In Which I Contemplate Past and Future

Sunset on late day ride, seen at bridge on Lindale Trail crossing 7th Avenue (the main street) in Marion, Iowa. It was warm Thursday, but quite cold Dec. 31!

Well, biker friends, I did fall short of my goal, by more than I expected.

My goal for 2022 was to ride my bicycles 3,000 miles. I finished with a 9-mile ride today, the final day of the year.

It was a bit shorter than I was hoping. Rain and snow were in the forecast for mid-afternoon, and I left home late morning, intending to get 3 hours of riding in before the weather turned. But 10 minutes from home, little pebbles of ice and hard drops of cold water pelted down from the sky.

I was on my way to the New Bo neighborhood. It’s New Years Eve, and I wasn’t sure whether my favorite bike shop would be open or not, but checking was an excuse for a ride. I have a flat tyre on my hybrid bike and was seeking a new tube.

My luck was not good. The shop was closed, and after 9 miles of intermittent cold drizzle and ice, I was feeling all done.

My wife texted me to ask if I wanted a ride. We had planned to go out for an afternoon lunch anyway, a sort of last hurrah of 2022, so I agreed to the rescue. So she came, I loaded my bike into our van, and we went out for lunch and then home for a nap. Exciting ways to celebrate New Year's Eve.

End of 9-mile ride at New Bo Market in the New Bo area of Cedar Rapids. Water and ice are not a biker's friend. But I got a hot chocolate at the market while I awaited rescue, so all was well.

With today’s ride, I totaled 104.25 miles for the month of December. It was my lowest monthly total for the year, but then again, it was a winter month, a month of many family events and the month where I spent a week under the weather—the only time that happened in 2022. My highest monthly total was 490.6 miles in June.

Well, 2022 was a decent biking year. I came less than 250 miles from a 3,000-mile goal, which means I got more than 90 percent there.

And I think 3,000 miles in a year is not unreasonable. My miles when down in July, but 2022 was the year of my 40th wedding anniversary (celebrated in summer) plus the summer when a daughter moved, which involved us having guests in July and August.

I am hoping for more rides in 2023, weather willing and health willing. Since I fell short by 10 percent this year, lets assume I can do 10 percent better as a goal in 2023, especially if I ride part of RAGBRAI. So, to wrap up 2022, a year when new trails opened and I enjoyed 90 percent of 3,000 miles, I now set a new goal for the new year. For 2023, I aim not just to ride 3,000 miles, but to ride the missing miles from 2022—so my 2023 goal is 3,300 miles.

And, somehow, I feel pretty confident I can make it. New Year’s Eve, it's a time of thinking about renewal and possibilities and hope.