January jots

MONSTER MONTH ...

As the new year got under way, I had no intention of issuing monthly statistics on my cycling feats — as I had done in 2022. But then I had a monster month and decided what the heck.

I don't know if it was due to climate change or just plain luck, but I ended up riding any one of my two-wheeled machines — outdoors — on 25 of January's 31 days, which was pretty remarkable considering I hibernate in Maine. Granted, there was often a chill in the air, with one ride featuring a temperature of 21 degrees and a "feels like" reading of 13. By comparison, when looking back in my logbook at days ridden, I only jumped on a bicycle 13 times in January of 2022, the year I finished up with more than 7,100 miles. In 2019, there were no rides in the month of January — that's right, NONE — and only one in February.

I utilized three different bikes: the Trek Domane, when the roads were clear; the Specialized Crux, equipped with studded tires, when the pavement was a little dicey; and the Specialized Fatboy fat bike, for snowy cruises on the Kennebec River Rail Trail.

As mentioned, I put up a big number for 2023's first month, accumulating a total of 603 miles. So, a good start to the new season. Hopefully, we all stay upright on our bikes during this year — and have a lot of fun.

LANCE POLL ...

Here's an interesting tidbit I came across the other day. It has been ten years since former professional cyclist Lance Armstrong issued his doping confession on Oprah Winfrey's show. So, a poll question was presented to the public, that basically said, "Should we just let bygones be bygones — ignore the fact that he was the King of Doping — and give Lance back his results (meaning the seven Tour de France wins)?"

The results were as follows: 68 percent of the respondents said "no," while 32 percent of the respondents said "yes."

Lance's reaction, by way of Twitter I believe, was that the pollsters were asking the wrong people. He indicated, and I'm paraphrasing here, it shouldn’t be any old Tom, Dick or Harry. What do they know? You should be asking the people "I did battle with." They know the right answer.

Most of you know I was a big fan of Lance. I got to go riding with him and met him one-on-one in Austin, Texas, back in 2002. In his heyday, he was responsible for getting millions of people on bicycles. But, unfortunately, he messed up and, as far as I'm concerned, the magic and majesty of his achievements are gone. Lance, as the article containing the poll concluded, is still living in the past and beginning to sound like a broken record.

MYSTERY PHOTO! ...

So, what's the story behind today's photograph? If you want to find out, I will come clean with all the details in next week's blog posting. Stay tuned and stay safe!