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September spins away
It's getting deep into October. The year is just flying by. The temperatures are dropping and the weather is less predictable.
A good number of cyclists here in Maine have already put their bicycles to bed for the winter. If it gets below 50 degrees, my friend Scott thinks twice about going for a pedal. Not me. I'm just getting warmed up to press on for the remaining three months of 2022. I must admit to breaking out the cold-conditions gear for the first time the other day, as an early-morning ride took place with a thermometer reading of 34.
Sticking with the monthly updates, here's my cycling performance for September:
— I managed to jump on a bicycle 25 days out of 30.
— I utilized four different two-wheeled machines ... my Trek 920 adventure/gravel bike, my Trek 2.3 and Trek Domane road bikes, and I test-rode one of the shop's Marin Nicasio steel-frame bikes.
— My mileage for the ninth month of the year was 659.
— Thus far, for the 2022 season, I have ridden a bike 199 times and traveled a total of 5,269 miles.
Obviously, the highlight for me in September was capturing a gold medal at the Maine Senior Games in Brunswick. My trusty Trek and I covered the 20-kilometer (12.4-mile) road race in 34 minutes and 20 seconds. Still hard to believe such a moment of glory!
Cadillac recap
My main takeaway from my recent participation in the 31st annual Cadillac Challenge century was the fact that I'm grateful I persevered and completed the entire 100 miles. Otherwise, it would have been a big disappointment.
The event's organizers provided a link on their Facebook page to last week's blog posting, so my recap of the ride snared a good number of views — giving Pedal2Page a bit of exposure to the larger cycling community. Thank you to everyone for your comments and your congratulations. For me, two remarks really stood out.
One was from Dean Read, who was the lead coordinator of the century ride for a number of years. Dean said, "Congratulations Patrick. Glad to see that you are still going strong!" Comment number two was from someone tagged "dannyrides." It said, "Kudos to you Patrick for hanging on and completing the challenge. I rode as well and your words sum up the CCC (Cadillac Challenge century) perfectly."
I actually drove up Cadillac Mountain exactly one week after trudging up the big hill on my bicycle. Take it from me, it is way easier reaching the summit by car. But I guess that's why it's called a Challenge.
Jon and Scott, my regular cycling companions, have kind of hinted about possibly taking on the Cadillac Challenge next year. I sure hope so, as it would certainly be more enjoyable with them along for the very long ride. Stay safe!
