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