Total Miles to Date: Target: 7,497 miles…My mileage: 7,096

Total Number of Strava Group Members: 398

Some of our members have already reached -or are close to reaching- their goal of riding 10,000 Miles in 2018:

-Cam Candelaria from South Jordan, UT – “I’m at 10,900!!”

-Aaron "Rambo" Harrison of Hillsboro, Oregon – “8755 miles as of this morning! Shouldn’t have any trouble hitting 10,000!”

-DJ Juano Rivera in Highland City, Florida – “9,350 on last Sunday. Will complete it with just Centuries rides :). Keep on Pedaling :)”

Julian Thomas from Leeds, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom – “Just gone thru 10k today.”

This month, we are featuring Dave Watkins, 82, from Polk City, Florida. As of Sept. 25, he had ridden 10,000 miles and is still going strong. Dave, a former USA Cycling CAT II cyclist, ran the Boston Marathon four years.

How long have you been a cyclist?

I began serious cycling in the early 70s when a faculty member at a small college in PA. It began with a Schwinn Paramount and a collegian race on the bike at Penn State University. Crashed in that race but recovered to continue racing and became a Cat.II cyclist and qualified for three years to ride in the Masters National Championships. Each year, for personal reasons, I was unable to compete in the championships. Very disappointing to this day because I had competed well against each of the winners in numerous races.

Why did you decide to join the challenge?

I ride every day and decided to take on a challenge beyond simply riding to be able to be ride with cyclists 40/50 years younger than me.

How have you incorporated commuting by bike/getting in the miles for the challenge into your daily life?

I am retired and no longer have to head to an office or workplace. My schedule every day includes a 25/30 mile ride beginning at midnight. After daylight, there is a leisurely ride with my wife who now rides an e-bike and can ride at 20 mph. Late afternoon, I’ll hop on the bike for a 7/10 mile ride before a glass of wine and an IPA beer.

You have reached 10,000 miles. Congratulations! That’s quite an accomplishment. What’s behind the drive to keep on going?

Meeting a personal goal is important. Staying healthy is so important at my age. Being a competitor is a driving force. I played baseball during college at Penn State where we played in the finals of the College World Series.

How did you feel when you reached the goal of riding 10,000 miles? Were you excited/relieved/surprised?

This is not the first year I have met the goal of 10,000 miles. I love looking at my Strava data each day to see how many miles I have for the day, week and year. Love to see how well my Strava friends are doing with their rides. The kudos I receive help motivate me.

What kind of feedback have you gotten from friends or other cyclists?

The feedback from fellow Strava cyclists has been incredible. Also, I rarely post on Facebook but whenever I reach the 10,000 mile goal I make a post on Facebook thanking all who have contributed to meeting the challenge possible - my wife, Strava friends and cyclists with whom I ride in group rides.

By Maureen & Megan

JANUARY RECAP:

Total Miles to Date: 884

Total Number of Strava Group Members: 251 members -from all over the world, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Germany, Greece, England, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, USA.

I am SO excited to see this many people jump in on the challenge!

Challenges?: I've had a raging head cold since Christmas eve. It's made it nearly impossible to ride hard on the trainer, or to ride outside in the cold, because that just makes it worse. I confirmed I don't have the flu, and have just been dealing with the stuffy nose and cough with hot tea and cough drops. We also got some snow in Colorado which made riding outside nearly impossible (nearly - fat bikes make it possible!) .

Highlights?: I have been fortunate this month to spend some time in warm, sunny AZ and also CA, where it was easier to log bigger miles. I've also been really thankful for Zwift for indoor trainer rides, it keeps it fun and engaging!

THIS MONTH’S QUESTION: How has your daily schedule/routine changed to meet this goal?

Every day I wake up knowing that somehow, I need to average 27 miles/day. If I miss a day, I know I'll need to make those miles up. I went to see family for a weekend in Omaha, where the weather outside was atrocious (and I also didn't have a bike) and so I committed myself to riding miles on the hotel exercise bike each morning. Sometimes I wait until the evening and do a two hour trainer ride. A few times this month, those rides weren't starting until 9 or 930pm at night because the day was just too jam-packed. And it was totally ok. Making it happen is what it takes. Sometimes I use the commute to work for some miles and then add on. I was also looking forward to the Trek Travel bike camp I'm on this week (in Solvang) to add some miles -which will hopefully bring up my averages and give me a headstart for February.

There is no question that every day, I know 1.5-2 hours need to be spent riding. This has given me a reason to schedule my evenings much lighter, and to minimize my after-hour commitments and social engagements, so that I have time to get those miles in. It's been really nice, actually, to have that daily focus. I am encouraged to get better/more sleep, to stretch and to take better care of myself knowing I'll be on the bike almost every day. Overall I am feeling really invigorated and motivated by this goal!

Here are some photos from my rides in January: