2017 was another good year for me when it came to biking. I set a goal early in the year of matching last year’s total of just over 650 miles, and I’m happy to report that I met that goal. My 2017 total was 653 miles, which is just 5 miles shy of my 2016 total. Despite matching my previous year’s total in mileage there were a few significant differences with my biking this year.

First of all, I biked a lot more days than in 2016. In 2017 I went out a total of 78 times for rides, vs. 55 rides in 2016. However, since I managed roughly the same distance, that meant that my average ride was shorter. The big difference was in my Sunday morning rides. In 2016 I had three 30+ mile rides, in addition to my annual 50 miler. However, in 2017 I only had a single 26 mile ride in addition to my 50.

My 2017 totals were helped by my more consistent riding on Wednesday nights for the Beer & Bike group. I managed to ride 6 more Wednesdays this year than last year, only missing 8 rides all season. I also managed to commute to work a couple of times this year, which I really hope to continue more of next year.

I also had a chance to get more involved in bike work this year. I did some basic maintenance on my current Trek, and volunteered at the Free Bikes for Kidz event, fixing up bikes. I’ve also started working on rehabing an old cheap bike to see if I can make some nice improvements to it to make it more comfortable.

I would love to commit to getting a fat bike in 2018, but I’m not sure I can justify the expanse. I would love to have a reason to extend the biking season into the colder months, but for now I’ll have to be content with just running in the winter. I also want to commit to more long rides in 2018. I feel like I missed out on a lot of mileage this year that I could have easily gotten if I had just hauled my butt out of bed on a weekend morning. I also need to get my wife out riding more, as I think she only came with me on one or two occasions.

I’m looking forward to an exciting 2018 in the biking realm, and I have a lot of high hopes for what I can achieve. My mileage goal will be upped from this year, and I’m going to need to really commit to spending more time in the saddle, even when I don’t feel quite like it. I hope your 2017 involved some 2 wheel fun, and that you’re also looking forward to a great 2018!