Every year on my birthday, I ride my age in miles. My birthday this year isn’t actually until Sunday, but with rain forecast for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, today looked like the day for my birthday ride. So I took off on the F-5 shortly after 8:00 am, and rode to Purtis Creek, then on Farm to Market 1861, then on State Highway 19, then back, for 69 miles total. It was cool and breezy at the start, but after a few miles, I wasn’t cold at all. The wind kept blowing, but was a quartering tailwind on most of the return ride. I only do short rides all winter, so this ride is always more than I’m used to, and always wears me out. But there it is, done for another year.

I ended up with 284 total miles ridden in the month of January, and every bit of that was on the Xstream on the trainer. January was actually pretty mild this year, but I worked quite a bit, and just never managed to be able to ride on one of those mild and dry days. I had a serious cold the second week of the month, and only rode 25 miles. That’s why I ended up with less than 300 miles for the month. Still, compared to past Januarys where I did nothing but outside rides, this year’s mileage wasn’t bad.

February was a chillier, wetter month, and I only managed three outdoor rides that month. I ended up with 415 miles for the month, so not bad. March was another wet month, and I only got in five outdoor rides. I ended up with 459 miles for the month. That’s a decent March for me, and I need to keep increasing that mileage as the warmer weather comes. I’ve taken at least a month off work because of the pandemic, so getting my miles in should be easier for at least the next few weeks.

Today’s birthday route.