2009 numbers

There was one more ride on New Year's Eve day, and it just pushed me over the 6900 mile limit for the year. I ended up with 6921 miles, almost half of which came from my commutes to Amsterdam and back. I did 98 of those rides last year, at 32, 34, or 36 miles a piece (depending on the route). I did no races, and fast rides overall have been much less prominent since moving to Holland. I've still wanted to go hard, on Mt. Ventoux back in July, for example, but it has been difficult to achieve the required intensity. The obvious solution is to go harder on the commutes. I'm never very ambitious on the way into the city, but there should be room for a few intervals on the way home. Before I could make much of this new year's resolution last week, we got treated to lake ice here (as well as more snow), so for the time being I'm working on skaters' legs (the ones that don't move well on the bike). This is not such a bad thing, as (speed)skating is weight-bearing activity that helps build power. Just as important is that it's a lot of fun to be out there with everyone else on the frozen lakes and canals. Can't count these miles, but there will be plenty of miles this coming year that do qualify.