2023 <10,000km Club

[Retrobyte]

A sub par 262kms for September - I'm 296kms behind pace for my 4000km annual target but should have my previous annual best (3200kms) easily covered.

Although I strained an oblique at cricket practice yesterday so I may lose a week or two.

I took a week off and with some physio I resumed commuting this week. No discomfort now from the oblique, and sneezing is no longer a 10/10 pain experience

[Scott No Mates]

Starting to get back on track, cracked the 3,100km mark on the weekend.

Hopefully, getting some additional saddle time in over the coming weeks but I'm on my spare bike until I receive my new rims.

[grt046]

Riding stats for October:

Productive month with 879 km and 6,132 metres elevation, bringing YTD totals to 7,328 km and 44,823 metres respectively a nice buffer ahead of schedule.

Achieved a pleasing milestone last week rolling through 100,000 km since commencing riding in retirement in 2010 after not having ridden since my teen years.

[warthog1]

Riding stats for October:

Productive month with 879 km and 6,132 metres elevation, bringing YTD totals to 7,328 km and 44,823 metres respectively a nice buffer ahead of schedule.

Achieved a pleasing milestone last week rolling through 100,000 km since commencing riding in retirement in 2010 after not having ridden since my teen years.

Well done!

[grt046]

Thanks warthog1 ...... spent my teenage riding in your stamping ground. Nothing flash used for transport to get about and paper delivery (Bendigo Advertiser)

[warthog1]

Thanks warthog1 ...... spent my teenage riding in your stamping ground. Nothing flash used for transport to get about and paper delivery (Bendigo Advertiser)

Would have been lumpy with a milk crate full of newspapers on the bike.

[grt046]

Thanks warthog1 ...... spent my teenage riding in your stamping ground. Nothing flash used for transport to get about and paper delivery (Bendigo Advertiser)

Would have been lumpy with a milk crate full of newspapers on the bike.

Don't think milk crates existed back then (mid 50's) Papers were carried in a top bar double sided bag made from a sugar bag or similar (hessian) I carried about 70 to 80 papers for my round. Luckily the Advertiser was a small paper then. Used to leave home around 5:30 and be back home at 7:30 for breakfast before school.

[warthog1]

Thanks warthog1 ...... spent my teenage riding in your stamping ground. Nothing flash used for transport to get about and paper delivery (Bendigo Advertiser)

Would have been lumpy with a milk crate full of newspapers on the bike.

Don't think milk crates existed back then (mid 50's) Papers were carried in a top bar double sided bag made from a sugar bag or similar (hessian) I carried about 70 to 80 papers for my round. Luckily the Advertiser was a small paper then. Used to leave home around 5:30 and be back home at 7:30 for breakfast before school.

I delivered papers in the early 80s with a milk crate
The bloody Saturday age even then!
That Hessian bag thing would have made you ride with a wide gait

[DavidS]

Thanks warthog1 ...... spent my teenage riding in your stamping ground. Nothing flash used for transport to get about and paper delivery (Bendigo Advertiser)

Would have been lumpy with a milk crate full of newspapers on the bike.

Don't think milk crates existed back then (mid 50's) Papers were carried in a top bar double sided bag made from a sugar bag or similar (hessian) I carried about 70 to 80 papers for my round. Luckily the Advertiser was a small paper then. Used to leave home around 5:30 and be back home at 7:30 for breakfast before school.

Didn't you have a horse on the top bar? That's how I used to deliver papers back in the 1970s. I remember Saturday when we would get papers dropped part way around the round as a round would be maybe 100 papers and the Saturday Age was huge back then.

DS

[Tim]

A modest 402km's for October.
6517km YTD.
I need to lift my game a bit to reach 8K for the year.
Everything else is crowding out my cycling time. A fairly physical work load, dog walks and drumming all keep me engaged, active and fit but managing fatigue is becoming more of an issue. It's a fine balance which works well contingent on good sleep. If that falters, I get very, very tired, and grumpy.

[DavidS]

539KMs in October. Was away for the first few days and some days my vertigo was too much to ride a bike, so not too bad.

Doubt I can get to 8,000 this year, but 5,322 to date so should be able to comfortably get to 6,000.

DS

[grt046]

Didn't you have a horse on the top bar? That's how I used to deliver papers back in the 1970s. I remember Saturday when we would get papers dropped part way around the round as a round would be maybe 100 papers and the Saturday Age was huge back then.
DS
[/quote]
Not sure what you mean about a horse. The bags we used were slung across the top tube with a slot either side ..... papers were folded and stacked in the slot to about chest high.
Delivered Herald after school as well and had a number of drop points to pick up. Had 4 pubs on my run (6 o'clock closing) and made good tips from the drinkers.

[MichaelB]

A better month again for me, didn't quite crack the 800km, but did 783km with 8,029m elevation gain, so a lot more climbing than I have for some months.

Will see if I can get the centuries back on the radar for Nov & December.

YTD sees me at 5,353km and 45,811m elevation gain. Oh well, hopefully can get to 7,000km for the year

[DavidS]

Didn't you have a horse on the top bar? That's how I used to deliver papers back in the 1970s. I remember Saturday when we would get papers dropped part way around the round as a round would be maybe 100 papers and the Saturday Age was huge back then.
DS

Not sure what you mean about a horse. The bags we used were slung across the top tube with a slot either side ..... papers were folded and stacked in the slot to about chest high.
Delivered Herald after school as well and had a number of drop points to pick up. Had 4 pubs on my run (6 o'clock closing) and made good tips from the drinkers.
[/quote]

I tried looking for a pic of a horse (couldn't find one), what it was, was a wooden frame which fitted over the top bar and also went down to the down bar (otherwise it wouldn't stay upright) and that kept the bag clear of the wheels and your legs. Bit hard with drop bars but I had a bike specifically for paper rounds and had high handlebars like a dragster style. We used to build them ourselves out of wood maybe 3" x 1". Can't recall if I saw others using them.

I remember delivering the Herald too, then switched to mornings with The Age and Sun. We still get The Age delivered, although they dropped off The Hun this morning, geez what a rag, took all of 2 minutes to read and what I read was pretty much garbage.

DS

[MichaelB]

A better month again for me, didn't quite crack the 800km, but did 783km with 8,029m elevation gain, so a lot more climbing than I have for some months.

Will see if I can get the centuries back on the radar for Nov & December.

YTD sees me at 5,353km and 45,811m elevation gain. Oh well, hopefully can get to 7,000km for the year

The additional time for the new & old house has meant that some of the targets for this month aint gonna happen.

Oh well, c'set la vie !

[grt046]

Riding stats for November:

Due to some prostrate issues a very quiet month with only one outdoor ride and a few short Stationery Recumbent gym bike rides for a monthly total of 167 km and 401 metres elevation, bringing YTD totals to 7,495 km and 45,334 metres respectively.
With surgery scheduled for Saturday that will be it for me until 2024 which is a bit short of goal but overall am pretty happy as was comfortably ahead to the end of October.

[MichaelB]

Whilst there is a day or 2 left, reckon that total for Nov will be <570km (currently 554) and about 4,500m elevation gain.

Afore mentioned house activities have meant weekends didn't get much done, but a major increase in responsibility at work (another key PE is moving to another company and I've been handed his role) has meant way to much to learn in short period and a few more hours. Hopefully will settle a bit, but a key time in the project. eeek

[Tim]

The rain today and more to come has finished this month's cycling for me.
Not too well for a week and off the bike for most of the next, my lowest monthly total for a long, long time.

November - 306km
YTD - 6817km

Oh well, I'll make it to 7000 for the year.
Lower than I'd hoped for, but better than nothing.
Still plenty fit. Daily dog walks, nothing holds back the dog, and vigorous drumming practice.

[Retrobyte]

I'm at 3115/4000 for the year - 545kms behind that target, so I won't get there as we approach the silly season. 3196 is my annual PB in the Strava era though (last year), so I will pass that next week.

[DavidS]

Yep,I won't reach my 8,000KM goal either. Random days working from home when vertigo strikes and often go in to work on the tram the next day, means a few days of not riding.

November was ok, 442KMs and up to 5,764KM so far this year. Hoping to get to 6,000KM by the end of December, reasonable chance of doing so.

Not sure what I'll aim for next year, I am being made redundant, have chosen this path as opposed to applying for my job for the umpteenth time, so my cycling will shift from being commuting to going out for a ride for the hell of it. Will be interesting.

DS

[warthog1]

Good luck David. A big change. Will you apply for something else?
Hope it works out.
I no longer enjoy my job as much but still have a mortgage. Need to knuckle down and knock it down.
The workforce has changed in my industry and at 55 I am an old man. It definitely has a finite duration.

[g-boaf]

Not sure what I'll aim for next year, I am being made redundant, have chosen this path as opposed to applying for my job for the umpteenth time, so my cycling will shift from being commuting to going out for a ride for the hell of it. Will be interesting.

DS

Sorry to hear that David - that's a rotten thing for this time of the year.

Going for a ride for the hell of it is pretty good as well, you can ride how you want and where you want to, when you feel like it.

[MichaelB]

...
Not sure what I'll aim for next year, I am being made redundant, have chosen this path as opposed to applying for my job for the umpteenth time, so my cycling will shift from being commuting to going out for a ride for the hell of it. Will be interesting.

DS

Yep, it sucks, and hopefully the future works out better.

It's happened to me 3x. 1st two were very unexpected, but came out OK.

Last one was a bit messy, but in the end walked out with a $140k package (redundancy + LSL) which was very handy for the new house. Still very stressful because of the new house, but ultimately ended up better off. 2nd job post redundancy is now great and really challenging but enjoyable.

Fingers crossed it works out well.

[DavidS]

I am actually tossing up what to do. I will walk out with more than $100K, I'm 58 and we own our own house. I have a big super balance and also some investments as I inherited when my mum died. Super and investments have been going backwards but hopefully will recover.

I may never work again which would be nice. I certainly consider myself lucky to be in this situation, but I have worked all my life (first job as a paper boy at age 11!) and I ended up choosing to take the redundancy this time. I work at a university and this is the 8th time in 19 years I've been asked to apply for my own job, seems I finally got the message

DS

[warthog1]

That sounds good David.
You can try something else. If you don't like it just down tools and walk away.