I went on a bicycle ride every single day from August 1st through November 30th. It did not matter how hard I pedaled or how far I traveled; all that mattered was that I went on a bike ride every day. At the end of the 4 months of biking, I had been on more than 122 different rides, and had traveled 1,640 miles.
This journey all started back on April 1st, when I decided to run for 30 straight days, which turned into 100 straight days, and then 4 straight months. After 122 straight days of running, I took a day off of running and rode a bicycle. That was August 1st and 121 days later, I had rode a bike every single day from August to the end of November.
Unlike my running journey, which kept getting extended, I planned to cycle for 4 months straight starting on August 1st. Whether the weather was chilly, sunny, windy, rainy or even snowy, I always found time to bike every day.
I did a bunch of “fun mileage rides” starting on October 1st. Example 7.77, 11.11, 22.22. I ended up hitting every repeating number 1.11 through 23.23
With November officially over, I had biked a third of the year in a row - August 1st to November 30st. Zero days off. 1640 miles in 122 days, averaging just under 13.5 miles a day. Here are few of my memorable rides.
Biked 100km for a total of 63.63 miles in one ride that lasted 4 hours and 50 minutes.
Rode over 20 miles on 15 of the 122 rides
Longest Rides - 63.63, 50.50, 33.34, 30.30, 27.27
Shortest Rides - 4.21, 5.05, 5.11, 5.19, 5.20
Biked 100km for a total of 63.63 miles which was the entire Wauponsee Glacial Trail down and back on October 16th. Took 4 hours and 50 minutes. I had one bottle of water and six jolly ranchers on the ride.
Biked the entire Old Plank Trail down and back, with a little more for 50.50 miles on August 29th
30 mile ride on the Wauponsee
Ice cream and tennis rides in New Lenox
Rides with Rachel - Spring Creek Greenway, Old Plank Trail, Hickory Creek Trail
Tour de Ashbury on August 10th (Derecho day). I rode around Ashbury and snagged some shots of the old houses I frequented
Kal-Haven trail in South Haven, Michigan with Rachel on August 13th
Whalon Lake and my first mountain biking experience on October 7th
Biked the Route 30 Trail on November 5th for a total of 17.17 miles
Night ride on day 100 on November 8th after coaching tournament all day. Always had to fit in a ride
Chicago Biking for first time ever despite living there for 7 years - November 20th, 33.34 miles on Lake Shore path down to the south end and back from Belmont
Peloton Biking bumps the mileage up when babysitting Russell in Chicago, couldn’t get the shoes off
Found a mountain biking course in the city behind Lane Tech. Rode it (but not the spray painted parts)
November 22nd up to north end of Lake shore path from Belmont (Entire Lake Shore Path complete by the 2 days)
November 23rd (Navy Pier Ride). I really got into setting my bike up for “posed” shots at this point…
Broke a road bike on a test ride on September 16th, shortest ride of 4.21 miles
Santa has arrived
Countdown to completion
Below you will find a list and maps of every single one of my rides. I tried to rarely bike the exact same route and distance, but I often went the same ways with some solid biking trails around. It was an enjoyable, relaxing experience and was perfect to do during the late summer and fall.
August 1 - 5.11 miles
August 2 - 7.48 miles
August 3 - 10.05 miles
August 4 - 6.25 miles
August 5 - 8.88 miles
August 6 - 8.80 miles
August 7 - 9.09 miles
August 8 - 15.00 miles
August 9 - 18.06 miles
August 10 - 6.06 miles
August 11 - 5.24 miles
August 12 - 15.00 miles
August 13 - 12.32 miles
August 14 - 10.00 miles
August 15 - 9.26 miles
August 16 - 20.01 miles
August 17 - 11.11 miles
August 18 - 26.02 miles
August 19 - 10.14 miles
August 20 - 10.10 miles
August 21 - 20.20 miles
August 22 - 10.34 miles
August 23 - 13.31 miles
August 24 - 12.36 miles
August 25 - 8.78 miles
August 26 - 15.30 miles
August 27 - 15.13 miles
August 28 - 10.05 miles
August 29 - 50.50 miles
August 30 - 10.11 miles
August 31 - 12.25 miles
August total: 402.31 miles
September 1 - 5.20 miles
September 2 - 9.99 miles
September 3 - 11.61 miles
September 4 - 11.70 miles
September 5 - 10.60 miles
September 6 - 6.66 miles
September 7 - 21.06 miles
September 8 - 10.00 miles
September 9 - 12.26 miles
September 10 - 7.39 miles
September 11 - 10.10 miles
September 12 - 5.55 miles
September 13 - 11.23 miles
September 14 - 18.00 miles
September 15 - 11.25 miles
September 16 - 4.21 miles
September 17 - 12.18 miles
September 18 - 30.30 miles
September 19 - 12.26 miles
September 20 - 15.40 miles
September 21 - 7.00 miles
September 22 - 15.65 miles
September 23 - 10.07 miles
September 24 - 10.05 miles
September 25 - 27.27 miles
September 26 - 12.20 miles
September 27 - 8.28 (3.1 +5.18) miles
September 28 - 12.02 (5.01 + 7.01) miles
September 29 - 15.16 miles
September 30 - 20.20 miles
September total - 374.85 miles
October 1 - 10.10 miles
October 2 - 23.23 miles
October 3 - 7.77 miles
October 4 - 6.66 miles
October 5 - 12.12 miles
October 6 - 13.13 miles
October 7 - 14.15 miles
October 8 - 9.22 miles
October 9 - 10.00 miles
October 10 - 10.99 miles
October 11 - 16.00 miles
October 12 - 9.54 miles
October 13 - 4.44 miles
October 14 - 6.66 (3.33 + 2.22 + 1.11) miles
October 15 - 10.30 miles
October 16 - 63.63 miles
October 17 - 6.01 miles
October 18 - 10.18 miles
October 19 - 15.68 (5.68 + 10) miles
October 20 - 10.38 miles
October 21 - 12.30 miles
October 22 - 14.14 miles
October 23 - 15.15 miles
October 24 - 11.61 miles
October 25 - 9.18 (3.56 + 5.62) miles
October 26 - 16.16 miles
October 27 - 7.58 miles
October 28 - 11.24 miles
October 29 - 8.39 miles
October 30 - 17.18 miles
October 31 - 10.69
October total - 403.71 miles
November 1 - 7.01 miles
November 2 - 12.20 miles
November 3 - 18.18 miles
November 4 - 10.69 miles
November 5 - 17.17 miles
November 6 - 22.22 miles
November 7 - 19.19 miles
November 8 (Day 100) - 6.04 miles
100 day total - 1293.57 miles
November 9 - 21.21 miles
November 10 - 14.08 miles
November 11 - 10.00 miles
November 12 - 13.19 miles
November 13 - 13.14 miles
November 14 - 10.00 miles
November 15 - 5.05 miles
November 16 - 13.84 miles
November 17 - 14.33 miles
November 18 - 35.9 (8.88 + 1.02 peloton + 26 peloton) miles
November 19 - 7.77 miles
November 20 - 33.34 miles
November 21 - 8.21 miles
November 22 - 21.22 (3.22 peloton + 3.5 peloton + 14.5) miles
November 23 - 18.79 (13.87 + 4.92 peloton) miles
November 24 - 5.88 miles
November 25 - 19.76 (1.89 peloton + 10.85 + 7.02 peloton) miles
November 26 - 20.84 (10.44 +10.40 peloton) miles
November 27 - 16.43 (10 + 6.43 peloton) miles
November 28 - 12.00 miles
November 29 - 26.26 miles
November 30 - 5.19 miles
November day total - 459.13 miles
122 day total - 1640.00 miles
Benefits I found from daily cycling:
Nice to get out and about, clear the mind. Biking makes you feel good inside and out, and makes you feel free. The wind in your hair (or in your eyes) feels amazing.
Consistent, relatively easy exercise. Whether my bike was 20 minutes or an hour long, it felt great to do.
It is easy on the body! Especially compared to running… I never felt “tired” or “hurt” from a bike ride. No pressure on the joints or knees! And we live in Illinois, the land is pretty much flat everywhere, so there were very few “hard” rides that have a lot of hills.
Working out = stronger legs and healthier heart from cardio. The legs are growing.
Something to do and look forward to every day; and you can do it alone or with friends (a new way to explore your neighborhood (town) and build lasting memories). I highly recommend music or podcasts. Biking is “boring” in the sense that it takes a long time and you’ll want something to do while you ride.
Gets you off the couch and outside of your home! Coronavirus lockdown specific: Biking is away from others, just don’t bike behind (or in front of) someone for an extended period of time. “On your left”
Struggles I found from daily biking:
Time. Biking takes much longer than running. In order to get a decent workout, I found that I had to bike at least 45 minutes which usually resulted in about a 10 mile ride.
Weather - I started this biking adventure in August, which was still very warm in the Chicago area, however, as I made it into October and November, there were some pretty chilly days where I had to bundle up. On top of this, if there was rain (or snow) in the forecast, you had to fit in the ride at a time that it wasn’t raining or else you’d get pretty dirty (skunk stripe).
Sunlight - the days got shorter and shorter as the year went on. The sun sets earlier, meaning less sunlight after work. Trying to fit a bike in after work became less reliable as the season went on. I tried to start riding in the morning more often, but obviously that won’t work for everyone.
Bugs - If you’re on a trail, especially later in the evening, the nats and mosquitos will be out. I learned the hard way that having glasses to protect your eyes is helpful. Also keep your mouth closed!
Boring rides - Welcome to Illinois. It’s flat and there isn’t much to see. However, if you find the right trails and routes, you can enjoy each ride and actually find some pretty unique routes. Hills, bumps, forest, animals and more. You just need to find the right spots. Some of my favorite were through the woods and looking at the deer that stared back at me. I suggest music or a podcast with some headphones to keep ya sane.
Dat Booty - All I can say is do what you can to prep that booty early on. It will take a beating for the first week or two of riding. Even the short rides of 5-10 miles will do some damage to the butt. Once you taking a pounding it becomes natural and you’ll manage. Just gotta get used to it. I never had butt pain after the first two weeks, but did splurge on some bike shorts in September.
I highly recommend everyone try a 30 day biking challenge of some sort. Cycle at least 5 miles a day for an entire month. You won’t regret it!
My Gear
I used a Garmin Forerunner 35 watch for all of these rides (up until November 23rd when I got a Garmin Forerunner 735xt) which has GPS built in, so I did not need to carry my phone with me. It is pretty affordable at only $99. But I tell you right now, I did take my phone on every bike ride and suggest you do the same, not only for music/podcasts to make the ride easy, but also just in case of emergency.
The 2 bikes that I primarily rode during the month of August were both mountain bikes. A Specialized “Hard Rock” bike that was my brothers when we were growing up as kids (I rode this in Naperville and Chicago, pretty great for a 20+ year old children’s bike) and my Father in law’s Trek 800 bike (that I rode in New Lenox). I also rode my Mother in law’s Trek Neko-S which is a dual sport hybrid a few times. Took that one on my 63 miler. I’m sure the pro’s will recommend bikes that fit your size and stature and all the other fancy items, I just suggest getting out there on any type of bike and doing it.
My biking attire for the first two months was mainly athletic shirt and shorts. I did buy “special” biking shorts with padding in the booty for my 50 mile ride which you can find here. Highly recommend if you have an uncomfortable seat or plan on being on the bike for 3+ hours. Once October hit, I still mostly rode in shorts, but would often wear a longsleeve, sweatshirt and/or coat. Tighter clothing works better, especially if wearing pants, as you have less chance of it getting caught on the pedals and less drag from the wind. I added some accessories like sun glasses for when the bugs were flying around to keep them out of your eyes. I also added gloves for when it got cold out to keep the hands warm.
Helmet. Definitely recommend a helmet for anyone riding a bike. Even if you don’t think you’ll need it, why risk taking a fall, you never know what can happen. Get a helmet and wear it for every ride. Safety first.
Lights for a night ride. I held my phone with the flashlight on (don’t recommend) for a couple rides. Get one that attaches to your bike, or your helmet and make sure to have a reflector of some sort as well to make sure people can see you!
Oh, and before I forgot, I also continued to run (although not every day) throughout these four months of biking. I was able to cover 265 miles on foot, or just over 65 miles a month.
One other fun fact, I am the local legend (have the most rides for a specific segment) on Strava for 3 spots in New Lenox, Nelson NB Short Sprint, Nelson NB Spring, and the 5 Hydrants.
And that concludes my 4 month biking adventure. 1640 miles in 122 days.
I officially took a day off of biking on December 1st, but ran a few miles… I plan to either bike or run every day of December through March to make it to 365 days of outdoor exercise in a row. Should be tough, but let’s get it done. See you then!
Josh