NSFW12k

In June I told you all about my breaking 10,000 miles in three and a half years.

Well, today I broke 12,000 miles, in a span of three weeks shy of four years. I guess that doesn't mean that much -- after all, it's just another milestone along the road.

However, the fact that it coincides with the fourth anniversary of buying my present bike does lend it a bit of meaning.

First, 12,000 miles in four years means that my average mileage per year is now above 3,000 miles again, which hasn't been true since 2001.

Also, having done 3,621 miles so far in the 2003-2004 season (my season begins in mid-October) means that I've ridden more this year than any year before (my previous record being 3,400 miles in 2000-2001).

Finally, I thought I'd share the accompanying photo with you. Its color has not been altered in any way. I've often mentioned the special cycling sandals that I wear and the funny tan lines they produce, but I thought you might like to see for yourself (click for bigness). That's what spending about 200 hours outside in sandals will do to ya!

One more for the road...

Oya, and I forgot the most interesting part of the day, too!

Riding along in a nice five-man paceline (a good paceline is one where I don’t have to pull), we were passed by a couple cars on Concord Street in Carlisle. Moments later, we hear the screech of metal and I see a tire flying across into the guardrail on the opposite side of the road. Apparently the driver (on his way to church with his two young daughters) had just gotten his old Volvo wagon worked on, and they’d either barely tightened the lug nuts or didn’t even bother putting them on! This all happened about a quarter mile ahead of us, but that car had literally just passed us. Kinda freaky.

More freaky still is that this happened less than a quarter mile from where I was taken down in a paceline crash back in July. Bizarre.