and claim the Lead Medal. That was an awesome stretch run you put on.
For what it's worth, I had a personal best 4 months, too. I had done 600 miles in a month once during my previous 20 years of logging mileage; I averaged better than that for the last 4 months. That was fun.
frank you got me fair and square. Had a blast trying to catch the one in front of me on the board even if it was my wife. 3956miles for me STOKED. Hoping to see y'all on a ride sooner than later. Looking forward to next year. Please join us on the PecanCity Pedalers group (facebook)to see what we are doing. We post there. Also a shout out to Milledgeville we had fun on the team side.
Thanks everyone, it's been a lot of fun. I would have never rode this much without the challenge. Its been my personal best 4306 miles since 5/1. We are headed to Savannah for the Century this weekend.
To all---- this has been a lot of fun, and seeing others ride more has motivated me to ride a bit more than usual. My logging has been sporadic as I cannot get online everyday, but always look forward to seeing what yall have been doing.
Thank you, Brent, for inviting me to the Ga Bikes team. Thanks, everyone, for the informational/challenging posts, too!
The way I see it, the more bikes that are out there on the road, the safer it will be for all of us.
Keep on pedaling, gotta go ride today now!
Eric, for what it's worth, on outright mileage, I think I came in 9th and you'd have been 4th or 5th. A couple of folks on the second page beat me considerably in that regard; not sure how it stacked up with you. Like I said yesterday, the formula might need tweaking to reward outright mileage a bit more. As it was, it sure seemed to inspire some folks to get out and ride, so that's a good thing.
Brent, there are laws in this state regarding using children as rain shields. You as a bicycle advocate should be aware of at least that much. They make fenders, for heaven's sake.
Finally got a nice ride in on the North Oconee River Greenway after nearly a week off the bike. My daughter didn't seem to mind serving as my "windshield" against the misting rain. ;-)
Richard, don't you love beating the leading edge of a storm? Better than when it catches you!
Well, it looks like I'll have to be satisfied with a top ten finish. I've worked pretty hard this month but it hasn't been enough to make up for the earlier months. I might try and find a shorter route now that the contest is ending. Going through Mountain Park keeps me off of Hwy 92 but it adds a couple of killer hills that I could do without.
I spot the truck at work on sunday when we visit my daughter in Albany. There is also a fellow who travles that way and I can catch a ride. One way with working is about all I can do. Clouds were black as tar as we just beat the leading edge for todays ride.
Good on you, Richard, for a 48 mile one-way commute by bike. That is magnificent. Did you bike home or catch a ride? A Century Commute boggles my mind. Eric's nearly half century commute similarly boggles my mind. I used to do about 7 in and 15 home every day in Atlanta, but that's sort of chump change.
Meanwhile, Bob DeCamp has gone ballistic and is threatening my lead medal. Bike we must. Just back in from my first "sport" ride in about 5 days. I'm not surrendering the lead medal without a fight.
Well you know that I'd vote for a bump for commuter miles. I haven't analyzed everyone else's stats but I suspect that might change the leaderboard stsndings in my favor at least a little.
By the way, I did get to ride this afternoon after all; the rain moved out just in time. Of course that means I have to ride in the morning, since my truck's at work, so I hope it won't be too bad. Mostly the drivers are a bit more considerate wheen it's raining but the occasional jerk can be a lot scarier in the rain.
I vote for a bump on commuter miles. It is a stretch for me to ride to work close to 48 miles one way but the challenge gave me the incentive. I have had the best time with this. Iron Sharpens Iron, love to check out the progress 3 days to go. Got to ride and catch Doug Fallon if the rain doesn't get me tomorrow :) :)
I was saying to myself this morning, "Man, I really need to take a ride." And then I said, "No, you don't--it's the Challenge talking." My legs are cooked. I need to rest. That said, everything I do in town is usually within a 3 mile radius and you just about have to beat me to get me not to bike a trip of that length, so, doubt I'll be laying down any serious miles the rest of the week but oodles of short trips to make during that time. So, I'll at least put 80 points on the board.
That was one thought I had if they do this next year to give mileage a bit more strength: cut the daily ride points to 15 but maybe give a bit of a bump (1.25 pts?) to transporttoin miles (the encouragement of which is part of my job). That would knock me back about 600 points on daily points but would give me back a few hundred for the 60% of my mileage that substitutes bikes for cars. I might still have made top 10 under that formula, but I certainly wouldn't have had a shot at the lead medal.
One of the things I like about biking: lots of time to play with math in your head.
Hey, I almost beat the rain this morning but encountered a drizzle the last 5 miles. You know, I checked the forecast last night and discovered there was a 100% chance I could dry off. I might wimp out and drive home this afternoon, though, challenge or no.
I know you are smiling on the other side of georgia knowing the rain is hitting us. Love your challenge. will be looking for that beard on Sunday.
If I could get Richard Thompson to calm down, I'd feel pretty good about my chances at locking down Georgia's Lead Medal (4th Place.) C'mon, man, you've got to taper a bit, you're riding a Century Sunday.
Someday I'll ride Savh Century but not while I'm helping put on Midnight Garden Ride. I'll be picking up after our party while y'all are out turning the cranks. The ride out of Savh ovre the big bridge is very cool. Don't let the first few hundred feet scare you--grade is quite manageable after that. I've got teaching events on following two weekends, so I'm pretty well shot until almost October. (Don't forget Bike Summit in Augusta in October.)
Look forward to riding with you folks somewhere along the line.
N+1. That just about sums it up. (Does that mean I need at least 3 bikes for RAIB 5? That'd be Redundant Array of Independant Bikes. For those who didn't get the joke, ask your IT guy.)
It'd be great to get out and meet --and ride with-- some of you folks but I'm helping my wife with craft shows --she makes hand-made soaps and lotions-- just about every weekend for the next couple months so I might not be able to join you. I still haven't ruled out the Beautiful Backroads Century out of Cartersville, though. That's Sept 15.
Frank, sharon and I have already signed up for the Sunday century in Savannah. Van Presley and several of our friends from Albany are coming as well. We will have Pecan City Pedaler jerseys on . If you see us please say hi, we would love to meet y'all. It is always fun to meet new people. Keep in mind our ride the Nut Roll is Sept 8th in Albany, Ga , would love to see you. Have a sunny day.
Last week, I managed to jack up my normal getting around and grocery shopping bike (a nice old mountain bike that has seen some serious hillside action). So, I drove to the grocery store last weekend for the first time in over two years. I was almost giddy it was so easy and, as my scooting bike is not much good for anything but scooting, I didn't feel real guilty. I do look forward to getting back to my toting games.
I still have managed about 90 days in a row in the saddle but am looking forward to maybe taking a couple of days off in September. Savannah Bicycle Campaign puts on its big fundraising ride Saturday, September 1, so I likely won't ride that day as I am schlepping and prepping most of that day. If you haven't done the Midnight Garden Ride (starts at 8pm, so don't let name scare you), put it on your bucket list. Savannah Century is following day and Craft Brew Fest is "on tap" for Saturday. Would be great to see some of you Challenge types at our big rolling party. It is a hoot.
Agree with N+1. I did have 3 bikes but one has completely come undone. I'd still have my biking to grocery streak intact except for that.
That's about as strong an argument for N+1 as I've ever heard. N is the number of bikes you have. N+1 is the number of bikesyou need.
Hey, nothing like jumping into a week-old conversation, but here goes...
Yes, Frank, it's the 20 points per day that does it. I rarely swing a leg astride a bike on a weekend these days. I keep trying to get at least a little ride in but as I've mentioned here before, household politics often get in the way. So, every Monday, I have to play catch-up to you steadier types. (Now if we can get the Thompsons to rest for a few days, we can catch up. <grin>)
I have thought of doing the odd grocery store run via bike but I don't really have an appropriate rig for that. I'm commuting on a racing bike, so it's not too practical for hauling anything. I'd have to carry a pair of shoes to wear in the store even if I dared leave my steed outside. My mountain bike is set up for trail riding and I'd hate to load it down with racks and put slicks on it. So I drive (yuck) to the store, even for a couple small items.
I heard awhile back that more points were counted for commuting than sport but the FAQs state otherwise.
Aha! It's 20 points per day and 1 point per mile. I've been on my bike 107 of 109 days, during the challenge so that would be platinum plus right there even if I'd just gone around the block twice a day. Been averaging about 22 miles per day during that stretch, too, so I have ridden some miles. If I got a point per trip, I'd be really dangerous. I make 5 and 6 utility trips a day sometimes.
Good question, Frank. I know you get bonus points for riding every day (but not for multiple trips within a day), but otherwise it's a simple 1 point/mile set-up. Check the FAQs.
I don't understand why Eric Quackenbush isn't ahead of me in the standings. He has more miles and a higher percentage of transportation miles. Unless I get a reward for taking lots of little rides and his long daily commute somehow is penalized for not being lots of little rides, he ought to be kicking my butt. It would be interesting to know what the logic of the scoring is.
Hi, Charles. Looking forward to my visit as well. Thanks for the invitation, but I'm mostly a short-distance commuter. I do plan on touring downtown Rome & checking out the Heritage Trail on Saturday before I head out.
Hey Brent; waiting to see you Friday in Rome at Cycle Therapy; are you interested in a 50 mile ride up the most scenic route in GA before the meeting Friday night?
Thanks, and, yep, I had an extra giggling 30 lbs for most of those trips :)
Way to go on the Platinum, Brent. You were probably toting a cute little passenger a lot of those miles, too, right?
Where's Matt Smith? He was doing an awesome job leading the team, but has not logged any miles lately. Hope your OK, Matt, and can start back logging miles!
Good job, Brent! Apparently the key to gain points is riding every day. Thanks for what you do at "Georgia Bikes!" on behalf of cyclists in GA!
woohoo! even a humble, short route commuter like me can reach the "1500 Point Club," with nearly a month to spare!
Logged over 500 miles last week on RAGBRAI. It was very hot and windy
I would sum it up by saying it was an exercise in endurance.
Just a quick note. Three riders headed to Key West Florida from Canada were hit by a tractor trailor this morning early in Terrell County Ga. One was killed others are in hospital. Please be careful out there fellow cyclist.
New to Endomondo but not riding which after a 15 year lay-off I've taken up mountain biking again, I've logged just over 1000 miles in the last 6 months between three trails here in middle GA, Summer heat/humidity has been tough but I still get out and ride 3 days a week and weight train another 3 with one day off. Love riding no matter what the conditions are
Tracy, regarding starting late, if you were keeping some kind of log before you got onto Endomondo you can fill in going back in time. Might be hard to break it out under categories but you could add your numbers to the heap.
Shawn, regarding logging future miles, I'd be scared of that just because it would seem to maybe call down the Fates upon you--the bike gods might smite you for the hubris of assuming you'll get all those miles. You might draw down a curse on your bottom bracket or something.
Welcome, Tracy!
Sorry I started so late. However, I am truly enjoying myself.
Shawn, you can go back in & log them afterwards. Have fun! I'd like to hear about your experience on this ride.
Is there a way to log future miles? I know this may sound strange, but I am riding RAGBRAI in another 12 days and would like to log the daily miles in advance, as I am not sure of internet access during the "vacation"
Regarding heat and Tour, I've been keeping a bike log since 1993 and my two highest average mileage months are July and August. I call it my "Tour Bounc." I get so jacked up watching the Tour riders perform, I just can't ride enough. I did grow up in Savannah (without AC until around age 13), so maybe I have a bit of built in heat resistance. And now that I am an old guy, I think my bones and ligaments like some heat.
Regarding police training, Brent's course is more about making sure that enforcement as it relates to bicycles and bicycles relationship with cars is actually based on the law. There are some interesting misinterpretations of the law on the part of law enforcement going out there. Bike cops could certainly use a littel bike training, however. I don't think I"ve ever seen one with his saddle height within about 3 inches of where it ought to be. We had one guy take Traffic Skills 101 and he complained of chronic knee pain. I suggested raising his saddle--about 4 inches. I'm not going to go into the bar ends set perpendicular to the handlebar for that "comfort bike" effect. Every time I see that, my spleen trembles in sympathetic terror.
Back to the subject of training cops to ride... Years ago (okay, decades ago) my city of residence announced they were starting a new bicycle patrol beat. A riding buddy and I went and applied. We were told "We're not interested in training cyclists to be cops; our plan is to train cops to ride bikes." It never occurred to me to be one of those doing the training.
The heat's not so bad; it's the humidity that gets to me. But I ride anyway and bring extra water. My mileage is down this week because of the holiday but it looks like everyone else got out and rode on the 4th. Oh well. Maybe I'll be back in top 10 by next Friday.
Sorry I haven't been able to log miles all week, but have not had internet anywhere I've been. So here goes a weeks worth of rides....
As far as the heat is concerned, I just try to stay warm, and am having great success!
The heat is pretty brutal, but or me the bigger issue is travel. If I could just get back in my routine, I'd be adding up the miles! :)
Anyone else having motivation problems what with le Tour vying for the cooler early morning hours and the 100 degree heat sucking all movtivation for the rest of the day?
And thanks very much for your presence at the training, Frank. It's always a pleasure to visit the low country.
i'm always impressed with our cops. Generally thoughtful folks who very much care about doing their jobs well. Looking forward to working with Sgt. Gallo and his troops to see if we can get the Midnight Garden Ride through the city without stopping on its almost 10 mile route. Came close last year. If it's not on calendar yet, make plans to be in Savannah the night of Sept 1 for the ride. It is very cool. midnightgardenride.com.
The class went very well!
Frank and Brent-- how did it go with the law enforcement class on Bike Law in Savannah? I'm interested in talking with our sheriff in Coffee County and would like some advice/pointers...
And I did not know about the British flag, either. thanks!
Learned while watching Tour this a.m.: classic British flag is a Union Flag. It becomes a Union Jack when mounted astern on a boat.
Oops, a thousanth of a percent. I'd have really had a big month if I made the tenth of a percent that my sloppy math caused me to reference in note below.
In a little bit, I'll be biking out to co-teach a class on Bicycle Law Enforcement to members of the Savannah-Chathm Metro Police Dept with Georgia Bikes Exec Director Brent Buice. By the time I get there, I will reach my highest monthly mileage total ever--I've done better than a tenth of a percent of the national challenge total of 6 million miles this month. Nothing like a little friendly competition to keep a fellow tapping out the miles. Evidently it has got some other folks cranked up--I noticed we set a daily record of 233,000+ miles the other day which is a little more than 9 laps around the earth at the equator and just shy of the distance from the earth to the moon. That's pretty amazing.
Thanks Frank, I'll try that. And I hope to make at least part of the Georgia-lina Bike Summit, and would very much like to meet you folks I've been riding with this summer <grin>.
Any interest in an Endomondo Participants Reunion at this fall's GA/SC Bike Summit in Augusta? Seems like there's some nice folks taking part in this. The Summit is great stuff, Augusta's a great biking town (hey, Phil, start recording your miles--GA needs you) and we'd certainly have some decent bicyclists in the mix.
"Log other" is the magic bullet. You can then use the plus/minus buttons to avoid accidentally multiplying results and split things out by more categories. You wind up showing more trips than you actually take but you can parcel your miles appropriately. (I biked to teach some 3rd graders about bike advocacy this morning; the direct route round trip was 7.8, total trip 10.5, so I did 7.8 "transport" and 2.7 "sport." So, shows up as 2 trips. I don't think you get extra points for how many trips you take, so seems like the way to approach it.
Happy face: after more than a week off, my behind got back on a bike today! (The ellipsis is a tale of hospitality and volunteerism, not some piece of misfortune, fortunately.)
Sad face: I lack integrity. My team-mates and I have been logging all our miles as "sport" miles because evidently the Endomondo interface won't credit them to our team unless that's how they're entered. But I figured a mile biked was a mile biked ... I didn't know points were credited differently for different "types" of cycling. The discussion below has set me straight on that. (I think ... does anyone really understand Endomondo? Has anyone found help files that help or FAQs with facts?) BTW, I don't really care about Endomondo points; I just want to show the world how much I and my fellow cyclists are biking.
Thoughtful face: I'm grateful to the Endomondo folks for making their interface available for the National Bike Challenge, but here at roughly the half-way point, I wonder if it is really the right tool for the job. Is there sufficient correspondence between the different purposes of cycling advocacy and a social-media-based exercise community? What do y'all think?
Totally agree with Mark regarding category split. Also admire his diligence in sorting out the "long way home" miles. I started out with that but have left them in my transport miles for a while. Not sure what the split is on points for each category. Also, splitting individual trips into pieces that way seem sort of skewy in that it makes for more total "workouts."
Charles, it sounds like you could enter your non-sport miles as "Cycling, transport" in the option list. Many of my rides wind up having elements of all three, so I might record a 7.0-mile commute, a 3.4-mile transport (additional miles to reach a store) plus 5.0 miles of sport because I take the long way home.
I as a retired person I do not commute; therefore all my miles, and I have no motor vehicle, must then be listed as sport; should not there have been a thrid variable to seperate out transportation of goods out of the commute choice? the final analysis and results would have been more useful.
Maybe you could log your miles going and coming from group ride start/finish transportation miles along with your errand miles. Seems like the final numbers for transportation miles might be useful in making the case for bicycle facilities. Meanwhile, whenever I go anywhere by bike I tend to get in touch with my inner 12 year old and meander a bit, so I probably need to shift more of my transportation miles over to sport. Maybe they could add a category for "Wandered off the bee line."
I do the errands I can by bike and ride to and from most of the group rides I do. Just riding to work or for work isn't an option for me.
Tucker,
Completely understand Too Big to Bike. There are times when there just aren't enough bungee cords or zip ties. Also understand that not everyone lives somewhere as bikable as I do, but stats below (from http://www.dellchallenge.org/projects/ride-bike-phx-bike-sharing) point up the need to convert our discretionary travel miles to modes other than cars:
--------------------
50% of car trips are less than 3 miles, 40% are less than 2 miles, and 28% are less than one mile. The first few miles of every car trip produce the most carbon dioxide, making these drives extremely harmful to the environment. Bicycles can easily replace cars in these short trips.
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Regarding living in non-bike friendly settings, we need to work the system to insist that more places become bike/ped-friendly. We need to push Complete Streets at every point we can. (Involves local and state governments and Federal Highway Adminstration adopting or resolving to do Complete Streets.) Roads should accommodate all types of users and when they are due for resurfacing or widening, plans should incorporate Routine Accommodation for non-motorized users.
My trip to the grocery store is about 5 miles round trip. I do it about weekly. It's only 250 miles annually but if half of America did that, it would be 775 million miles we didn't drive.
Sorry for speechifying; I'm being interviewed by GPB at 1pm and I'm rehearsing.
All of my miles are sport miles this year aside from the odd errand running by bike sometimes...I can't commute to work by bike. I'm a landscaper and it would involve towing a 3,000lb trailer by bike! But I'm making my mileage goals this year!
Today is National Dump the Pump Day. We held a race here in Savannah pitting a bike against a car and a bus to find out who is the Commuting Efficiency champion. The bike won for the 4th straight year. I know amongst our leaderboard there are a few serious commuters but there also seems to be a majority of folks who evidnetly don't ride at all unless it is a purely sport ride. Impressive as the total mileage is, it would be cool to see the transportation percentages go up. The computer counts every mile as CO2 saved but is it? If you drive a significant distance to ride, it seems particularly iffy.
So, in honor of Dump the Pump Day (which is the brainchild of our national mass transit advocacy organization, by the way--trains and buses are way better than cars environmentally), here's encouraging all to find ways to substitute their bike for their car whenever possible. The more you do it, the more you realize that "whenever possible" covers a lot of ground.
With a good stout hybrid with properly set up rack and panniers, it's shocking what you can do. I haven't driven to the grocery store in two years and routinely haul more than $100 in groceries. (I weighed my rear triangle and load at Publix one day on their big old style scale and it registered 60 pounds.) Try it; you'll like it. Grocery toting is such a bizarrely satisfying game. I almost feel guilty when I drive these days. (I get pouty and stick out my lower lip and my face turns red and I say, "I don't want to dirve.")
And, after riding around on a stout bike toting a load most everywhere you go, when you hop on your speedster, you feel like God or at least what a mere mortal might think God feels like when biking. And on really good days, you might even feel like Merckx.
Frank and Brent- thanks to both of you for inspiration and motivation!
Frank, your integrity is a beacon. Good on you, sir! ;-)
I wondered how I had somehow become so unGodly fast on my 26 inch hybrid day to day cruiser/transport machine. Easy answer: I didn't change the wheel setting back from Saturday's ride on my road bike. Discovered this morning that I've been cheating all week. I calculated the discrepancy at about 12% and have ratcheted my mileage back down for the days logged since Saturday. My apologies for accidentally cheating, but I guess I have been providing incidental motivation for any of you determined to stay ahead of me.
Eric, don't worry about going on BRAG alone. You'll meet lots of great people and probably make many lifelong friends.
My cycling friend/mentor David Vaughn and I agreed earlier today that BRAG 2012 was the most challenging and probably most rewarding of all those we've ridden. I've done seven and he's logged 13, he thinks. From cycling reverently with hundreds of fellow riders through Chickamauga at dawn last Sunday to flying down mountain valleys blooming with rhododendron today, with Roswell's outstanding hospitality in-between, it was a taste of paradise on a bike. (Though there were moments of the other place too <grin>). Hope to ride with many of you next year across our state's beautiful coastal plain. @Eric, you're welcome to matriculate with the Vaughn School of BRAGing. We're not fast and occasionally have to stop while Professor David acquires a locally-grown biscuit, but we get it done. (Tho the tandem sounds like a good plan, too!)
Benny gets the BRAG bragging rights, too. As if the Bicycling Club of Milledgeville team needed any more of a lead, right? Way to go Benny!
Maybe next year. I'd love to ride BRAG but only if I had at least one riding partner. I'd especially like to ride it with my wife but I'm afraid a tandem would be the only way that'd ever work and I can't justify the expense.
I attempted to ride this morning, and got rained out with only 2 miles :(
The BRAG folks are far enough north so rain should not be a factor today-, way to go, Dena! Thanks for putting more miles on the board for GA! I, too, wish I was riding with BRAG, maybe next year....
The BRAG effect. I just rode 51 miles and I will no doubt lose ground to Dena. Go BRAG-sters! I admire anyone who can pull that mileage daily for a week. I keep thinking I'll do it, but in general I am a grind it our around town while hauling me or stuff from place to place kind of a guy.
Hey, have you all noticed we're competing with BRAG? Good job, Dena! I wish I was out there. You'll have to let us know all about your experience when you finish.
A friend of mine used to strap his lawn mower behind his mountain bike and pedal the job.
Hahaha! @ Eric - I feel you there. I get the same flak.
I had a good tailwind this morning. That helps a lot.
My trouble is convincing my wife that I still need to ride on the weekends. The conversations go something like this: "Didn't you get enough riding this week?" "Well, I put in plenty of miles but that's solo road riding; it's not the same as riding with a group or mountain biking!" "Oh. The lawn needs mowing; that's a workout isn't it?"
Go, Eric, go. You're one of my motivators, so I need you. I see you put down a pretty good ride this morning. Good on you, sir.
I did have a big weekend by my standards. Back to back 30+ mile days. I did a 30 mile sport ride Saturday, but after that I went to the grocery and came home with about 40 pounds of groceries. Sunday had a 15 mile sport ride with my wife and a friend followed by a 20 mile transpo ride to a meeting to figure out how we can change a planned bike path to make it actually functional. My new mantra is "Turn the cranks, not the key."
Aw man, y'all killed me over the weekend. I might have to log some extra miles this week to catch up.
Well, my frame dilemma is (hopefully) resolved. My new (new to me, anyway) carbon frame should arrive next week and all my components should fit. I'll be riding it the day after it arrives even if it takes me all night to build it and let you know how it works out. Meanwhile I'm about to jump on the borrowed bike and head home...
I have to know: are Michael and Laura Lamar somehow associated? Y'all have me bracketed on the leaderboard. More than just a coincidence?
Mark, that's awesome!
Glad to hear it, Mark. Watch out, though. You might find it's addictive.
I'm back on a bike, yay! It's borrowed and it's a bit too big, but it sure did feel good to be back out in the fresh air this morning! Meanwhile, I'm still seeking a replacement...
The challenge has worked for me. I rarely do more than 20 miles of biking commuting or transport in a month; this month I've done more than 84. Thanks for the extra motivation!
Thanks, Frank. I figured you all would understand. Well, at this point I'm torn between replacing the frame or parting it out on ebay and buying a cyclocross bike. The latter might better withstand the rigors of daily commuting. Although I must say commuting on a sub-18 pound twitchy criterium bike has been quite fun.
Sorry to hear about your frame, Eric. A sad day when a beloved bike gives it up. I wondered how I had managed to edge in front of you in the standings. Good luck with getting a good replacement quickly. (I have a 1992 Miyata that I don't use--one of those "I'll do something with it someday projects"--but somehow I don't think that will work.)
Tropical Storm Beryl chasing me out of the saddle today and probably tomorrow. Hooray. My poor legs need a rest and I've reached the point where I almost feel like a criminal when I drive anywhere--so it takes something like a hurricane to make me stop. I already have a new personal best for month of May with four days remaining, so a most excellent time let the bike muscles recuperate a bit. And be ready to really cook in June. Woo hoo.
I snuck in a mile this morn before my dr's appt- can't ride anymore till sun :(
Bob, I see you on the local leaderboard as being the 2nd place rider for team Georgia Bikes. The Endomondo folks are still working a few kinks out I think.
...and, Frank, I definitely agree. The National Challenge - and great weather - has gotten me out riding way more than I probably would have otherwise this month. As a fellow telecommuter, I tend to set myself at least one bike-errand per day, so I have "excuse" to ride around Athens. ;-)
Wonder why my miles show up on the national leaderboard, but when I go to my team leaderboard on Georgia Bikes, it says no applicable workouts, which equals zero miles?
Frank, I was riding in Savannah yesterday, too. Rode a loop on Johnny Mercer Blvd, Whitemarsh Is, Talahi Is, and Oatland Is. I ride while "working" since,as a truckdriver, I can't ride to work.
After a genuinely hot April, recent weather is incredibly fine for cycling. I'm way ahead of any mileage I ever thought about accumulating in May before. The Challenge is a nice motivator, too.
Great day yesterday in Savannah, as we not only had Bike to Work Day, we also had Bike Home from Work and Bike to Brilliance, as riders attending dedication of Price Street bike lane were invited to post-TEDx social.
We had 8 bike trains today going to the various CDC campuses in Atlanta. Glad to work some where where commuting by bicycle is encouraged.
Happy Bike to Work Day! If you rode, please tell GA Bikes a little about your ride:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform
Good suggestions. I'm also thinking of bringing a small electric fan; the bathroom I use for changing is tiny and the flow of air is very slow.
I home office, so I don't commute. I do go pretty much everywhere by bike, so most of my miles wind up as transport. Looks like you may get more points for transpot than sport, so I'm trying to calculate the percentage of my miles I add on to trips just for the heck of and call that sport. I have commuted or used a bike as my principal form of transportation since Bike to Work Day 1993, so I know all about baby wipes.
Mark: Glad to hear it! I used to work at UGA and bike commuted almost every day from Normaltown. I got around the sweat issue by leaving a little earlier, keeping a change of clothes, baby wipes, and a travel size deodorant at my office, and pedaling at a leisurely pace. It took a little while to make that procedure habit, but I quickly recognized that I was getting to work in about the same amount of time, feeling better all day as a result of riding, and saving a TON of money. Plus, I had the best parking spot anyone could ask for and I kept my beer belly (somewhat) in check. ;)
Most of my miles are actually commuting but I categorize them as sport because that's my riding style and the 22 miles each way also fits the sport riding definition. I hear ya about the sweat. There is a shower here in the building and they don't mind if I leave my vehicle here all week so it's ideal for my purposes. I dirve Monday morning and Friday evening, bringing clothes for the week. Oh, and about the lighting: my theory is that you can never have too much. CygoLight on the handlebars, cheap headlight mounted to the helmet, cheap red flasher ($8, WalMart) zip-tied to the back of the helmet, SuperFlash from Planet Bike on the seat and another cheap flasher on the seatpost. Sometimes I feel safer in the dark. Now with the longer daylight hours I'm only riding in the dark for 30 minutes in the mornings.
I understand completelty Mark. My job is teaching kids mountain biking and running so Im allowed to be sweaty (plus i carry extra clothes in my panniers and rack sack). I have always been a pure mountain biker but I have been inspired as well to get on my bike for everything else.
Most of my miles are sport riding, but this campaign is definitely inspiring me to fight the urge to "just drive". Most of my commute is on pretty, low-traffic roads except for short stretches on Prince Avenue and the Atlanta Highway (Oddly, Prince is usually scary and the Atlanta Highway usually isn't!). My biggest obstacle to commuting is that I have two big climbs, which means I can't ride in office attire if the temperature is over 55F.
Matt: that's my riding style too. I'm about 98% transportational over here in Athens. I run all my errands by bike & take my daughter to daycare on a stem-mounted seat. I think it will be a while before commuting really catches on in GA, but Georgia Bikes & local advocacy groups are definitely working on it!
Ive noticed that hardly any of the leaders in the top 10 are commuting by bike. Its all sport. Given, I love cycling for sport, but I ride all over town to the store, work, friends, or wherever else I havta go. Just an observation...
Well, it's Mother's Day weekend so I probably won't get a chance to ride again until Monday's commute home. Maybe I'll catch back up by Friday. Now it's time for yard work.
Anthony! Be safe if you do start to commute at night! Chainlove has had some Stella 150 lights up for dirt cheap recently! And if the work commute isn't doable, just ride to the store and other places, every trip counts!
Well, I'm trying my best to catch up to ya'll. I'm still not brave enough to commute to work at night with my current lights. Maybe once I can get a decent headlight I can really start to rack up the miles.
Still seeing a lot of riders & teams with 0 points 10 days into the Challenge. Are y'all not riding, or is there some confusion as to how to log your miles? I bet GA would be in the top 10 states if we had all our miles recorded!
It was in Dalton, GA. I was riding to the coffee shop and someone just decided to be a jerk
Matt: where did this happen? Glad you're OK.
Brent: thanks.
Matt: hang in there and be careful! My helmet mirror saved my life 2 yrs ago when a dumptruck ran me off the road in Ft Pierce, Fl. Landed in grass and dirt, and found out I had coronary blockages- I thank the LORD now for that crash!
@ Matt: It's a shame you got run off the road. Glad to hear you surviived and will be back "out there" tomorrow.
I thought I was having a bad Monday but I can thank God He kept me safe on the road this afternoon. I drive in on Mondays and bring clothes for the week. Today I forgot my jersey and shorts so I went out at lunch and bought a pair of shorts but I had to wear a T-shirt. By the time I got home I remembered why we don't usually wear cotton.
I was run off the road by a car today and had a nasty wreck due to it. I am missing all the skin along my left theigh and knee and am hurting to walk but still made it to work and home from work. I will be continuing my commute tomorrow to show that some idiot can't ruin my ride.
Bob, yes, you'd be "sport," not "transport." Transport is for commuters, not recreational riders.
I just changed from "cycling transport" to "cycling sport"- still not sure if that applies to me, though. I can't ride to work, but rather, I ride while "working". I have too much luggage, cooler, bedding, hanging clothes, etc, to carry and put in my truck, so must drive 2.5 miles. However, it's one round trip per week driving, total 5 miles. Any comments on how to log cycling miles quicker will be appreciated!
ditto on "Thanks, Brent, for promoting this!"
Just logged my first lil' ol' bike errand of the Challenge ... hooray! Thirty lbs. of kitty litter and kibble lashed to the rear rack make the bike wobble, tho. Thanks, Brent, for promoting this!
Chad, they be counting only the "Cycling - sport" and "Cycling - transport" miles for the purposes o the Challenge. If you don't do any pavement riding, I'd log the miles as "Cycling - sport."
Why arent my miles showing up ?
And we're off! Have fun and good luck everyone :)
Lets get this month goin! May is Bike Month! Woohoo!
Yes, please feel free to create a team! Anyone can, and the team can be based on any grouping: church, neighborhood, business, club, etc. If you create a team, you are the default captain, which just means you're in charge of recruiting people to join your team. Good luck & happy riding!
Oh well. Maybe I'll talk some friends into signing up and joining a team. Most of my mileage is solo commuting (but I think 18.5 mph average for 23 miles qualifies as "cycling,sport") so I don't have a ready-made team.
Eric, looks like we are full. While one page shows 9 members, the back-end admin for the team shows 10 members. Hopefully Endomondo will address the error. Sorry for the confusion!
That same error has come up for me before. Not sure how to resolve it, bit I will send you an invitation to the team. Maybe that will help.
Nope. Tried Firefox, same result.
You have 9 members as of now but I still cannot join. I'll try a different browser later.
Hmm. I'll ask Endomondo what's up. We may be full too...
Sorry Brent, I couldn't join the team. This is the message I received when I tried:
Error
Oops! An internal server error occurred. We'll look into it right away.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
The Endomondo Team
It was great to learn about this through the BikeAthens weekly announcements. Looking forward to a lot of riding next month -- as soon as I get my bike fixed and back on the road (it blew an idler right after finishing the Athens-Savannah Ride for Excellence in Education!).
As a solo rider, your stas will contribute to your city's and the overal state's stats. The "teams" are just a fun way to further group stats & encourage a little in-state competition. Anyone can create a team, and a team can be based on any group of folks, such as a neighborhood, a church, or, of course, a bike club, shop, or advocacy group. Teams are limited to 10 people each. I think we have one spot left on our team- feel free to come on Board!
Hey Brent, what's the difference between riding solo vs. joining the Georgia Bikes team?
Dee! That is great! I was weighing 225 at 6'3" 4 weeks ago when I started commuting (I have been a passionate mountain biker for 3 years now). I have lost over 10 lbs. Downside is that I'm a type 1 diabetic and all my extra exercise has been causing me to have extreme lows. My girlfriend had to call 911 for me the other day because I slipped into diabetic seizures. Hopefully I'll get it under control and I'll be under 200lbs before summer rolls around!
That's great, Dee! Thanks for sharing :)
What a wonderful motivator! As it happens, I started a weight loss and fitness program 2 weeks ago. I'm out of town right now, but I return home on 5/1/2012 and had planned to start bike riding at that time. This challenge fits in perfectly! My husband has been riding for years, and has tried to get me to join him. I've made a personal commitment to begin riding - for my health and fitness - and for an improved relationship with my husband. Learning about this challenge seems like a God Send to me. Best of luck and happy riding to all of you!
In the Camden County Georgia area, there are about 100 cyclists; 25 active. The Camden Cycling Club is a new organization that is in the process of becoming official. This club can be contacted through the Camden Cycling Center.
I'm looking forward to this
Still space on the Georgia Bikes team!