30th December 2022 : Annual Statistics

Cyclists tend to like statistics - fact and figures about rate of climb, cadence, watts expended, calories expended, distance ridden and of course, average speed. Some cyclists use these figures to help them better their performance and make year-on-year comparisons. 

So here are the 2022 statistics - firstly, you are a year older now and all those cycling performance stats are harder to better year-on-year. I know this from reviewing my own simple statistic of miles ridden per ride - it's going down year on year!

Year	Mileage	Blogs	Av Miles/Ride
2008	1137	24	47
2009	2894	53	55
2010	2640	53	50
2011	3495	61	57
2012	3615	76	48
2013	3025	57	53
2014	3708	72	52
2015	4216	81	52
2016	4325	83	52
2017	3832	74	52
2018	4472	89	50
2019	3947	84	47
2020	2030	47	43
2021	3600	77	47
2022	4357	93	47

So after 14 years of club riding, the average ride length looks like it has peaked, perhaps supporting the premise that we are all older and not out to ride for longer and longer distances. What was that famous saying? Wiki explains thus:-

"Lies, damned lies, and statistics" is a phrase describing the persuasive power of statistics to bolster weak arguments, "one of the best, and best-known" critiques of applied statistics.^[2] It is also sometimes colloquially used to doubt statistics used to prove an opponent's point.

The phrase was popularized in the United States by Mark Twain (among others), who attributed it to the British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli.^[1]However, the phrase is not found in any of Disraeli's works and the earliest known appearances were years after his death. Several other people have been listed as originators of the quote, and it is often attributed to Twain himself.^[3]

An interesting statistic however is to be found in the analysis of who the blog rider has been. Usually this is the ride leader, but not always so. 

The top blog author was none other than Ivan with 19 credits followed by Steve Ha on 15. Of the 12 blog authors, 79 of the 93 were written by just six riders.

So in the New Year perhaps a few more riders will avow to lead a ride or two and write a blog or two?

Finally, can I thank Dave H, on your behalf, for his unstinting attention to detail and quiet cogitation of potential issues that might befall us going forward. It is good to know that he has our backs covered on matters cycling.

So enjoy your New Year's Eve celebrations and see you all some time in 2023.

CA