2020 miles in 2020

[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

At the beginning of 2020 (back when we were so naive and hopeful) I set an ambitious goal for myself: 2,020 miles in 2020. This may seem small to some of you, but I live out in suburbia, surrounded by punishing hills/mountains, and there are few places to go out here. Most trips require a car. The one bike commute that gave me 4 miles/day was to the boys’ school, but by March, that was gone - replaced by virtual school. 

Having everyone at home all the time was a blessing and a challenge. I started going out in the evenings, looking for places to go by bike to clear my mind and wear out my body. I rode down the mountain and began exploring the development there. They had thoughtfully put in bike lanes and a blacktop bike path, and I discovered that I could make a 10.1 mile loop, start to finish. The thing was, I only had my stock Clementine - the 2019, super-long model, set up to be a school commuter. Beautiful and capable, but heavy. I ordered a new wheelset and dyno lighting from Analog, and that really changed the game for me. Lightened up (in weight and lumens!), I could venture further from home, regardless of elevation or sunlight. I began to rack up miles. 

I pedaled through a global pandemic. I pedaled through triple digit heat. I pedaled through the entire Hamilton soundtrack, memorizing it. I pedaled through wildfire smoke and record-breaking temps. I pedaled through rain. And wind. When a pulmonary embolism robbed me of my young, handsome, healthy dad in July, I pedaled (sometimes sobbing) through that, too. I pedaled in Minnesota humidity with my basket full of stuffed animals, my tiny niece shadowing me on her little bike. I pedaled through springtime, when entire trees exploded in blooms, and I will pedal through fall when the leaves are a riot of color. On October 9th, I hit my mileage goal. 

2,020 miles in 2020. 

I’m going to keep pedaling, but I may finish out the year on a raspberry Platypus, depending on when the wheelset gets here. Until then, I’ll keep using this Clem, stout and dressed as a commuter, as an exercise bike. Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t - you can, and you’ll have muscles, to boot.

Leah

[Curtis McKenzie]

Congratulations.

This has got to be in the top three of best posts here in this forum.

Keep growing and keep pedaling!

Curtis

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[Dorothy C]

Leah, I have said it before, but I am so sorry about yor Dad.  

Congratulations on a great achievement and I am glad a Rivendell bike has helped you this year.  Here’s to many more miles of cycling enjoyment. 

[George Schick]

Congratulations on your 2020 mileage.  My condolences about your dad.  And I've viewed that Platypus frame on Grant's blog and it looks fantastic.  Once you get that set up the way you like it you'll no doubt be riding even more miles next year!

[Joe Bernard]

2020 in 2020 on Killer Hill on a Clem, that's a big dang deal! I can't wait to see you on your Leah's Raspberry Platypus, you'll be flying!!!

Joe Bernard 

[Roberta]

That is a fantastic achievement.    I'm glad your bike helped you enjoy the joys, and help you get thru the lows.  You get everything done that you've put your mind to doing! 

Also, for everyone else, I've seen Killer Hill in person.   BBDD aptly named that.  Way to go, Leah!

Roberta

[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

Thank you, friends. You guys are so kind to cheer me on! Killer Hill isn’t much fun, but it does build endurance, as well as thighs that could be lethal weapons! Ha!

[Mark Roland]

Kudos to meeting your nifty goal. Honestly, if I was forced to own only one bike, I would be a fool not to choose El Clem!. But sometimes the nice, steady, capable ones get passed over for the bling--like racy drop bar bikes, or maybe even a Wolbis Slugstone,tricked out with bmx jazz.  Or a certain raspberry platypus. Keep riding. And writing. Cheers!

[Leah Peterson]

Oh, this is so funny. I had forgotten that I posted 2020 mileage goals as a goofy video on Instagram (see attached). Just look at all the hope and goodwill I had for the new year! Initially, I was aiming for 1000 miles and planning to reward myself with a “cranberry red-with-sparkles-and-cream-Cheviot.” But some time later, I figured out how to calculate the miles for 2019 with my Apple Watch and I realized my goal was not a goal at all - I had actually beaten 1000 that year. One of my friends said, “I think you could do 2020.” And she was right.

I did 2020 miles instead and ended up with a raspberry red-with-sparkles-and-cream PLATYPUS.

[True Golden]

Adding my condolences on your father's passing.

Also, congratulations on meeting and exceeding your 2020 mileage goal!

Thats super!

I'm right around that same mileage for the year.

I try for 200 miles each month, sometimes exceeding and sometimes doing more. I think I have 3 months this year I got in 300 and a couple only around 100. I don't sweat it too much. It usually averages out.

Riding does make a big difference for me in dealing with the challenges,  stresses, disappointments, and trials of life as I'm sure it does for nearly everyone on this list.

Without it I would have gone completely bonkers by now. 

Yesterday I got in a nice 22 miles with my wife.

Keep up the encouraging messages Leah. You have a gift for it.

Safe riding all,

Paul in Dallas

[Mark Roland]

That's some historical footage there, before you went all Nutcase polka dot helmet plus accessories Lone Wolf on us. Hard to believe that complete transformation happened all in the space of less than one extremely strange year. Keep on truckin' (and keep on keepin' those back o bike bags in balance!;^)

[aeroperf]

Congrats on upping your mileage and reaching your goals early, Leah.

It will be interesting to see how everybody came out with 2020.
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/rbw-owners-bunch/2020$20goals%7Csort:date/rbw-owners-bunch/EL86zshgWxY/18bm7vz_BQAJ

I’m on track for 1271 miles - 100 miles per month plus my age.  I didn’t get to bike the Canal du Midi, but, hey, next year.

[kim young]

shout out to your strength Leah. And I’m sorry.

W. Hopes for many more healing and joyous miles for you and the platypus.

I hope it gets there soon 🎃 💕

 

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[RichS]

You're an inspiration Leah! Congratulations on your milestone. Looking forward to the Platypus chapter in the Leah Chronicles.

Best,

Rich in ATL

[JAS]

Way to go, Leah! Rich S named it well....I, too, love reading the Leah Chronicles and all the inspiration that comes from your joyful riding. May the raspberry Platy be all you have hoped! You’re going to fly on it, no doubt.

I had put aside the idea of upgrading the wheels on my Clem in anticipation of getting a Playtypus tricked out, but your comment about your new Clem wheels has got me thinking again!
Should I thank you for helping me spend my retirement funds?

[Ann L]

Congratulations Leah!  That is awesome.  I bet you do 3000 miles next year once you get your pretty red platypus.

[Jim D Massachusetts]

Nice posts Leah. great incentive to ride. Cannot wait to see photos of the new bike built up. 

[Doug H.]

That is a lot of miles! I am positive that your dad is with you on all those rides. Keep on keeping on.

Doug

[Todd G.]

Congratulations, that is a great accomplishment. Thanks for sharing!

[Leah Peterson]

Joyce - yikes, I don’t want to be responsible for you spending your retirement money..unless you really, really love your wheels - then send the credit my way 🙃

But I have to say new wheels makes a big difference, and dyno makes and EVEN BIGGER difference. I don’t think I can ever be without it. It was unthinkably expensive when I first heard of it, but now I have to have it. I just love a lit-up bike.

Are you getting a Platypus? What color did you settle on?
#RivSisters,
Leah

Sent from my iPad

> On Oct 12, 2020, at 8:42 AM, JAS <swanso...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Way to go, Leah! Rich S named it well....I, too, love reading the Leah Chronicles and all the inspiration that comes from your joyful riding. May the raspberry Platy be all you have hoped! You’re going to fly on it, no doubt.

>
> I had put aside the idea of upgrading the wheels on my Clem in anticipation of getting a Playtypus tricked out, but your comment about your new Clem wheels has got me thinking again!
> Should I thank you for helping me spend my retirement funds?
>

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[Leah Peterson]

Doug, speaking of Dad/my rides, do you know that he had a Clem L on order this summer? He was 6’3” and got the 59 cm Clem, in RBW Blue, to match mine. I really had high hopes of riding our matching bikes together, but he died before he ever got his bike. Initially, we thought about cancelling the order, but in the end, Mom and I had it shipped to me. I have two sons, and no doubt one of them will fit that bike someday. Or I suppose if (heaven forbid) my Clem got stolen/wrecked, I could make it work. It’s a shame to see it sitting in the box, but it will get used someday. My boys are a growth spurt away...

Sent from my iPad

On Oct 12, 2020, at 5:53 PM, Doug H. <dhansf...@gmail.com> wrote:

That is a lot of miles! I am positive that your dad is with you on all those rides. Keep on keeping on.

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[Doug H.]

Leah,

That is so sad that the bike he ordered didn't arrive before his passing. My first thought is that the bike is a legacy that he left for you and your sons. Hold tight to it because I have no doubt it will be used by your sons. (Proverbs 17:6). 

Doug

[Ted Fay]

Leah,

Thank you for sharing. A difficult year for many, a particularly challenging one for you. Great to see you found a source of strength and ability to cope.

Keep riding. 

[JAS]

A friend corrected me about retirement funds...it’s not “spending” one’s hard-earned money, it’s “using” it! So part of the point of retirement is doing some of the things that weren’t possible while working which for me means more travel in my van and biking. New bikes get included in this category!

I’m leaning toward the Platypus teal/blue color. I’m disappointed that it isn’t the true Riv blue or that gorgeous Hilsen blue, but I’ll get over it eventually. I continue to check out the Hilsen ads just because of the color, but want a step-through frame. Yes, I suppose I could get it painted, but nice wheels are more of a priority.

Ride on #RivSisters!

[Drew Saunders]

Leah,

Brava! I also planned on riding 2020 miles in 2020 but then, well, 2020 happened.

Strava says 149 miles in January, 153 miles in February and...18 miles in March. Hmm, what happened then?

April was my best month with 204 miles, but (and it took several months for me to figure this out), I started losing fitness as the year went on. You see, I normally walk or bike the 2 miles each way to work, and changing to work-from-home 4 days out of the week removed a significant part of my weekly exercise. I don't track commute miles on Strava, so those wouldn't have counted towards 2020 anyway. I started walking a 1.5 mile loop in the neighborhood to "walk to work" on days I work from home, and it's helping.

1264 miles so far, not terrible, not great. 2021 miles for 2021 seems possible.

Enjoy the Platypus! Everyone needs a fun red bike in their life at some point (mine is my 1999 match-built Rivendell)

Drew

[Leah Peterson]

Thanks, Doug. That is a great verse, and thank you. I really hope my boys like biking as adults and will use this beautiful blue Clem. Mom has the sage Cheviot, my parents would have been adorable on their Rivs. Dad was so tall; I’d have relished seeing him on a bike that finally fit him, and that matched mine. Dad was a total love; I picture him grinning on that bike even now.  I’m glad we didn’t cancel the order, even if the bike is suffering the indignity of sitting in a box for a while. 

Joyce - I love your friend’s definition, and she’s right! I *also* am partial to the metallic teal shown on the product page. I actually really love the color and might like it better than the other two blues you referenced. But then I love glimmer - and that teal looks like it has some. Instead of being a flat blue like the Homer, you get a little Caribbean flair. That teal looks shimmery and like it could be a blue-green, which I think is a superior color to either blue or green! I actually like that green pretty well, too. Much better than the bronzy green Riv has done of late. But definitely agree with you - TEAL!

Thanks to the others who have sent their kind thoughts as well. ❤️

Leah

Sent from my iPad

On Oct 13, 2020, at 8:19 AM, Doug H. <dhansf...@gmail.com> wrote:

Leah,

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/66f0e81e-3e33-4aa7-a3cd-002db9b1ba65n%40googlegroups.com.

[Joe Bernard]

Leah, that "just a couple guys talking bikes" pic with Grant is priceless. And the family photo is so sweet..I know I've said it before but it bears repeating, your dad had such a kind face. Thank you for sharing the photos here, I'm so sorry for your loss. 

Joe Bernard 

[DeeterDeeter]

Hell yeah! Very inspirational thread! I'm glad you shared this journey with all the heartbreak and joy!

[Dorothy C]

Leah, your Platypus frame is featured on Bikesnob’s blog, and his wife just got a Clem

[Dorothy C]

Ah, now I read the comments and see you have already seen it

[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

Dorothy - thanks! Yes, I did see that. It’s weird to see *my* bike up on his blog - like, thrice. I think it would be even stranger if it actually was in my possession. Thanks for the tip! 😘

[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

UPDATE: New Goal.

I like having goals to work forward to and now I have...nothing.

I ran some calculations yesterday and I realized I have about 950 miles to make 3k for the year. Admittedly, 3k is a LOT, and further complicating matters, I will have to accomplish this by Dec 17, because we’re leaving for Christmas. If I do 15 miles daily until then, I’ll make 3,000 miles for 2020. But, knowing that there will be days of bad weather, illness, travel, hectic family schedules, I think I’ve got to try for 20 miles per day. And there is really nowhere to go that doesn’t involve descending and ascending Killer Hill. So, it won’t be easy riding, and I imagine I’m going to be really tired some of these days. I don’t know if I can do ‘er (as Dad would say) but I’m going to try. My first 10 miles of the day are done. Come sunset, I’ll try for the next 10!

[Ann L]

Leah:

You can do it!  I find the more I do, the easier it gets.  And don't be afraid to ride in the rain.  I spent many years riding in the Pacific Northwest (to which I will be returning soon) and the people here were amazed to see me riding in downpours.  My response was that you learn you don't melt and in where I lived before, if I waited for a sunny day to ride, I would ride two weeks out of the year.  Dress in layers for the cold and for wet riding, invest in good rain gear.

I am very sorry about your dad.  My parents are older and have had serious health issues.  I know I will be lucky to have them another five years but I can't wrap my head around losing them.  I love that you kept your dad's bike for your sons.  A good steel frame lasts a lifetime and then some.  Your grandchildren may end up riding this bike.

Ann

[George Schick]

Leah - yeah, you can probably do it if you push yourself hard and work around all of those intervening days, but keep in mind that it won't be the end of the world if you don't make it.  Remember Grant's slogan, "Just Ride."  Enjoy the moments, but go at it so hard that you wind up feeling glad that it's all over with in the end.  That's not fun.

On Wednesday, October 14, 2020 at 5:00:42 PM UTC-5 Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! wrote:

[Joe Bernard]

Now it's 3000? 20 a day?? Ok Riv, Leah's going to need that Raspberry Platypus pronto. She's got a bunch of Killer Hills to climb!

[Roberta]

I know you can do it, or at least get close to your goal.  It will all be worth it.

My guess is that you'll be cruising along on your Clem, two 10 mile rides each day, and then your Platypus will arrive and, BOOM, I bet you'll be doing three 10-15 mile rides a day with a wide grin on your face.

Roberta

[ascpgh]

Leah, Your example is awesome. It's hard to keep a healthy perspective on things in a world overflowing with ways and media intent on overflowing us with absoluteness, epic-ness and utmost-ness. No one seems to be able to recognize achievement less than winning the TdF, summiting Everest or graduating with a bachelors and masters in three years. The absence of humility and empathy in pursuit of recognition for some parameter of their life makes most of that stuff unreadable. Your pursuit and achievement is a humbling and awesome thing! 

Life's barriers and challenges are real and have scale to each person and surpassing them is an epic accomplishment of which we don't have enough examples that are recognized. Probably because so many folks sit on the couch scrolling through FB, IG posts and texts rather than actually doing anything. I applaud your taking the multiple leaps necessary and doing something you chose!

Andy Cheatham

Pittsburgh

[peec...@yahoo.com]

Great initial post with encouraging and positive responses.  Some things are still right with this world.  

I had total knee replacement surgery this year, June 8.  Bicycling put me in the best position possible prior to surgery and has been the best exercise possible post surgery.  It's amazing how quickly muscles atrophy with surgery and inactivity at age 64.  

I'm blessed to live near some very nice, scenic, flat trails (hill climbing is difficult in the early stages of recovery) along the Mississippi River near LaCrosse, Wisconsin.  20 to 50 mile days, mostly flat is great exercise and an opportunity for meditative thoughts.  I'm pleased to be approaching 3000 miles this year myself.  

I ride an MIT Atlantis.  Albatross bars.  650bx47 wheels.  Easily the most comfortable bike I've ridden. 

I want to say that I really appreciate this particular bicycle community.  I gain a lot from reading this blog.  Thank you.

Tim 

[George Schick]

Tim - have you ever gone over to the West side of the river and ridden on the Root River Trail towards Lanesboro (in the past, that is, not since your surgery - there is a big hill to climb along the way)?  Nice scenic trail with bluffs in view near some of the small towns.

George

[Leah Peterson]

You are approaching 3000 miles this year WITH A KNEE REPLACEMENT?! I doff my cap to you, sir - excellent work; you warm this nurse’s heart. If you’re doing 20-50 mile days post knee-replacement, I guess I’m out of excuses. 😉 

Sounds like the Atlantis is perfect for you. Get all the miles in on it that you can - I hear there’s snow in the forecast in your neck of the woods.

Leah

Sent from my iPad

On Oct 15, 2020, at 6:15 AM, 'peec...@yahoo.com' via RBW Owners Bunch <rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

Great initial post with encouraging and positive responses.  Some things are still right with this world.  

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[tim petersen]

Yes.  The Root River trail is a great trail to ride and my knee allowed me to ride it this Summer and Fall.  The other trail to ride in this neighborhood is the Great River State Trail.  That's my favorite.  Also the marsh trails in La Crosse and the LaCrosse River trail which connects with the 400 trail.

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[Nathan Mattia]

Well-spoken, Andy.  

And congratulations, Leah!