Defining the Ineffable with Brian Bortz

Staying 'sane' in the saddle

Brian Bortz has been riding his bike, outside, every single day for more than three years.

His last streak of 1,364 days ended in January 2020 when he got sick and missed 17 days. Why do this? Well, why not, right?

Besides just liking the activity, Bortz has a more personal reason. I learned he organizes the Winter Cycling Challenge, a way to get people on their bikes during the cold winter months and raise money for cancer research. The rules are simple. Ride as many days, hours and miles as you can from December 21, 2022 to March 20, 2023. Riders earn points for the days, hours and miles and the one with the most wins some cash at the end.

Right now, according to the group’s Google doc that tracks each rider’s progress (each person is given access to track their own data), the group of 24 has ridden an average of 40 days and 904 miles, which shakes out to be around 22 miles per rider per day.

Here’s a little more about Bortz.

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Brian Bortz is 51 (he’ll be 52 this month) and lives in Fairlawn, Ohio. He is divorced and has boy/girl twins that are 24 years-old who also live in Northeast Ohio.

What do you do for a living?

I teach middle school math and TK (transitional kindergarten) to 6th grade technology at Lippman Day School, a private school in northwest Akron.

What (or who) got you into cycling?

I rode around my small neighborhood in an eastern suburb of Pittsburgh when I was growing up. I got into road riding in the early 2000s with the Cleveland Touring Club, and my first long ride was the MS150 Pedal to the Point in 2006. Things really took off when I first participated in the four-day, 328 mile American Cancer Society Pan Ohio Hope Ride in 2009. I got involved with that event in honor of my mom, Susan, who is now cancer-free for almost 20 years.

Can you explain the impetus behind the Winter Cycling Challenge?

The main goal of the WCC is motivation to keep riding outside all year in areas where winter riding isn’t always easy.

WCC is a fundraiser, right? Which organizations do you donate proceeds to?

The challenge is part of my ongoing fundraising for Pan Ohio Hope Ride. 

I see WCC has been happening since 2015. How many different riders have participated and how much have you raised toward cancer research?

We usually have 15-20 participants each winter. Some return to the challenge year after year while others move on, and new riders join. Half of each entry fee goes to the cause and a few winners have returned their prizes as well. It’s probably generated close to $2,000.

How many bikes do you have and what are they?

I currently have 3 main bikes - a Fuji Wendigo fat bike, a Bianchi Zurigo gravel bike that’s my winter commute workhorse, and a Trek Checkpoint SL5 that I use for commuting, touring, and general fun riding. I also have a Trek FX7200 hybrid with studded tires but am still getting comfortable with them and prefer the fat bike for snow and ice.

I hear you've ridden more than 1,100 days in a row. Is this true? What keeps you riding everyday and what do you do to pump yourself up on a day that you might not feel like riding?

As of February 18, I’m at 1,126 consecutive days of riding at least one outdoor mile. This is actually my second ride streak. The first one reached 1,364 days and ended in January 2020 when I got really sick and missed 17 days. That one began in 2016 when I was participating in 30 Days of Biking. I skipped a day when the temperature was in the 30s and it was raining, figuring I could ride twice another day to make up for it. Then I started thinking about why I ride — to raise money for the American Cancer Society — and realized that compared to what cancer patients endure, 10 minutes outside riding could never be as difficult. Now there’s rarely a day I don’t want to ride, but that’s my motivation when it happens.

Describe the feeling that cycling gives you.

Cycling keeps me sane. I’d much rather ride to school even in “bad” weather. Most days even if I don’t initially feel like going out I ride much more than my self imposed minimum of one mile, because once I get going it feels good to be out there. It’s become a part of who I am and I love sharing about it with others and using it to help raise money.

Brian Bortz on his bike.

Thanks for chatting, Brian; keep pedaling.

Not that you need anyone to tell you that … here’s a side note for the readers. The last sentence he wrote me, on Feb. 18, reads: “Now, it’s sunny and in the mid 30s (not bad for February 18 in Ohio!) so it’s time for some vitamin D cycotherapy!”

Thanks for reading, cycopaths. I hope you’re able to get out there today. Forecast looks promising, at least here in Ohio.

By the way, if you know anyone who might be a good candidate for this series — let me know. Bortz was someone that a reader let me know about, and I’m glad he did. Looking for anyone who loves to ride their bike. Racers. Casual riders. Mechanics. YouTubers. Photographers. Journalists. Authors. Race directors. Race promoters. Bike builders. Bike tinkerers. People from Ohio, Australia, India, California or Idaho or Canada — don’t care. If they like riding their bike, we want to hear from them.

Send me an email at brazdill.25 at gmail.com. Or tweet me @dillonswriting.