Table of Contents From the President Officer Candidates LBC Banquet Proposed By-laws Changes 30th OKHT Polar Bear Ride Cyclocross Season Gil Morris Cheryl Brawner

From the President
New Year’s Resolution

At the end of last season I lamented that I had so few club miles that I hadn’t reached the 1000-mile mark. (As careful observers of this space will recall, my November 2005 article incorrectly reported that I barely had 100 miles! That was obviously a typo but too many have repeated the error so often that it seems truer than the facts.)

So I set two modest goals for this season: to accrue at least 1000 club miles and to be in the top 150 members in terms of mileage. Well, the facts are in. I “batted” .500, i.e., I made it into the top 150 in terms of mileage (number 144 to be precise) but missed the 1000-club miles goal, having racked up only 820. (I had a friendly rivalry with a club member who, early in the season, had about the same miles as I did. But she left me in the dust and went over the 2000-mile mark.)

I looked back over my records and figured out that about 90% of those 872 miles were logged at the Sunday afternoon ride, the one that usually leaves from Heine Bros. on Chenoweth Lane. So next year, if I make a point of leaving work at a decent time at least one day a week, I should be able to double that total. (In 2006, I made just two weekday rides!)

Last year, I attributed this low-mileage state of being to overwork. That was true this year, too. But something else must be going on. I think age must be a contributing factor. Looking at club members who are quite a bit older than me, and who have racked up significantly more miles than I have, I know that this must be a relative, not an absolute, factor. It’s probably aging’s frequent corollary condition – arthritis – that is having a larger impact. Anyway, the combination sucks.

A change in my cycling focus is also a factor. I’ve found that working to improve facilities and a better environment for cycling is more stimulating than actually riding. (There’s something awry in this statement that I should think about during the off-season.)

Putting it all together I have a real challenge in front of me to reach my next cycling milestone: becoming one of the very select group of 25,000 lifetime mileage members. As of the November 19, 2006, statistics report, my lifetime mileage is 23,550, just 1,450 from the goal.

If I just added one ride a week to last season’s anemic routine, I’d be in that elite group, of which there are approximately 30 since the club began its statistics program. That would be something to celebrate. It even comes with its own jersey.

So that’s my New Year’s resolution. I’m sure I’ll need help getting there. I’m sure I can count on you all to help me not forget.