Le Tour DuBois hasn’t really toured that much in our current Pandemic Era, but I did rack up plenty of miles here at home—including literally logging 10,000 total miles since beginning #KeirByBike in January 2013. A few pre-quarantine jaunts north and west take up most of 2020’s entries, and I did add two more counties (San Mateo and San Diego) during 2021’s brief vaccinated euphoria pre-Delta, but most of my rides this year—even and especially my longest rides—have been in the Ventura/Oxnard area. Not so much a tour as prolonged hometown stand, like Prince in Minneapolis or something. Here are a few quick picks:
2/8/20 Ojai
When you haven’t biked in 11 days because it took that long to get new tires delivered/installed, you round-trip the Ventura River/Ojai Valley trail for 30 miles worth of low-key otherworldly sights, plus that sweet dopamine rush and slightly less sweet lactic acid soreness. 🚴 #KeirByBike #TourDuBois2020
2/11/20 Rincon
Rincon rides never get old, especially when they include handy tailwinds on the way back. 🚴 #keirbybike #tourdubois2020
2/14/20 Ventura/Oxnard
21.91 miles from the Ventura Amtrak station to Channel Islands Harbor and back. #KeirByBike 🚴 #TourDuBois2020
2/16/20 Camarillo/Hueneme
31.25 miles from a Camarillo Park & Ride to the Alaska 261 memorial in Port Hueneme and back. The final 1/4 of today’s ride was on only 3 speeds after the gearshift cord snapped. So, back to the shop for Big Red. Also also: am I training for something? Because if I didn’t know better I’d wonder if I were training for something (I’m not). #KeirByBike 🚴 #TourDuBois2020
3/3/20 Santa Paula
Great day to go outside, especially up quiet roads like the Aliso & Wheeler Canyon ranchland between Ventura & Santa Paula. Lotta barbed wire, lotta green fields and hills. #KeirByBike 🚴 #TourDuBois2020
6/18/20 Ventura
Did some bonafide exploring today with a bike-and-hike along the Harmon Canyon trail north of town, the newest open space preserve managed by @venturalandtrust. I’ve always wanted to see more of this area, but it’s been locked up as private property forever, so I’m glad the trust can open up such a large swath for public use. Thanks @salserapartera for the tip! #KeirByBike 🚴
9/28/20 Ventura/Oxnard
Brain-balm biking for a leisurely 24 miles worth of Ventura and Oxnard today, taking in as much blue sky and sea breeze as possible before it gets stupid hot again. Also broke 200 miles per month for September, a personal best I *almost* hit back in June. #KeirByBike 🚴♂️
11/9/20 Ventura/Oxnard/Hueneme
They say “go big or go home,” but I say “why not both?” Mask & mittens for a chilly, unfiltered 30 miles’ worth of Ventura, Oxnard, & Hueneme. #KeirByBike
1/14/21 Ventura
An Oxnard #KeirByBike in three acts:
Me: Ooh, first 75+ degree day of the year? With a warm east wind? Let’s bike north-south!
East Wind: Hope you enjoyed that first 13 miles south. Have fun going home.
Me: What!? Why?!?
North Wind: Lol
Me: 😓
3/26/21 Ventura
Today’s #KeirByBike included:
24.59 total miles
2 bee swarms
1 flat tire from 1 big nail
1.5 miles walking home
Happy Friday!
4/29/21 Rincon
Rincon rides remain a phenomenal treatment, if not cure, for a variety of ailments. Sloth? Confidence crises? Dumb internet crap? Zap them all with this One Neat Trick. #KeirByBike
5/19/21 Half Moon Bay
Howdy from a blustery 17-mile #KeirByBike tour of Half Moon Bay, which is apparently Full Of Quests.
6/19/21 Ventura
Racked up 22 miles for #KeirByBike today by riding on each bit of two disconnected, relatively minor east-west roads: Katherine/Loma Vista and Thille/Medford/Darling.
8/6/21 Oceanside
Howdy from an overcast 24-mile #KeirByBike tour of Oceanside’s San Luis Rey river trail.
9/22/21 Ventura
After weeks of ho-hum haze and reeking red tide, today I went looking for some blue sky and green sea and found both, in boundless bucketfuls. Also, ever since I got this new phone camera my land/sea-to-sky ratios have oscillated wildly between 1:2 and, like, 1:8. #KeirByBike 🚴
11/13/21 Ventura/Oxnard
Back in the saddle with more basic #KeirByBike snaps, from today’s 24-mile cruise around Oxnard and Ventura, which ended with a walk home for the last half-mile after the front tire got punctured somewhere along the way, slowly collapsing like the Ottoman Empire.
12/21/21 Oceanside
Took another crack at Oceanside’s San Luis Rey river trail today, from the pier to the back gate, for chilly breezes, belated fall colors, and 27.20 round-trip miles’ worth of #KeirByBike
I have no idea what any of this will look like in 2022, but the coming year marks a decade of #KeirByBike for exercise, so it’ll be big in at least one way.
