I made this 20×30 inch poster as a sort of celebration (actual size version to explore here). One year of my life, from November 16th, 2008 to November 15, 2009 (my birthday). One year of partnership with my road bike. It should be noted that prior to buying Baby, I rode a bike perhaps 5 to 10 times a year. If that. So this was quite a jump in mileage for me.
Quite a jump in focus.
Quite a change in lifestyle.
I can’t tell you why I’ve become so enamored with cycling, all I can say is that is it addictive. To the point where I mused once that it would be cheaper to have a crack habit. Cheaper perhaps, but not in the long term.
This next year of my life, I want to see what I can personally accomplish on two wheels. I don’t race, so I have no real event to train for, but as many of you know I have decided to ride my bike across the U.S.A. in May. There will be more details to follow on that, but until now, ride on!
FACTS ABOUT THE STATS
While mileage, time, and speed data is accurate, I was less rigid about writing down the exact quantities of food etc in the early part of the year. These are rough approximations based on the number of rides, me knowing how much I normally take on those rides, and throwing a number out there.
The financial stats do not include event entry fees or how much I spent getting there. For example, Levi’s GranFondo included a flight, hotel, and rental car. I felt that diluted the purity of how much I spent on gear for the year. I also bought two bikes, but both fell just short on either side of this time period. Lucky!
Many of the stats only include the top 3 – 5 items in that category. For example, I have more than 4 jerseys, and I experimented with a lot of different food stuffs on the bike. I had contemplated doing a full ‘company report’ of sorts, dedicating a page to each category so all that stuff could be seen. But I dunno, it seemed less interesting than creating a poster-sized print of highlights from this one year – my first year – of taking riding a bike semi-seriously.
UPDATE: The banana situation. A few people seem staggered at the number of bananas I’ve been putting away. I often eat a banana as I’m walking out the door with my bike at 5:30am. Just to have something in the ol’ belly. Sometimes it’s half a banana, leaving the other half for later in the ride. Sometimes I eat the banana on the ride (they really fit well in a jersey pocket). The point is, yes, I eat a lot of bananas. I love bananas. They are conveniently wrapped, taste delicious, and are a good ride fuel for me. So don’t question the bananas. I was born in Queensland. Eating them is my birthright.
mike
this is awesome!! great stuff..
Cath
Love it! Wonderful concept and fabulous illustrations!
And kudos to you for all the riding (and money spent on riding!). Look forward to seeing the next one!
But did I read that right, you rode 8 HOURS on rollers? :O
Jenn
Love this. And I know how you feel about becoming enamoured about cycling. I didn’t really own a bike until 2007 when I moved to the Yukon and I have fallen absolutely in love with being on my bike in the mountains. So much so that I am riding across the Rockies later this summer. A bit freaked out about it, but love reading blogs like yours for inspiration. That’s a fabulous poster.
Lodewijk
i like how your crazy
and crazy about numbers, thats neat too!