Cycling Blog Semi-Annual Report

A couple of times each year I update what is going on with the blog for those who are new to it.  I look at the hits this stupid blog receives and marvel over the interest.  For example, for the last 12 days, there were less than 300 hits on only 3 of the days and the low was 226, the high was 415.  The record is still 502.  Of course, there are repeat visitors that inflate the numbers so for unique visitors during that period there were over 200 each day with a high of 365 and several other days at 300+  The record for unique hits is somewhere north of 400 but I forget the exact quantity.  It is rare when the page hits fall less than 200, usually on a Friday or Sunday.  

The Granville Bike thing is something I thought of after befriending the manager of a bike rental place in California.  I thought Granville was a bit of a tourist destination, my son could benefit from some business experience so I set up an LLC, bought a few bikes, set up the web site and my son began taking bikes to visitors in the Granville area, interacting with them, collecting cash and maintaining records.  Unfortunately, he's at school now and I have to handle the odd request, which I find kind of fun.  Not sure if I'll keep the bike rental thing going but the blog will live on.  

Why a blog?  A few years ago, I crashed in FL, broke a collarbone and was forced to miss the group rides for a few weeks.  One of our group kept me updated with ride reports and I found it invaluable as I was laid up and bored.  At some point after my return to cycling, I started typing up ride reports and circulating it among a 40+ email list that most people seemed to enjoy and some encouraged me to start a blog.  I'm not a great writer but I have had experience with writing, having authored an article or two that appeared in national golf magazines and I authored or co-authored 4 books on golf, none of which ever sold more than a couple of copies but at least it's on my resume.   

I don't know who you are outside of a few people who have acknowledged they read the blog when they are really bored.  I receive site visit information that summarizes the count but nothing more than that.  I can always upgrade the service to see who is visiting but it's not important enough to me to bother.  I also know there are some international visitors because they have shot me an email but not much else is known about who you are.  Even in the comment section, if you don't identify yourself then I have no idea who you are.  Of all the comments received, only 2 were taken down because they crossed a line in attacking someone but so far I have never deleted a comment about me.  I figure if I can dish it out then I have to be willing to take it, as long as it is good natured, as are my shots at you, well almost always.  

You may wonder what happens in the off season.  The blog keeps going of course.  It is one of the sources for information on weekend activities, usually off trail hiking, trail running or cross country skiing, when we are not scheduling a bike ride. We usually ride if the start temp is about 28 and not too windy and no snow/ice on the road.  Just thinking about that makes me shudder. Craig Butler, Jeff S, Grand Poobah, Steve O, Mark C, Flyin Tuna, heck even some of the Kendaites can be counted on to ride during the winter. 

Oh, the biggest event of the year is in December when I conduct the annual "Should the Blog Continue for Another Year" poll.  I set the response bar very low and there is usually a rush of affirmatives toward the end of the day that forces me to keep going.  So, keep an eye out for that poll as I may make the minimum quantity of "yeses" higher this year.  Would I really quit the blog if I don't receive enough votes to keep it going?  Yes, although there is always a chance it would make a come back.  Thanks for checking in.