I did a lot of riding this year. 5025 miles worth to be exact, making this my second highest yearly total. 2010 was my highest with with 6313 miles. Of course I wasn't working that year, and did a month long tour. Coming in third is 2005 at 4639 miles, the year we did Rideaho.
This year I spread the miles over a variety of bikes:
| Surly Disc Trucker | 1509 | Commuting, Touring, and Mountain |
| Soma Saga | 1383 | Commuting, Touring, and Road |
| Giant OCR/C2 | 1226 | Road |
| Specialized Alez | 700 | Commuting |
| Specialized Rock Hopper | 197 | Commuting, Mountain |
| Raleigh Armstrong | 10 | Test riding (hope to fix this up as a commuter) |
Top Rides of 2012
In chronological order
New Year's day ride to Buena Vista
Stared the year off with a great road ride, the first of many to Buena Vista. This route has become my favorite as it can be incorporated into a ride of any length, and because Buena Vista is one of the most scenic places in the Valley.
Birthday ride to the Coast
Rode from my house in Corvallis to the coast at Waldport. What a milestone! Highway 34 is a great ride if you avoid busy weekends. Incredible weather for early April as well. The next day I took a side trip up the Yachats River Road where I hadn't been since I lived there in the early 1970's. It hadn't changed much at all. Gorgeous place.
The WVSB on the Disc Trucker
Shortly after getting the Surly Disc Trucker I took it north on the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway. Another beautiful April day.
Overnight to Willamette Mission Park
First camping trip on the Disc Trucker. It did the job just fine. Beautiful spot to camp as well.
Mary's Peak - the long way
My killer ride of the year. Up Mary's Peak, down to Alsea, and then back up to Alsea Falls, and home on Bellfountain. 90 miles and lot's of feet.
Mountain Lakes Challenge
Miserable day, miserable ride, but I got to ride with some good friends, and prove that the ride up GreenSprings isn't any harder than the grade up to Alsea Falls.
Aufderheide Scenic Drive
Drove up into the Cascades with Linda and then rode this incredible route through lush forests to a great campground where Linda had already setup camp. Great weekend.
Hit by a car
One of the finest after work rides of the year on the last day of July. Just over a mile from home along comes a kid in a pickup that wasn't looking. Whack, I get a concussion and a bunch of bruises (some which have not yet healed), the Disc Trucker gets both wheels destroyed, and the kid gets a ticket for "failure to yield to pedestrian". eesshh.
Oregon Coast Tour
I was determined that I was not going to let a little thing like getting hit by a car ruin my summer plans. So, I got a new bike, the Soma Saga and pulled it off. Definitely the highlight of my riding year. I met some great people and rode through some amazing places.
Trail Riding again
This Fall I repaired the Disc Trucker and started riding it on the mountain bike trails. Great fun. These are easy trails and don't require a suspension bike at all. The Trucker is perfect. I call it my Mountain Trucker now.
Every Day Commuting
I put on 2079 miles commuting this year. I'm out there every day, no matter what the weather. I missed a week after the accident, but that was about it. My twice a day commute is the perfect thing to wake me up in the morning and help me forget the job on the way home. The best therapy.
So it was another great year (AGY) as they say. I hope I can keep doing this for many years to come.