On Saturday I went for my longest ride so far—at least since I have been recording my rides. I do remember riding two-and-a-half hours a couple of times on my old bike, and even three hours once, so perhaps I rode 50K then. Or not. In any case, I have been recording my rides for the last six to eight months, since I have been using my new bike—an entry-level racer. Prior to that, I had a good hybrid bike that I really enjoyed, but it was stolen. It took me almost six months to save for the new one.

I try to ride at least a couple of times a week, usually after work one day and usually between 20-25K. On a Saturday morning if I can get out, I try to ride for about 30-35K. Last Saturday, though, I added an extra leg to my ride, and by the time I was approaching home I was only about 100 metres under 50K; so I took a slightly longer route and just clocked over!

Now I know that some riders will wonder at this boast. One guy at work rides further than this every time he rides to work and home again. But for me, it’s a good feeling, and something I want to do some more. In my last church two friends did the Bike-for-Bibles ride from Perth to Sydney—about 180K per day for 34 days! They trained for about twelve months, I guess to develop bum callouses. I am not quite in that league—yet! But who knows?

My next ride (tomorrow after work) will see my odometer click over 1000 kilometres. Again, not many for most cyclists, but not a bad start for a rookie. I might even see how quickly I can get to 2000…