total km in 2023

[Whoops]

Gecko, this forum has a mileage record (see [url=https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17Fr5v7DoenPZeQRLCSQgAoQqiP-BX5gimlgdsBZ9nhs/edit#gid=1103307594]here). Those members with multiple bikes who use it record their mileage in a similar way.

Had no idea it was such a big thing
I try to live by the motto "more life into one's years, not more years into one''s life".
With respect to the above mentioned mileage record, one might translate this into, "more fun into each mile", not "more miles" or more miles "than the others".
If the XXX rode 6 days a week each week, and the YYY rode only 4 days a week, what the heck is this supposed to mean ? And if YYY rode 6 days too, but did less miles ... ??

Addicted to a world with as many species alive as possible, all I can see is more miles = more gas burned (and this is why the Saudies call the shots, and we KTA). But I respect other people's opinions - no flamed responses please.

Whew! That is a hot potato of a statement, but I'll bite, sans the politics though.

I too find the loss of any species a sad statement that reflects poorly on our civilization as a whole. However... Until corporations who are responsible for the lion's share of pollution stop deflecting their transgressions by guilt shaming Joe Commuter for burning gasoline in his ULEV (in what are now some of the lowest hydrocarbon emitting engines ever produced) to get to his job that feeds his family while they carelessly continue to dump "forever chemicals" into drinking water sources, or belch pollution by using bunker oil in cargo ships, or burn jet fuel at such high elevations that it takes years to come back to the ground, etc. I think it's a bit like stepping over dollars to pick up pennies and misses the low hanging fruit by a long shot.

But just like The Dude said, that's just like my opinion, man.

Whew! That is a hot potato of a statement, but I'll bite, sans the politics though.

I too find the loss of any species a sad statement that reflects poorly on our civilization as a whole. However... Until corporations who are responsible for the lion's share of pollution stop deflecting their transgressions by guilt shaming Joe Commuter for burning gasoline in his ULEV (in what are now some of the lowest hydrocarbon emitting engines ever produced) to get to his job that feeds his family while they carelessly continue to dump "forever chemicals" into drinking water sources, or belch pollution by using bunker oil in cargo ships, or burn jet fuel at such high elevations that it takes years to come back to the ground, etc. I think it's a bit like stepping over dollars to pick up pennies and misses the low hanging fruit by a long shot.

But just like The Dude said, that's just like my opinion, man.
I’ll take the glove...
Everything you say is correct, but it should not be used as an excuse to do nothing, to not think, to not see.
Let the big guys do what we all can and should ask them to do. Let’s talk about it, discuss it, work on it. Fine. But a million little guys do their fair share of damage. And one needs to talk about this too. There is no good reason to shout hurrays when one’s mileage topped that from last year, or that of your neighbor.

I can think of a personal reason why that is worth celebrating, for me at least. The more I am able to ride, the more it reflects on how I feel now vs. the past. If I am riding more, that is a good thing. Even though I don't post my mileage (probably more out of embarrassment in comparison to Ferret, PB and everyone else at that echelon), I still read everyone else's daily ride posts and find motivation therein.

Mostly though, when I ride, I feel a mental zen and oneness with the world around me. My brain is somehow able to silence the minutia that is normally swimming around, accomplishing nothing of significance. The quickening of the mind and clarity of focus that stems from trying to make every downshift silky-smooth, the exhilaration of riding the perfect line in and out of a corner, the visceral feeling of the machine talking to you through the vibrations in your legs, feet and hands while it defies inertia and shoots you up with that rush of adrenaline that awaits at every stop light. That is something I relish and it occupies my idle mind far more than it should when I can't ride. I find no guilt in sharing that experience with those that appreciate the same.