Cycling progress

[lethargic_man]

A few years ago, I managed to snap the mileometer off my old bike. When I got my new bike, did I get a new mechanical mileometer? No, because it would only have been a matter of time until I managed to snap that off too. And did I get a new computerised mileometer? No, because it would have meant extra faff attaching and removing it every time I left the bike somewhere vulnerable.

Actually, the above two reasons are lies. It never occurred to me to do either of the above until I'd already put plan C into operation, which was to write a CGI script on a webserver at work, which I updated, via a web form, every time I come into work, with whether I had cycled to work (known distance), and a guesstimate (aided, if necessary, by Google Maps) of how much non-commuting cycling I had done since the last time I filled in the form.

Having just upgraded the script last night to graph the output, I thought I'd post the results:

Weeks covered:	39
Average weekly journeys:	2.62
Average weekly mileage:	34.69 miles
Average mileage on full weeks:	40.58 miles
Total mileage:	1338 miles

Key:

1. Acquired bike at end of week.
2. Ill.
3. Stockholm trip.
4. Limmud.
5. Bumped up from cycling to work three times a week, to cycling four times. The first week was also the one in which I cycled several times to shiva for R. Wittenberg's father.
6. Week incomplete.

My three-times a week commute (up to point 5) covered 36 miles a week. Before I started keeping records, I assumed I'd be averaging 36–40 miles a week in total. What I discovered to my surprise was that in the summer, when the weather was good, I'd be out and about and going places on a Sunday, such that I averaged 45 miles in the first few weeks. Then when the weather got colder and wetter I stopped going anywhere on a Sunday if I could avoid it, and my average dropped to barely above 36.

It's going to be interesting to see how things change now I'm cycling to work four times a week; I may be more leery of cycling places on a Sunday, due to not wanting to wear myself out by the time I leave for home on a Tuesday evening...