On October 1, 2005, I posted the photograph to the right. (Original post here.) I was celebrating 2,000 kms of bicycling, mostly traveling back and forth to work.
I don’t know whether this is likely to impress anyone, but I reached another milestone today. My poor odometer is beginning to look rather beaten up!
4,000 kms! We’re about half way through this (very rainy) summer, so that works out to 2,000 kms traveled in 2-1/2 years; about 800 kms of cycling per year.
We’re lucky to live in Ottawa, which has constructed an admirable network of bicycle paths: all the blue lines in the image below. (Click for a larger image; or you can see the original version of the map here [pdf].)
I’ve used stars to mark my home (along the bottom edge, and not actually located in the middle of the Rideau River) and my workplace. The total distance between the two stars is 7.5 kms.
The beauty of it is, I get to cycle beside the Rideau Canal …
… and the Ottawa River …
… a route that takes me most of the way to work. There is a terrific hill to climb on my way back up from the river, but the view is certainly scenic. And if the hill is a bit taxing, well — that’s at least part of the point, isn’t it!
Jul 31, 2008 @ 10:26:16
Very cool! Congrats!
Jul 31, 2008 @ 13:09:09
Well, if it means anything at all, I’m impressed.
800 km of cycling per year is nothing to sneeze at.
And those are some beautiful pics of our fair city too.
Aug 03, 2008 @ 13:35:43
Thanks, JA and Zayna.
I don’t think 800 kms per year is particularly brag-worthy, but it’s consistent with my “slow and steady wins the race” style. I run 4-5 kms several times per week, too. I’m not trying to set any records for speed or endurance, I’m just trying to fend off that middle age spread that is so insidious!