The end of the year is the traditional time for looking back, reflecting, and taking stock, so that’s what I’ll try to do here: a succinct summary of the ’07 season.

My cycling year really didn’t get started until February. January was cold and snowy, and I didn’t get out on bike at all, even indoors on the trainer. I did do some walking and running in January, so I wasn’t a total zero, but still, I think I lost a lot of fitness in that month-plus off the bike.

February didn’t amount to much, but I did get in nearly 100 miles. March was somewhat better, with a little over 200 miles, and my trip to Arkansas was fun. But the big news of the month was the launch of this blog! I worked on the site while in Arkansas, then registered the domain and took the site live in the last week of the month.

In April I slowly ramped up the mileage and speed, culminating in the Spring Classic, the local bike club’s kick-off event of the season. April was also when I registered for the Katy Trail Ride and started planning for the year’s big tour.

May was a low-mileage month, as I was gone for nearly two weeks on vacation with my wife in San Diego, but I did get in my first 50-miler of the year.

In early June I rode for the first time with a local Wednesday-morning group, a ride that was soon to become a regular part of my life. In mid-June I rode the Katy Trail with my nephew and about 300 other people. This was his first bike trip (and my second), and after a tough day early in the trip, he recovered, and we had a great ride. I’m hopeful that this tour is something he’ll look back on fondly and remember his whole life. The early returns on that look good.

July, for reasons I’m not quite clear about, was a bit of a down month, cycling-wise, but I came back big time with my biggest month of the year in August – 570 miles. The clear highlight of the month was my first century. I didn’t really plan to ride a hundred miles on that hot and windy day, but I felt good, was spinning easy, and just kept on going and going. It turned out to be an amazing day, and the feeling of accomplishment at the end was just incredible. I feel like I carried that high with me for the rest of the year.

September was another 500+ mile month, capped by an unsupported century, and also highlighted by my first look at professional cycling during the Tour of Missouri.

October also topped 500 miles, beginning with the Octoginta and ending with a daytrip on the Prairie Spirit Trail. October was also the month I put trail riding (with disappointing results). As the weather turned I began to experiment with cold-weather gear, a process that continued into December (and is still in progress).

In early December I enjoyed the Kansas City Cyclocross Championships, but as the days of ice, snow, and chilly temps continued, I rode less, but still managed nearly 250 miles for the month.

At the beginning of the year, I set my mileage goal at 3000 miles. As late as early June, it looked unreachable, but by August it was within sight, and I reached the goal by mid-October. For the year, I ended up with 3924 miles, eclipsing last year’s mileage by more than 1000 miles. I track my miles on BikeJournal, and ended the year in 1245th place globally, but #15 in Kansas!

All in all, 2007 was a great year for me, and I’m absolutely satisfied with how it turned out. I had fun, met some cool new riding partners, accomplished some goals, and learned a few things in the process.

As for 2008, I don’t yet have any resolutions, but I have a few ideas in the works, and they may yet harden into resolve. But that’s a topic for another day…