September 30, 2012 (and 2000 miles later...)

   Wow, it's hard to believe that it's been just over a year since I started cycling!  There are still days I struggle to get in the miles I want, and I still don't know if I feel comfortable going out where it seems to be the domain of the truly avid cyclists, but I do hold my own as I do my thing around town.  I've been regularly breaking 40 miles (though not today; only about 31) and have been consciously trying to maintain higher speeds.

   So, while out today (with the family meeting me after I'd been out for about two hours), I hit 2000 miles on this bike!  There were about 400 miles I put on the first bike, but from the time I got this bike to now has been about one year, so the 2000 miles has been just on this bike and just in the last twelve months!  That's amazing to me...

   I did notice a little chain slipping on the seventh gear when I had the two kids in the trailer, but it might be the weight of the kids in the trailer meaning I need to go to a lower gear.  I'll need to do some research to figure it out to make sure it's not because I'm in need of putting on a new chain.

   I do find I'm mixed about the coming of fall...mornings are getting cooler, but the days are still getting into pleasant temperatures.  While I'm actually going to be glad when the days are the same later as the morning (so not having to pull off leg and arm warmers), I know that a lot of snow or super cold days will keep me home, and I don't want to not get out on the bike!  I do plan, though, to get out and bike to work on Wednesday, so we'll see how that turns out....

   Anyway, so here's me from a year ago to now:

And better, here's the view from our picnic spot today: