Ten Stories I Wrote This Year That Didn’t Suck…At Least, Not Very Much

12.30.2015 | 2:12 pm

2015 is almost over. Which means this is a perfect opportunity for me to write a post that increases traffic (not to mention lines my pockets with the huge amount of money I make from ad sales), without me having to do any actual writing. Except for this introduction, which is a very good introduction indeed.

As you’re awkwardly standing at New Year’s parties, wishing you were anywhere else (but especially somewhere else that had a bike nearby), you’re sure to have some time to pull out your phone and do some reading.

May I humbly suggest you read any or all of the following, which I consider to be some of my least-awful work from 2015?

Rockwell Relay Race Report 
I think most people would agree that my 2015 Rockwell Relay Race Report the best race report I’ve ever written. It also distinguishes itself as one of very few instances on the internet where the comments section is not only not horrible, but actually adds to the quality of the story.  

• Race Prediction: We Will Lose
• Part 0: Generosity and Bratwurst
• Part 1: Cold Fury
• Part 2: A Day in the Life
• Part 3: Winning When You’re Losing
• Part 4: The Chase
• Part 5: Zombies
• Part 6: Stop Shouting at Me
• Part 7: Symptoms of Sleep Deprivation
• Part 8: The Beginning of the End
• Part 9: Battles, Conclusions, and Questions

Three Terrific (AND CHEAP) Last-Minute Gifts to Get for The Cyclist In Your Life
Last week I wrote what I consider to be the very best guide for present buying there has ever been. I’m pretty sure nobody read it. Please remedy this oversight. 

Movie Review: Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT
My mistake, when writing this, was that I didn’t make clear that I wrote this review well before I saw the movie, and that it has nothing to do with the actual movie. Hence, my clickbait headline completely backfired.

More to the point, you can read this review without learning anything. Also, you can read the comments and find that a few people didn’t exactly get the joke.

100 Miles of Nowhere, 2015 Camp Kesem Leadership Summit Edition
Going to Michigan with my twins and racing the 100 Miles of Nowhere on a stage was a huge highlight in my year. This is worth reading again. 

Separation Anxiety
The Hammer, The Swimmer and I went on a little mountain bike ride. And pretty much everything went wrong.  

All Better, Briefly
Having a cold sucks. This is the story of how wonderful it feels to get out on a ride in spite of feeling miserable, and — briefly, temporarily — feel all better.

Leadville 100 Race Report
2015 was the year of race reports for me. Heck, I’ve got a bunch of race reports from 2015 I still need to get back to work on. 

My annual Leadville 100 race report happened to be a pretty darned good one, if I say so myself. And I do.

• Part 1: Pre-Race Jitters
• Part 2: Starting Line Surprise
• Part 3: Return of the Son of Joyful Warrior
• Part 4: Conflict and Questions
• Part 5: Perception and Reality
• Part 6: New Objective
• Part 7: To the Finish Line and Beyond

The Precipitation Negotiations
You want to ride. But the weather and terrain are prohibitively bad. But you’ve traveled so far. But the trail is a mucky mess. But you really really want to ride. This is that story.

The Clipless Pedal Monologues
Remember when you first started riding clipless? So do I. 

Sleeping with Your Bike is a Terrible Idea
Lots of people say they love their bikes so much they are considering kicking their human partner out of bed. This is why you should reconsider this very stupid idea.

Conclusion
I’m glad I could rescue you from having to interact with actual people. 

Happy new year!