All day on the bike

I seem to be past interest in competitive cycling now days and I doubt that interest will be coming back again. However, I am interested in spending all day on the bike when I have the time and the opportunity. I had this chance last Saturday and rode for nearly ten and a half hours ending up with just over 150 miles.

Strava tells me I have almost 50 rides over 100 miles long since I started uploading 13 years ago.

Top ten distances for me since my first upload on March 23 2010:

Sept 19 2020    200.12 miles in 11:42. Solo ride from Minneapolis to Duluth during the pandemic. This was truly one of my most perfect days on the bike. Felt fantastic and had a tailwind for the entire day.

June 7 2014    186.5 miles in 10:44    Ride from Minneapolis to Duluth with friends. This ride started out pretty miserable with pouring rain and headwinds and turned into one of the most beautiful rides I have ever been on once the weather broke just before the century mark. 

June 8 2013    191.9 miles in 9:31    Ride from Minneapolis to Duluth with friends. Took a difference route than I have used on previous rides north going into Wisconsin. Meant more elevation but it was a nice change of pace. I have not used this route again however.

June 6 2015    176.05 miles in 9:29    Ride from Minneapolis to Duluth with friends. Rain again on this day but at the end of the route. It was cold and pretty awful. Not a great way to finish all day on the bike.

June 9 2012    172.9 miles in 8:13    The first of the Fondo Smithers rides up to Duluth. Probably the best turnout on this ride of all 5 editions. Everyone was really stoked to make the distance.

September 2 2023    150.3 miles in 9:48    Last weekends solo ride.

July 2 2023    124.5 miles in 9:31    Solo ride. I intended to get in 150 miles but cut short once I got close to the finish. Last weekend's ride made up for that.

July 23 2023    127 miles in 7:51    Earlier this year I had wanted to spend a couple of days riding from Minneapolis to Elkhart Lake Wisconsin and this ride was training for that goal. It was pretty clear that I was not going to end up with the fitness for two days over 150 miles. Plus it was hot and gross on this ride. Rode with a couple of friends. 

July 4 2021    123.7 miles in 7:43    My favorite Wisconsin route riding north from Elkhart Lake ending up on the west side of Lake Michigan and then riding south along the lakeshore. I think this was one of the first times I used this route. I used to ride around Lake Winnebago which was an awful route due to the large amount of traffic and no way to escape the heat. It's always cooler riding near one of the Great Lakes. This was a solo ride.

Sept 13 2020    123.6 miles in 7:34    One of the last big rides before I rode to Duluth on Sept 19 of that year. Not a particularly great route, pretty forgettable ride actually. 

Long live long rides. 👍