Pointless Prize: The Extra Mile

[cvcalhoun]

I guess I’ve got the first entry this year–not that this is a competition I planned to enter!

I was planning to go on a first date with a new guy today. But of course, a little thing like that couldn’t get in the way of biking during Freezing Saddles. So I biked to the restaurant where we were to meet, figuring I’d get the rest of the ride in after dinner. I even managed to get in my scavenger hunt item (something related to MLK Day) along the way to the restaurant.

Dinner itself was lovely. But at the end of dinner, I discovered two things. First, I had a flat tire. Second, I had accidentally left one of my electric gloves turned on, and it was now out of battery. Fortunately, the weather wasn’t too bad so I was able to use the glove without the heating element. But I did have to find another bike.

Fortunately, there was a CaBi station half a mile or so away. I get a little nervous about using a CaBi after dark, because their lights aren’t that bright. And of course, there is no way to attach all the lights from my bike onto the CaBi. But fortunately, I have a helmet with lights on it.

Except that I had forgotten to charge the helmet the previous night. So shortly into my journey, the lights went out.

All right, so I’m mostly on roads with lights. And I’m visible because I’m wearing my startlingly reflective jacket. So I figure I can keep going.

I make it through the rest of my ride, managing to find my Public Art and my Bingo items for the day, and to ride on OldGeorge. But as I’m parking my bike, I’m realizing that my Garmin is just saying “Garmin,” not mileage. Apparently, it ran out of battery.

Fortunately, when I push a button, the Garmin briefly flickers back to life, and tells me that I have ridden 11.4 miles. Relief! It almost made up for the fact that I walked straight into a tree branch between where I parked the CaBi and home. I go home and attach the Garmin to its charger, which should sync it.

Except that when I do, I get a message saying “There was an error syncing with Garmin Connect.” So I try syncing with the app on my phone. Another error message. I try using the file upload function to upload the activity file from the Garmin. Another error message.

Finally, without much hope, I try uploading the activity file directly to Strava. Fortunately, that one works. Because of course otherwise I would have had to ride another 11.4 miles on that CaBi just so I wouldn’t lose credit for the day!

[Nadine]

@cvcalhoun 222653 wrote:

I guess I’ve got the first entry this year–not that this is a competition I planned to enter!

I was planning to go on a first date with a new guy today. But of course, a little thing like that couldn’t get in the way of biking during Freezing Saddles. So I biked to the restaurant where we were to meet, figuring I’d get the rest of the ride in after dinner. I even managed to get in my scavenger hunt item (something related to MLK Day) along the way to the restaurant.

Dinner itself was lovely. But at the end of dinner, I discovered two things. First, I had a flat tire. Second, I had accidentally left one of my electric gloves turned on, and it was now out of battery. Fortunately, the weather wasn’t too bad so I was able to use the glove without the heating element. But I did have to find another bike.

Fortunately, there was a CaBi station half a mile or so away. I get a little nervous about using a CaBi after dark, because their lights aren’t that bright. And of course, there is no way to attach all the lights from my bike only the CaBi. But fortunately, I have a helmet with lights on it.

Except that I had forgotten to charge the helmet the previous night. So shortly into my journey, the lights went out.

All right, so I’m mostly on roads with lights. And I’m visible because I’m wearing my startlingly reflective jacket. So I figure I can keep going.

I make it through the rest of my ride, managing to find my Public Art and my Bingo items for the day, and to ride on OldGeorge. But as I’m parking my bike, I’m realizing that my Garmin is just saying “Garmin,” not mileage. Apparently, it ran out of battery.

Fortunately, when I push a button, the Garmin briefly flickers back to life, and tells me that I have ridden 11.4 miles. Relief! It almost made up for the fact that I walked straight into a tree branch between where I parked the CaBi and home. I go home and attach the Garmin to its charger, which should sync it.

Except that when I do, I get a message saying “There was an error syncing with Garmin Connect.” So I try syncing with the app on my phone. Another error message. I try using the file upload function to upload the activity file from the Garmin. Another error message.

Finally, without much hope, I try uploading the activity file directly to Strava. Fortunately, that one works. Because of course otherwise I would have had to ride another 11.4 miles on that CaBi just so I wouldn’t lose credit for the day!

Omg you have the worst luck. You do share some great stories though. I’m glad your date went well at least! [emoji177]

[AlanA]

Does driving 600 miles out of the way to be able to ride 60 miles count?

[epilsk]

Alan, yes, but we need details! Lots of details.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

[epilsk]

Carol, you and electronics ……. Nicely done, though; daily miles and a successful first date!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

[bigredboiler]

Unplanned entry to this competition, but my teammate, Ken Gordon, suggested, and after thinking about it, makes sense to write (I probably should have last year after the couple sleaze rides in feet of snow .
This year is the opposite. I travelled to FL this weekend to visit my mom (with no plans of riding). Feeling guilty for letting my team down after two days of not riding in Denver after two days of 10″ of snow there, I flew to FL for another 4 days away from the bike). Well, I was able to borrow a bike and ride around the neighborhood where my mom lives to rack up 10 decasleaze miles. I used my Strava phone app and it stopped recording in the middle (lost 5 miles I calculated after I finished), so I continued on until I made sure to clear the 10mi mark on the app. The bike was 20+ years old, and totally a cruiser, but happy to be outside and feel the breeze cross my face. Definitely the slowest 10mi I’ve gotten in a long time, and I had to go up and down every court/dead end and then some to rack up 10mi+ in the neighborhood. I’ve been here a few times and never ridden since the roads are terrible w/cars, I don’t have a bike, and it’s not fun to ride in FL. Well, this time, Freezing Saddles made me do it!

To Freezing Saddles!

Kris

[epilsk]

Kris,

Well done! That is the spirit, and I think it is a toss up which is worse riding in the cold or riding in Florida

[veleau_monica]

So my story would have to be about February 4th-18th.

I was getting a fitting on my new hybrid from Liz Sherwood at Conte’s Navy Yard. I rode about 6.5 miles there. WHILE I WAS GETTING MY FITTING MY PHONE …. WHENT KAPUT. seemingly 6 miles, GONE

My fitting happens, it’s incredible. I can tell my phone still works, I can take screenshots even though the phone is black screen. I get my ass up to cleveland park cell phone repair place via metro. (fun fact, navy yard conte’s is closer to the phone repair place at eastern market but i have no way of knowing or checking that… )

Turns out my phone needs a new part. it won’t be in until the 18th, TWO ENTIRE WEEKS AWAY. I am trying to get every ride day in. So I metro up to tenleytown and buy a burner/cheap phone. I decide to take the bus part of the way home and then recoup my miles another way. BUS ISN”T RUNNING.(it’s weekday only) i can’t get strava signed in on the new phone because… two factor issues with my google acct? IDK. problems. I bike home. over 2 miles not tracked. I get home. I get my phone set up. I go outside and bike 1.19 miles so the day isn’t empty. I get home. Oh well.

2 entire weeks later, with my shite burner phone having tracked my miles for all this time, I finally get word that my phone is repaired I pick it up, I open strava…

THERE IS MY UNSAVED 6 miles from 2 weeks prior! I save the ride…. the points add to my total and my team’s total. joy.

(after freezing saddles is over and i don’t need a spare phone anymore i will be donating it to mutual aid/someone who does houseless neighbor outreach)

[epilsk]

Nice work!

[epilsk]

Belated Announcement of 2023 Winners!

I am deeply embarassed to admit that I forgot to contact last year’s Last Mile winners so I cn make a donation in their name. I dutifully gave their names to Serdar to announce at the final FS Happy Hour, but did not follow through.

So, here are the winners:
Carol Calhoun, a repeat winner, for once again overcoming her bad luck with bike-electronics to get a ride done and recorded, bag some reindeer game points, and have a good date.
Kris (Bigredboiler on the Forum): for taking advantage of an ancient beach cruiser to get his miles in while visiting family in Florida, and riding bonus miles to get his daily 10 when his device stopped recording.

Carol and Kris, please let me know the bike-related charity of yuou choice and I will make a donation in honor of your achievement in going the extra imile to get your daily miles.

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