My goal every year is to ride 6000 miles. 6000 miles is a lot of miles, and a lot of things have to go right to be able to get that many miles in. Some of those things are under your control--fitness, discipline, dedication and consistency. Some are not like weather, health and work and life commitments. I've cleared 6000 miles 4 times before, one time ending the year at an incredible 7150 miles. Some years, I don't quite make it, finishing somewhere in the 5000's. Its not that 5500 miles is a bad year--its not. It is more than a lot of people ride. But I set the bar high at 6000 miles to give me self a goal for each year.
One of the hardest things about logging that many miles is being consistent. There comes a point, typically in late July or August when you are just a little burned out from riding. It is hard to find the time every weekend to go out and log 100+ miles. By this time, many of your other season goals have been accomplished, so it just gets hard to go sit on your bike for 5 or 6 hours. Its not that I don't enjoy it, but when you've been riding 800-900 miles a month for 4 months, you are just a little tired of it. So for me, I always seem to have this dip in my miles in late summer. And that makes it hard to get to 6000.
Weather and health are both big factors too. Catch a cold or the flu, it wipes out riding for a week. That happened to me twice this summer. I look back and wish I had those miles now. And in Wisconsin, there are months you simply cannot ride. Cold and snow don't make good riding conditions. I got one ride (10 miles) in during February, but otherwise we couldn't ride until mid-March. And typically in November, the weather deteriorates enough that riding just isn't pleasant. In 2008, I rode only 4 times after November 3rd.
That is where this year has been different. October was poor for riding, with the Appleton area receiving double its normal precipitation. But November has been fantastic. The daily highs have been around 50-55 degrees. Last weekend, both days were in the 60's. And for the most part, things have been dry. So you can get in a 50 or 60 mile ride on both days of the weekend without feeling like an icicle.
Warmer temperatures also mean warmer temperatures in the evening. Typically, it has been in the 40's during the evenings. If you have arm and leg warmers, full finger gloves and a cycling jacket, riding is very comfortable. I have set up the Serotta with two headlights and two taillights, so riding at night is no problem. I've got in about 7 additional rides I otherwise wouldn't have by riding after dark.
As of today, I sit at 5588 miles. Tomorrow (Sunday) I'll get about another 50. And then it will be up to the weather. If I can get a couple more decent weekends and fit in a few more rides at night, I'll be able to get close. The forecast for the next week calls for highs in the upper 40's to low 50's, so I am hoping that holds.
With a little luck, I'll sneak over 6000 before the weather forces me onto the CompuTrainer, because in my book, indoor miles don't count towards this goal.
