40,000 Miles

(originally posted December 30, 2017) Donning ski gloves, shoe covers, and a bandit-worthy balaclava, I rolled out into the December cold today to log a significant milestone before the close of 2017: reaching the 40,000 mile mark on my Bianchi Imola bike. This trusty steel steed has dutifully carried me all over Colorado and beyond, without once complaining. Well, maybe a few squeaks and clicks, but no formal complaints (except for that popped spoke near Chugwater, Wyoming – but that’s another story).

Riding along a favorite city bike path, I pulled over when the odometer clicked 40000 and celebrated with a cold water bottle shower as some puzzled Canada geese looked on. The aptly named Bear Creek Trail follows Bear Creek from the foothills hamlet of Morrison, CO to its confluence with South Platte river in Denver – and the “BCT” served as a gracious host for the occasion, especially since many of those 40,000 miles were accumulated on this very path.

Purchased in 2002, my Bianchi has held up beautifully – thanks in large part to the friendly mechanics at Turin Bike shop in Denver. Virtually every component has been replaced or overhauled at least once, but the black-and-celeste frame remains solid and true (with just one battle scar from a tangle with a downed tree branch – but that’s yet another story!).

15 years, 40,000 miles, and countless memories. Here’s to one great bike!