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Counting down now to a big milestone
Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 8:33 pm
by ColinOldnCranky
This morning as I pushed on through the early morning storm, I passed 19,000km on the beast. I guesstimate that it would have been about Canning Bridge and at around 6:30am.
So now I am officially in countdown mode. I do not have any idea how I will mark the occasion when I actually hit 20,000km. But at the very least I will have to have a celebratory drink. At my age that there is no guarantee that I will hit another significant large round number though I am certainly hoping to.
Anyway, as of arrival at work this morning I was sitting on 19,011km. Only 989km to go.
Re: Counting down now to a big milestone
Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 8:57 pm
by Ozkaban
19000km on a unicycle is pretty awesome!
Can i ask what sort of speed you would normally ride at? Just thinking hours in the saddle...
Cheers,
Dave
Re: Counting down now to a big milestone
Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 11:11 pm
by ColinOldnCranky
Ozkaban wrote:19000km on a unicycle is pretty awesome!
Can i ask what sort of speed you would normally ride at? Just thinking hours in the saddle...
Cheers,
Dave
Hours are around 600 hours a year. Heading for considerably more this year. Or to put it another way, more than a third of my working year. Speed is not great but I got time.
There are some cyclists who do bigger times though. Cavebear2 is an obvious one. With around 30,000km a year he has to be doing in excess of 1000 hrs a year!
Re: Counting down now to a big milestone
Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2012 7:37 pm
by ColinOldnCranky
Just edged to within 300km. Perhaps another three weeks, perhaps a little less.
Re: Counting down now to a big milestone
Posted: Sat Jul 28, 2012 6:30 pm
by ColinOldnCranky
200km and counting down.
Re: Counting down now to a big milestone
Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2012 4:08 pm
by KonaCommuter
ColinOldnCranky wrote:200km and counting down.
Nice
Re: Counting down now to a big milestone
Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2012 4:18 pm
by gabrielle260
Hi Colin,
20,000 km on a unicycle is an amazing achievement! Two questions for you;
1. When did you start? And
2. How are you going to reward yourself when you pass the milestone?
So close now... Keep us updated, please,
Andrew
Re: Counting down now to a big milestone
Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2012 6:41 pm
by ColinOldnCranky
gabrielle260 wrote:Hi Colin,
20,000 km on a unicycle is an amazing achievement! Two questions for you;
1. When did you start? And
2. How are you going to reward yourself when you pass the milestone?
So close now... Keep us updated, please,
Andrew
I had a good ride yesterday, first since the dreaded lurgy put me to bed. But I am not breathing too well today again so I am not going to push too hard just yet.
Celebrations? Carron, the owner at my regular morning coffee stop Sassys on Swan, is going to make me a banana pancake on the morning that I hit 20,000km. That might be about the extent of it. Perhaps a cake at work too.
I started counting in 2008 when I started commuting. It maybe took me a couple of years to get to 5,000. But each year I set a bigger target and each time I think it is ambitious and each time I exceed my expectations, getting there with some time to spare.
This year I so far ahead of porjections and a lot of that has been the exceptional winter we are having. There seem to be heaps of other riders who also have not eased off. But I can't see where I can find more hours for the future. Perhaps when I retire I can put in some more but frankly I sees no compelling reason to push.
I know it's a big number and I am happy with it. But as a point of reference I see that Cavebear2 has, for the last two or three years, ridden 30,000km. By my reckoning he is doing, maybe 1200hrs a year, maybe more. In fact, if you read this Perry, I would love to know how many hours it is. Not that I intend challenging you.
Re: Counting down now to a big milestone
Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2012 11:18 am
by ColinOldnCranky
I have been crook for about a fortnight so. of late, my distances have been pretty low and I have not been making much progress towards my 20,000km.
But I am feeling better every day now and with a few decent rides lately I am closing in on that target again.
For those of you who spend too much time on forums
I'll try to post here over the next week or so as it drops.
Carron, the owner at Sassy's on Swan, has promised me a banana pancake on the day.
Current status is 158km to go.
Re: Counting down now to a big milestone
Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 7:49 pm
by Ozkaban
Keep it up Colin! Nearly there. Tell you what, I'll have a muffin at my coffee shop in the morning to celebrate too... Just tell me when
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Re: Counting down now to a big milestone
Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2012 1:22 pm
by ColinOldnCranky
Wasn't the weather brilliant this morning? Warm enough that I could do most of it without constricting clammy clothing.
19,886km. 114 to go. Logged it with Bike Journal and I am still just hanging inside the thousand.
And it looks like I may get away on time tonight. It's a tossup then between meeting with mates at the Grosvenor for an after-work ale or the full ride home and save some train fare. That'd brign me down to double digits.
Re: Counting down now to a big milestone
Posted: Sun Aug 05, 2012 4:25 pm
by ColinOldnCranky
Detoured thru South Perth on the way home on Friday. And did my fourth (I think) big -ride-my-age this today. Suddenly it's looking like TUresday or Wednesday.
Current status: 37km to go.
Re: Counting down now to a big milestone
Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2012 10:00 pm
by ColinOldnCranky
All of a sudden I'm all excited!
I rode home this arvo thru the wet and wind and when I checked the trip meter at home I have a miniscule 15km to go.
That means that if I do the full distance to work tomorrow then 20,000 should pop up about the time that I get to Sassy's on Swan for my regular coffee and muffin.
Carron - owner - has promised me a banana pancake as a special celebratory prize. Hell, I don't even know if I like banana pancakes but I am gonna enjoy it regardless.
It's gonna be at least another four or five years before I get to my next biggy at 50,000km. So toots, bells, and wolf whistles and AirZounds tomorrow if you see a guy on a unicycle. And any pics or videos as you are passing will be welcome too.
Now, to make the trip as comfortable as I can, I gotta sign off and fit a totally new sheepskin cover for tomorrow.
Re: Counting down now to a big milestone
Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2012 10:05 pm
by gabrielle260
Go For It!!!!
Re: Counting down now to a big milestone
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 10:41 am
by westab
Colin - thats great - enjoy your reward from your coffee shop.
I will save the congrats for tomorrow.
Re: Counting down now to a big milestone
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 4:05 pm
by ColinOldnCranky
By the time that I got to Sassys I was still a kilometre short. So I continued to Victoria Avenue and came back. Still hadn't ticked over so I did a lap of the Bell tower precinct and that did it.
Carron had seen me pass and had already put the pancake on so everything was waiting as I sat down.
My only regret is that i was eating in public - I so much wanted to lick the last of the syrup off the plate.
If you want something sticky and sweet with a few carbs after a long ride I recommend the the banana pancakes at Sassys.
Re: Counting down now to a big milestone
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 4:10 pm
by Ozkaban
ColinOldnCranky wrote:By the time that I got to Sassys I was still a kilometre short. So I continued to Victoria Avenue and came back. Still hadn't ticked over so I did a lap of the Bell tower precinct and that did it.
Carron had seen me pass and had already put the pancake on so everything was waiting as I sat down.
My only regret is that i was eating in public - I so much wanted to lick the last of the syrup off the plate.
If you want something sticky and sweet with a few carbs after a long ride I recommend the the banana pancakes at Sassys.
Genuine Congrats Colin!
I was telling my wife about this last night. She was a little bit 'so what?' until I mentioned the unicycle bit. Jaw hit the ground at this point.
Very impressive milestone! Pancake sounds yum too
Re: Counting down now to a big milestone
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 4:24 pm
by thomashouseman
Wow, congrats! Sounds yum!
Re: Counting down now to a big milestone
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 5:09 pm
by gabrielle260
Well done, Colin- great job!!!
Andrew
Re: Counting down now to a big milestone
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 5:21 pm
by find_bruce
Should get yourself a T-Shirt made "I rode 20,000 km on a unicycle & all I got were banana pancakes & this T-Shirt"
Congratulations Colin & I look forward ot hearing about the next 20,000 km
Re: Counting down now to a big milestone
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 6:53 pm
by ColinOldnCranky
find_bruce wrote:Should get yourself a T-Shirt made "I rode 20,000 km on a unicycle & all I got were banana pancakes & this T-Shirt"
Congratulations Colin & I look forward ot hearing about the next 20,000 km
Love it. Though your paraphrase needs just a touch adjusting to read:
"I rode 20,000 km on a unicycle & all I got were banana pancakes & this
lousy T-Shirt"
Re: Counting down now to a big milestone
Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 6:57 pm
by TailWind
Well done - Most impressive!
Re: Counting down now to a big milestone
Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2012 8:04 pm
by jasonc
amazing work colin.
and +1 to the t-shirt idea
Re: Counting down now to a big milestone
Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2012 8:13 pm
by trailgumby
Another vote for the t-shirt - too funny
You gotta do it
Re: Counting down now to a big milestone
Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2012 10:46 am
by Red Rider
Massive achievement! Well done