Riding the Streak: What I’ve Learned From Consecutive Days of Cycling

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Today will mark 164 consecutive days of riding my bike. On Thursday, August 8th of 2024 I started the streak. I would have more but I missed a week recovering from surgery on my left foot to remove a cyst on my heel. I was bummed, but that’s how it goes. Streaks are interesting in that you don’t always consciously know you’re in a streak until you think about it or someone points out that you’re consistently doing something.

While it did start in August, I was inspired by a cyclist I saw on Threads. Now I don’t see said cyclist post on Threads as much (or at all as of today), but in late November he was at 1552 days of cycling. He always says, “riding bikes every day until I can’t for some reason, day 1552.” He would post an amazing photo of his bike with some amazing angle and I thought, “I love this. I wanna see if I could do this.”

I love it and while I am far, far away from his total…all I can do is get out there and ride. The streak days stack up and here I am thinking of the day ahead, not the thousand days ahead.There is something pretty basic about staying grounded in there here and now.

With temps below freezing lately, it’s definitely a challenge but I’ve been doing the DO and getting it done. Frankly, it’s been a refreshing change of pace from my old commuting days and I think I’m riding better, harder and with more confidence.

What were my old commuting days, you wonder? I rode my bike to and from work most days of the week during the school year. That means I’d often take the weekend or holidays off since I didn’t have to go to work. Also a great scenario but since I retired/graduated from work to my own thing I wondered how my cycling habits would change since I didn’t HAVE to get up and ride to and from during the week.

Liberating is what it is! I can wait out the rain or the wind gusts and pick the time of day to get out there and ride. It’s like the hearing the angels sweetly sing because I have choice and I still choose to ride. Now back to the streak. while it is about the numbers, it is also about the rhythm, the routine, and the joy of showing up for myself, day after day. Showing up for me, myself and I, alone.

I’ve learned I love cycling from a place in my soul that goes beyond anything I ever thought about. I feel I have GOT to ride every day. It sounds corny, but it is my thing. The feel of the bike and the rolling wheels and dance of time through space while I move with the machine to get to places far and near is magical. I mean even with and against traffic and distracted drivers and all the hullabaloo, it’s still so wonderful and feels like an accomplishment. I love it even more when it’s cycling to cycle and not to commute. With a cycling streak, it’s a magnificent reminder when you’re in the moment and you love the moment so much that you decide to be intentional and conscious of the moments and crochet them together to make yourself stronger of both body and mind.

Like the Threads cyclist, I take a photo (most of the time) of my bike in some unusual spot with a cool backdrop to mark the moment and then I continue my ride and post about it later. Many times I post on Strava and Instagram but lately since all the Socials seems to be in such flux and decisions about whether to stay or go are paralyzing, I am making note of them in my phone on the caption for the photo. I don’t post about it every day but I’ve been hoping to revive my Blog and also take some time to share more about my bikey ways here and on YouTube in the coming months. If you’re interested, please follow along.

1550 days from today is Wednesday, April 18, 2029 and what I hope is that I’m still cycling and streaking, but let’s be honest, who know what tomorrow brings. All we have is the here and now and I plan to get out there and ride. I gotta keep the streak going.

What I’ve learned is that this streak is mine and I’m working to stay in the saddle and doing the do. It feels like fist-pumping-crossing-my-own-finish-line every single day. That’s what I’ve learned.

Thanks for reading and riding and I hope you too get out there and ride your bike.

Enjoy!

Bike Goddess

4 thoughts on “Riding the Streak: What I’ve Learned From Consecutive Days of Cycling”

  1. Good job and keep it up!
    What you’re doing is very motivating. This year I hope to commute by bike more by cycling even when it rains. Up until now I have been a fair weather cyclist. Hoping to change to “all weather cyclist”!

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  2. Sorry it took me so long to come here and see what’s up that I’ve seen on Strava.

    Congratulations on the streak. You’re well over 200 at this point in April 2025. And on retiring and doing your own thing whatever that means.

    I think what you wrote–and how you wrote it–encapsulate a lot about streaks well and beautifully.

    I’m up to 2012 days, although to be perfectly honest I might have started my watch late a few times. So the Guinness book of world records is not a book I am in. But I know for myself that I’ve essentially been riding every day for 5 and 1/2 years (as of last Friday), and that’s meaningful to me.

    Why and how I’ve done it has involved a fair bit of sacrifice and suffering. Not somebody dropped a bomb on my village or there was a flood or Ebola virus level of suffering, obviously, but enough of it to matter. If it matters to anybody else I don’t know, I rather doubt it. Trying to explain it is not even really possible. If you know, you know. I know you’re getting a good taste of that.

    I say that’s not to brag, (okay, just a little bit of pride is in there), but just to alert you that there’s also a dark side to streaks. I’m pretty sure you’re aware of this, but if not, be careful. If you’re injured, sick, or just not feeling it, the ego attachment to keeping the streak alive can be harmful. You’re probably in much better health than I, so do what feels good.

    For me, as long as I ride a mile even if the roads are totally treacherous or it’s on a bike trainer, it counts. But usually it’s been a hundred miles a week and this is the tenth and hopefully final year of that mileage number, at least. Til then, I see no reason to stop. At least not a good enough one.

    If something happens beyond my control, or I have to be anesthetized for something medical, and it stops, it’ll feel like a loss of something quite special, I’m sure. But it’s also something that can’t be taken away from us. Hopefully you’ll be more realistic and practical with your streak. In the end, riding regularly in a sustainable way that allows the body to rest is certainly more rational.

    But I never claim that. Certainly the times we’re living in our irrational and part of what keeps me going it is cycling while Rome (e.g., the planet and the country) burns is its own form of protest.

    Be safe and smart, but ride on, Goddess. Thanks for letting me ramble on. -Respectfully, Your sibling in streaking, A Dude Abikes

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  3. Pingback: Still Streaking | Bike Goddess

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