The Modern Sounds of Modern Massachusetts
It might be a tad early to write a retrospective on the 2015 cycling season, but my imminent departure from Boston is a more logical breakpoint than the arbitrary calendar change a month hence.
So, 2015: it was very much a tale of two seasons.
I was on a normal springtime trajectory for the first five months of the year, with training focused on ramping up for my first Cape Cod Getaway MS Ride, with my new coworkers from Buildium.
Those months included solo centuries to New Hampshire and along the Bikes-Not-Bombs route, plus my perennial favorite 130-mile Outriders ride to Provincetown. I obliterated my coworkers in a corporate fitness challenge, then led two of them on a 70-mile jaunt up to Ipswitch for our company’s summer outing. I got to say goodbye to favorite rides including Outriders and Boston’s Hub on Wheels, and I was able to attend a goodly number of Landry’s Green Line Velo rides out of Cleveland Circle. About the only disappointment was that I didn’t get to bike commute anywhere near as much as I had anticipated.
The Cape Cod Getaway MS Ride itself was an awesome experience, moreso because it was the first time I’d done any charity ride as a part of a team. Wearing a Buildium jersey was a point of pride all year, as you can see in all my ride photos, which I began attaching to my Strava GPS logs. Though I was disappointed that Day 2 from Bourne to Provincetown was called off (wisely) due to ludicrously bad weather.
The MS Ride was the inflection point for my year. In the five months from February through June I rode 117 hours or 1,791 miles (including indoor riding on the trainer). After the MS Ride, I had no more events to work toward, and preparing for my move took precedence over riding. The five months after the MS Ride, from July through November, I only rode 46 hours or 674 miles, a 65 percent drop-off.
Because of that, I only got 2,200 miles in this year and only did four centuries: both of those are my lowest tallies since 2008. That’s less than half the riding I did in 2009 and 2010!
And I can’t talk about 2015 without commenting on my first year away from the Pan-Mass Challenge, which had been the focus and highlight of my season every year from 2001 through 2014. It was so nice to take a break from the fundraising! While I did miss the ride, I was okay with it, and did my own little PMC remembrance ride from Sturbridge Street in Mattapan to Truro Street in Quincy. And I was tickled that-even though I wasn’t there in person-I appeared in a video shown at the PMC’s Opening Ceremonies, clapping as I rode no-hands past the camera during the 2014 event. That was a really nice way for the PMC and I to say farewell to one another.
In summary, 2015 was a mixed but memorable last year in Boston. I wish I could have gotten out more, but I’m really happy with the riding I did do. I changed things up a bit, and enjoyed some memorable rides with my new coworkers.
For myself, I’m a little concerned that I’ve lost some of my previous power, whether it’s due to age or too little training or both. And I’m a little concerned about next year, after moving to the arguably the hilliest city in the nation. Which is the perfect segue for looking forward to next year…
It’s unfortunate timing that I arrive in Pittsburgh just four days after their premier event: the Dirty Dozen, which climbs the thirteen most brutally steep paved roads in town; one of them is 37 percent grade, which is the second steepest street in the world! Well, maybe it’s not so unfortunate that I missed it, since I’m in no shape to take it on right now; but there’s always next year, right?
2016 will be a huge transitional year, as I try to learn the roads and the rides that Pittsburgh offers. Naturally, I want to get out more than I did this year, but I’ll have to balance that not just with another new job, but also with a relationship… And we know that cycling and relationships tend to have repelling polarities.
Aside from those things, my 2016 goals are fourfold:
First, I need to buy a new indoor trainer. That will be especially interesting, because the technology has changed radically in the past couple years, with features like using your GPS logs to mimic your real-world rides, and interacting with other riders through connected platforms like Zwift.
Second, I want to find and do more century rides. I think that’ll be a challenge, both because of the challenges presented by hillier terrain, and there just don’t seem to be many organized centuries in the area. On verra.
Third, Pittsburgh has a half mile paved outdoor velodrome track, and an indoor velodrome in the works. I’d love to check those out. I might even take the field for a race, just to say I’d done it. It’s gotta be safer than those goddamned criteriums, right?
And finally: the Dirty Dozen. There’s no sense being in Pittsburgh and not at least attempting it. I want the proverbial tee shirt.
With that, I say goodbye to Boston. I gave you my best, leaving a half billion breathless heartbeats strewn along your potholed but beloved scenic roadways.
Henceforth I hope you’ll look for me on Strava, laying down new PRs in a different commonwealth. I will truly be blessed if I can share the road with as many friends there as I rode with here in Massachusetts.