Update on my 1,000 mile coker goal

Unicycles and Equipment
1

Early this year I posted one of my goals as doing 1,000 miles on my coker this year. My plan was to do 100 miles per month, which would give me a 2 month buffer. I plan on making November and December the buffer months.

At the end of January, I had covered 81 miles. All of this riding was outdoors and included riding in snow and rain. I was happy with this start, but in a personal email, Tom Blackwood gave me a stern (but polite) caution about getting behind schedule. He learned this lesson last year with his coker mileage goal. Most people have told me “good job” on the 81 miles, Tom gave me a much needed caution. Thanks Tom!

So I pushed harder in February to get back on schedule. Most of this month’s riding has been outdoors, but I have taken the coker indoors for 5 indoor rides in a gymnasium. Indoor rides are 8 - 11 miles per session. Avg speed drops to 8 - 8.4 because of all the turning. On the plus side, I’m much improved on the coker, can turn better and am more confident in riding a non-straight line. Indoor riding gets little boring, but I can ride in any weather and even when it’s dark outside.

Today I needed 8 miles to get my total miles to 200 for the end of February. I got to the gym at 5:30 so I had time to put in extra miles, which I intended to do. But alas, the gym had changed its locks and no one had the right key to open the gym. It didn’t open until 6:30, so I only got in 4 miles before I had to leave for work. Bummer!

So as of the end of February, I have 196 miles, 4 miles shy of my goal of 200. Since I was at the gym and ready to do 8 miles, I consider this an accomplished goal. But I still have to make up the 4 miles in March. :slight_smile:

Many thanks to Unidaddy, who meets me at 7:00 am on Saturday mornings, in all kinds of weather, to put in some mileage with me. Riding is so much more fun with someone to talk to. Unidaddy also pushes my pace a little, so I’m getting a little faster too!

Can’t wait for warmer weather and longer evenings! It’s coming… spring is coming!

Bill

2

… so at 8mph … and 4 miles short… your only 1/2 an hour off the ‘pace’…

that’s not bad… !

3

Very impressive! Hope you reach your goal. Are you the one of the first to attempt 1,000 miles in one year?

Please keep us posted on your progress!:slight_smile:

4

Great Goal, looks like you are on schedule. Makes me think about setting a goal for myself.

5

Hey, anyone made a goals thread yet …? :smiley: lol

I have ‘Unigoals’ this year. I also am making progress.
I make 2 complete revs in reverse yesterday :slight_smile:
Still stands on my torker are much easier, so naturally I’m learning backwards riding. Idleing is up to around 30 seconds or so in a 2 foot area. (cant keep from twisting to correct lateral movement yet)

My main goal is to idle at a crosswalk while waiting for green light.
(safely, with ablility to compensate for uneven pavement)
The lights here are long.

I want to be able to WW and glide by end of year.

6

i have a quest this summer as well. 4 miles each way to and from work puts me at 8 miles a day blus my usual night rides after dinner will hopfully put me at the 1K mark in 10 weeks. i plan on attempting this currently on my 26er but if my 29er is finnished by april then i will attempt it on that.

in Toronto public transit is going up to $2.50 each way i figure if i can spend the summer riding everyday and saving 5$ a day then i have by far earned the purchase of a new Coker not only through the effort i will have put into becoming a stronger rider but i will haved saved enough money to buy one!

your ride goal has inspired another rider.

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there are two guys from iowa state that are going to attempt RAGBRAI(a week long 500 miles bike ride across iowa) on cokers. they are following in the footsteps(tire marks?) left to george barns and co. if thye live, they’ll get 500 miles or so in a week. and if they train for it they’ll have boatloads of milage. but they’re young(19 or so) and full of craziness. i wouldn’t try that many miles so quickly. or in the heat and wind of july in iowa.

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Not at all. I’m know many have done 1.000 miles in one year. I was inspired by Gus Dingeman reaching the 1,000 mile mark last year, mostly done with short rides. http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=34257&highlight=coker+1000+miles For a serious coker rider, 1000 miles isn’t big mileage. But to me, it’s a pretty serious goal and one I’ll be proud to achieve.

Bill

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Slightly less ambitious than my 500 mile summer goal, I’m “hoping” to reach 1000 miles by the one year anniversary date of my fine GB/U-turn 36-er arriving on my doorstep. But my butt is still too sore from yesterday’s Chilly Hilly to make it a firm commitment. I have been thinking about the September Tahoe ride, but based on yesterday’s results and the Tahoe elevation changes, I’ll need to figure out whether I’ll actually be able to get in the required training.

Bill, nice job on getting back on schedule. You just don’t want to find yourself signed up for an 80-miler on December 31st. :slight_smile:

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Who taught you how to set goals? “I’m hoping to reach 1000 miles…” Talk about whimpy. Are you going to do it or not? Where’s the commitment? :wink:

Bill

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i also would like to acheive this goal, and am at the 200 mile mark for about two months of riding with odometer. good luck bill!

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I appreciate you not going into greater detail of our last ride! I would’ve scrambled to defend myself (turned out I had the flu!).

You’re going great guns, Bill…I’m inspired. I know I’m on record with at least a 500 mile goal this year, I’ll make that one. I still have the goal of trashing my Schwinn badly enough to get something more appropriate for off-road and/or some trials skills. Guess I’ll just have to ride off some walls:D

13

Bill

2 Thumbs UP

You go boy, errrr, uhhh, elder boy
:wink:

14

I did this, and saved money for a coker and then followed it up by saving money for some very nice lights from www.lumicycle.co.uk
Then I saved more money by being able to commute in the dark in winter, which I put towards a camelbak which allowed me to ride further from home, so I moved to somewhere nicer with cheaper rent but further away as I was a lot fitter by that point and riding a lot faster.

Good on you guys going for 1000 miles a year, it’s always really inspiring to have targets to beat and it’s the best way to make yourself a really good coker rider. I just about managed that the first year I got a coker and it totally changed my idea of what’s possible on a unicycle. Since then I’ve had a couple of 2000 mile years I guess and one year where I was doing 70 miles a week minimum for the weeks I was working, which I reckon was probably a 3k year. This year I’m doing more long trips to places with silly names rather than counting up a yearly total as my daily commute is a bit less, 9 miles a day. I’ve done day rides up to 86.7 miles and I’m looking to do something close to 150 in two days. It’s addictive this coker business.

My big target I’d like to get to some point is 100 miles in 10 hours.

Joe

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Ah ha! That’s what that thread was for, using us for reasearch were you? :astonished: Harrumph, the very idea - using your mates for nefarious purposes without letting them know about it. :angry: :wink: Seriously, it sounds like you’ve come up with a neat way to create goals for different and interesting rides, I will be waiting for the reports on your ride(s) to/along the Piddle River (and then being jealous.)