5000 Miles In One Year

“Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do, and Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do.” (Mark Twain in “Tom Sawyer”)

As of December 21, 2015, I rode a total of 5000 miles since the beginning of the year.  To some this may sound trivial; to others a difficult thing to do; to me – I did it! I rode every single mile and all of them – out at the open.  While most of that riding was meeting the definition of the Play (it was voluntary), on some occasions it felt more like Work as it was difficult to maintain the motivation all the time.

None of the riding was part of my other activities (e.g., daily commute), meaning that all of it was done solely for the sheer joy of riding.  And, as stated above, all of it was done outdoor, under the blue, and occasionally under the rainy sky.  It took over 160 rides to complete the distance, two of which involved two organized - century rides: Reston and Civil War.  The rest of the rides were shorter ranging generally between 20 and 55 miles.  Literally all of the riding involved my new Cervelo S5 bicycle.     

Trek 5200 had served me exceptionally well for over a decade, before I concluded that it was the time to get a new bike.   One day in late December 2014, I visited the bike store “just to see what is there” and returned home with a new bike!  A new skinny and sleek monster machine called Cervelo S5.  My idea of using Trek 5200, an almost family member, along with a Cervelo proved to be rather naïve.  Unless you ride them interchangeably all the time, the otherwise small differences in their size, geometry, and constitution, make switching between them a very tough proposal.  In short, riding the Trek after weeks or months of riding the Cervelo, made me wonder if the Trek was really the bicycle I once rode.  It is hard to explain the differences in the feel, but they were substantial to say the least.

                 

     Trek 5200 and Cervelo S5

Just a few words about the Cervelo.  The bike is fairly stiff and sturdy.  It handles exceptionally well lateral torsion, which translates into better riding efficiency, particularly uphill.  The front end of the bike is very light, almost too light.  While this comes handy most of the time, it taxes your ability to navigate in strong cross-winds.  The Accelero 40 Pro wheel set, which came originally with the bike, behaved reasonably well.  The wheels felt a bit on a slower, but safer side.  Not the best for accelerating, but generally good in maintaining the speed.  After 5000 miles, the cracks that appeared at the rim basis of several spokes necessitated the wheels replacement.  The manufacturer was extremely kind in providing me with a brand new set of high class wheels – Accelero 40 Team.  And, after about 1000 miles I can attest that the 40 Team wheels are excellent.  If there is one word that would sum all their qualities that word would be – stability.    

The bike came equipped with the Fizik Antares saddle that proved to be too firm for me.  I soon replaced this otherwise great saddle with the ISM Adamo noseless saddle.  Adamo is simply great.  The concern that I had on the saddle missing the nose compromising my ability to control the bike never materialized.  Not only that missing those several centimeters of the nose was good for obviating the pressure on the soft tissues, it did not involve any perceivable loss of control.  After several thousands of miles, I could recommend anybody to give a try to this saddle.  If you suffer any pain or numbness with your present saddle, try this one: there is no need to continue to suffer.

So, how did it feel to ride 5000 miles?  Normal.  More frequent riding than usual, but essentially regular feelings.  Managing the time and organizing the schedule to allow for the time to ride was as challenging as the riding.  Changing the routine, finding new routes, adding some hills to the riding, and counting the miles were all the ingredients of this recipe.  Needless to say, you cannot afford to neglect your family and work duties just to ride. 

People regularly ride 5000 or more miles per year and in that regard my little accomplishment is nothing spectacular.   Yet, riding the distance provided me with some new experience and a perspective, and with a very nice feeling of being in good shape all the time.  The little sweating, little freezing, little rain, little cross-wind, and little inconvenience here and there was a very small price to pay for all the benefits I got in return.