2013 Cycling Goals

[murielalex]

Happy New Year, everyone!

These are my goals for this year:

1. 4000 miles
2. Learn to ride hills (I live in the flats)
3. Work on speed so I can ride with my friends in the 20+ pacelines and not get dropped after 10 miles
4. Complete the Smart Ride (Miami to Key West) I'd trained for this year, but didn't do due to injury days before.
5. Have more fun!

What are yours?

[Dog]

I love setting goals. This year was a great year of outdoor accomplishments for me :-) So, I have lots on my 2013 list for various activities. For cycling I hope to continue to ride through the winter (did that in 2012) and and repeat some of my favorites including a couple of overnighters. Here are some new rides I haven't done before:

Here's my preliminary list:

Chilly Hilly - February
Tour de Blast or High Pass Challenge (Mt. Saint Helen)
Crater Lake Century
Couer D' Fondo
Get Your Guts In Gear (3-day fundraising ride for corohns)
Olympic Discovery Trail (bike/camping)
Fort2Fort
Mt. Constitution

I hope everyone has a healthy and happy year!

~ Dog

[Bike Writer]

These are mine, compiled in the beginning of December. Cold and snow in Michigan deprive me of riding so I turn to dreaming of next season.

· Ride 5 new trails or paths
· Do at least 2 urban rides in a city
· Take my bike on at least one vacation
· Rent a bike on one vacation in a style different than what I normally ride
· Take on one bicycle advocacy initiative
· Go on a bike ride with a kid under 10 yrs old who is not a relative
· Test ride some different bikes than what I normally ride
· Ride a tandem
· Do at least one charity ride
· Do at least 2 group rides
· Train to ride a trip of 40 miles
· Ride 1,000 miles next year
· Increase my riding average speed to 10 mph
· Ride a real mountain bike trail

I've done some preliminary route scouting and mapping to help achieve these goals and I've broken out the trainer to help my body be ready for next season. I loathe the trainer, but like the rewards of it.

[luvmyguys]

Bike Writer, I love some of your goals - especially the one about riding with a kid under the age of 10!

I haven't been riding long, so mine are modest, but here they are:


Conquer the clipless pedals
Train for and ride a Team in Training century
Get better on hills (I live in Flatsville too)
Get dh a bike and ride a lot with him!
Up my average speed to over 20 mph, so I can ride with the faster pace groups (and in some cases, ride with a group period)


I've started to tackle the first, and I think I'm going to plan on the Cross Timbers Classic Bike Rally in May for the second. The fourth will be money dependent, and I'll hopefully make good progress on the third and fifth just training for the century.

[shootingstar]

I've been always a bit of a sloth in setting in advance, cycling goals at the beginning of each year. I make it simple for myself:

*Continue to bike as frequently as I have in other years in whatever city I am living in.
*Encourage myself to cycle several times per week during winter. More often, if not also, daily, for other seasons.
*2-3 multi-day long touring bike rides with my packed panniers.
*Continue to make cycling my main mode of transportation. (I guess I have to if I'm car-free...)
*Do at least 2-4 100 km. day rides.
*Eat mindfully.
*Learn some new bike routes.
*Support my city in new cycling infrastructure initiatives by participating in discussions and riding /using such infrastructure, tell other people about it too.
*Share cycling love and make it integrated into daily experiences....through my personal blog.

Dumb as this maybe I don't set overly high expectations and keep goals vague....it allows me to exceed them. Crazy psychology, but it works for me. After all, cycing is meant to be fun for me.

[girlontheroad]

Ok here is the start of this list with several ideas lifted from those here.

1. Ride my age (46 miles) at least once if not more. Currently I can do 21 miles
2. Increase my average speed to 18 mph or more
3. Ride a trail
4 use mt hybrid for errands regularly
5 try to ride 3 to 4 times per week wheneveR I am not traveling.

Learning new routes is there too but I tend to do that anyway

Happy new year and good riding.

[Swan]

Here are just a few!

1. Get back ON the bike...
2. Continue to build up endurance
3 Invest in bike shorts
4. Do small camping trips with bike
5. Work on speed
6. Log at least 4k mi!

[Crankin]

I don't know what my goals are. The only one I am sure of is to ride more than I did in 2012. In 2010 and 2011 I rode 3,300 and 3,100 miles. In 2012 I made my "minimum" of 2,500 miles, but my total was around 2,700 (not sure of exact amount, as both of my bike computers got messed up near the end). Most of this was due to my work schedule, but some was due to laziness. On the other hand, I am consistently going to boot camp 2X a week and I lost 5-6 lbs. and I am much stronger.
I probably will have more riding time next fall, as I plan to quit my job and find something with less hours, closer to home once I get my licensing requirements finished up. Hopefully, that will make the difference.
I really don't know what else to add. It seems if I make goals, it's a sure way for me to start having a bad attitude and hating riding. If I have more free time, I'd like to add in more of the utility rides I used to do. And, find a job where I can ride to work at least some of the time.
Every year I say I am going to improve my skills on the bike, but so far, that hasn't happened. As far as speed goes, I reached my peak in 2006. Then I went backwards when I got sick in 2007. 2008 and 2009 were building back up years, which I did, but now I need more recovery time and I tend to have some rides that are OK/average for me, some that are slow because I am riding with slower riders, and a few that are fast for me. I know I should ride with faster riders, but I haven't made too many of the group rides I used to do (only one this year, in addition to the 2 I led).
I think I've learned enough about myself from riding the last 12 years to say that a goal of riding more is enough for me, and I will see what happens.

[Becky]

I've tracked mileage for the past 3 years and am disappointed in myself every year. (My low mileages may have something to do with the amount of mountain biking I do.) This year, I'm not tracking mileage. Instead, I'm going to:

1. Focus on tracking time (days per week, and hours on any bike).
2. Complete my first XC race season (probably 3-4 races, and maybe a relay or enduro race), with absolutely no pressure to win anything.
3. Focus on the social side of riding more than the quantitative side, and do more road and mountain group rides.
4. Finish building my new mountain bike and sell my old one to defray the cost.

[Catrin]

Still thinking about my 2013 goals - but they will include the following:

Ride more than in 2012 (and avoid injury) - at least 4,000 miles
At least one charity ride, possibly 2 (at least the Hope ride)
Shoot for at least one group ride a month - I tend to ride solo most of the time
Death March (gravel event) in March IF I can get enough gravel time in between now and then...
Gravel Grovel (gravel race) on Thanksgiving weekend
get better at hill climbing
Learn how to do unassisted pull-ups
Continue to learn basics of Olympic lifting
Continue with my group training 2-3 times a week

I can be overly goal-driven, which is why my list isn't as detailed as in past years. As odd as this might sound, I've found that I seem to enjoy "training for an event" better than participating in the actual event. That is probably weird but that is me. I've also found that I enjoy lifting heavy things and doing wild metabolic conditioning things far better than I would have ever dreamed. Would love to do a little trail running, but I don't know if that will ever be an option for me, we shall see.

[Giulianna23]

*. Lose 20 lbs or more if possible by the end of Summer by eating healthy . I haven’t been doing that in the last 3 months... shame on me!.. :(
*. Do the POLAR BEAR RIDE II this Saturday with my boys and some other family members and friends.(10 mile recreational ride)
*. Do indoor cycling sessions (with the indoor bike trainer) at least 3 times a week during winter with the meetup group (FREE). I like that!. ..Starting next week! Yay!!...
*. Start to commute sometime in April until sometime in October/Nov if weather permits…and do at least 100 miles a week in addition to the 80 I will be doing during my commutes. This will be combining road and mountain biking.
*. Work on my speed so by the end of the year I would like to be at at least 18+mph average if possible ( now I am at 15-16mph)
*. Work on climbing because I suck…..but I know if I lose some weight that will improve Big Time.
*. Attend the Womens Mountain Bike Clinic.
*. Learn all I can about bike maintenance /tune ups etc etc ( I already know how to change a tire an tube. I also know how to install fenders… I did on my commuter getting her ready for Spring )
*. Ride all I can with my two boys.
*. Encourage family members and friends to use their bikes more often and ride with them in a group whenever is possible. I already started with the POLAR BEAR RIDE . I am taking 3 family members besides my 2 boys this Saturday. :)

[shootingstar]

It seems if I make goals, it's a sure way for me to start having a bad attitude and hating riding.

Hey, Crankin I know I'm like that. Already I have to set annual (and more frequent!) goals for my job, for larger projects with other people, as well as for personal financial management, etc. I consider cycling definitely a personal activity and since I'm a non-racer/don't enter any time-based rides, I'd rather cycle with an attitude that helps me STAY on the bike, not hate cycling as another chore where I end up feeling lousy because I didn't make a cumulative mileage goal, etc.

In some vague way, yes I would like to do 2,500 km or 3,500 km. minimum annually but my cumulative mileage is based on known route total distance. I eliminated my cyclometer about 10 yrs. ago. The way how I gauge my fitness improvement each year is my daily cycling distance endurance and how I can climb hills.

Without really aiming for a pre-set goal at the beginning, some years I have racked up 5,000 - 7,000 km. annually --especially when I was unemployed or did some multi-wk. long trips. I focus more on each day as it comes and just cycle happily away.

[indysteel]

When I first started riding, I was pretty goal-oriented, but a series of injuries and life changes made me dial back quite a bit. Now, I'm more interested in just staying injury free and sticking with my weekly fitness routine. I haven't had an computer on my bike in several years, so I have only a vague idea of how far I've gone on any given ride or how fast (DH has one and sometimes I ask, while sometimes I don't). Plus, as Becky suggested in her own response, mileage doesn't mean quite the same thing when it comes to mountainbiking. So, with that said, my goals are pretty general. I'd like to continue improving on my mountain bike. I would love to tackle all but the hardest trails at my favorite park--hopefully injury/crash free. Knock on wood. I'd like to do a few more club road rides. I still miss riding with friends in various parts of the state. No offense to my husband, but riding only with him straight from our house bores me to tears. I miss the variety of riding with other people and doing a diverse set of routes.

More than anything, I'd like to continue to run year round instead of stopping in the spring and picking it back up in the fall. I'm really enjoying it this time around and, again with no offense to my husband, I enjoy that I do it on my own and don't have to wait for both his and my stars to align, as I so often have to do with cycling.

Yoga is ever present in my life. I'd like to continue to take 2-3 classes a week if my schedule allows. And I plan to continue meeting with my trainer twice a week--once in a group setting and once individually. I've started to see some progress. It was really slow going for a while--I think because my Graves' Disease was leading to some muscle weakness--but I'm starting to feel really good of late, and I hope that trend continues.

[nscrbug]

Generally speaking, I typically have only 1 cycling goal at the start of each season...and that is to try and match my mileage from the previous year. That might be a "tall" order for me, though...considering that 2012 was my biggest riding year ever at 8,642 miles. THAT will be difficult to do, 2 years in a row...but I'll try my best. Other than that, my other goals are:

Try to keep riding throughout the winter...whenever possible.
Try to resolve my ongoing hand issues...with surgery or if possible, without.
Try to keep the injuries to a minimum.
Take an overnight trip on the bike.
Ride at least 4 centuries (the same amount I did last year).

Linda

[happyscientist]

Do a better job of integrating other forms of exercise with cycling.
Not get dropped on the hammer ride, just once.
Do a race and not come in DFL.
Get better at descents.
Don't drool on the Cervelo tri-bike my LBS has on display.

[Veronica]

I posted here (http://www.tandemhearts.com/wordpress/2013-whats-the-plan/) about my big goal for 2103.

Same minor goals - work up to jumping onto the 30 inch step. 24 inches is really pretty easy, but 6 more inches is a big jump. :p

Jump rope - "speedy" version - for 2 minutes straight. I have two jump rope speeds - medium and speedy. I can do speedy (275 - 300 jumps/minute) for about 75 seconds now.

Veronica

[Catrin]

I posted here (http://www.tandemhearts.com/wordpress/2013-whats-the-plan/) about my big goal for 2103.

Same minor goals - work up to jumping onto the 30 inch step. 24 inches is really pretty easy, but 6 more inches is a big jump. :p

Jump rope - "speedy" version - for 2 minutes straight. I have two jump rope speeds - medium and speedy. I can do speedy (275 - 300 jumps/minute) for about 75 seconds now.

Veronica

Ooooh, double unders!!!??!! This sounds awesome! I hard you about the box jumping.The 24 inch box still gets me from time to time (and I fall), so far our coach won't let me attempt the 30 inch box. Yet. Your big goal sounds like a lot of fun and am looking forward to hearing about it!

I've a real problem with overhead lifting, so of course, my main lifting goal this year is to do really GOOD overhead squats at a reasonable weight - that would be a good start. I am seeing my PCP Friday to rule out any underlying spinal alignment issues that might be affecting my left arm - it just isn't responding to all of the hard work so I need to get it checked out just in case there is more going on than is meeting the eye. It helps to have an OD as my PCP ;)

[Veronica]

I'm not sure I'm coordinated enough for double unders. I know they look really cool, but I wonder what benefit you get from being able to move the rope that quickly.

Veronica

[Catrin]

I'm not sure I'm coordinated enough for double unders. I know they look really cool, but I wonder what benefit you get from being able to move the rope that quickly.

Veronica

I know I can't do them myself, but I never really jumped rope in my life until recently - we don't do that very often. I just figured if your speed was that high that you were likely doing them :) Anyway, it is pretty cool your speed jumping is that high!

[ny biker]

I just want to have fun.

[indysteel]

I just want to have fun.

Yes, to that!

[IBrakeforPastry]

I just want to have fun.

Yay - this! I just want to ride more, and get back into it. I used to ride a lot, then the past few years I slowed down a bit. Some minor, but prolonged, health/injury problems changed my focus to rehab and wellness. Hopefully this will be the year!

I'm not competitive, but I would like to work on my off-bike fitness routine to make the cycling more enjoyable and efficient (more distance with less discomfort).

I want to make sure I have the right bike. If the fancy new road bike I bought in October wasn't the best choice, I will accept the loss and get the right one. With all the snow we have now, it will be a while before I will know for certain.

Thanks for giving me things to think about!

[shootingstar]

I haven't had an computer on my bike in several years, so I have only a vague idea of how far I've gone on any given ride or how fast (DH has one and sometimes I ask, while sometimes I don't).

Same here Indysteel. I know from dearie who uses his cyclometer, the distance of several common routes in the city where I live now, plus 2 other cities where I used to live and still go back to visit and cycle. He's religious about using his cyclometer plus I always know what I've done when we go bike touring anywhere.

I tell him he is real used car: he's clocked in 200,000+ km over the past 22 yrs. since he's done several transcontintal bike trips on his own plus regular cycling at home. Yup, has his spreadsheets. Hope his grown children appreciate this record one day.

I should get back into yoga and some pilates to keep some pains away... I'm impressed some folks jump rope, I tried doing a couple spins a few months and was amazed what type of muscles it uses that I took for granted as a child and how easily breathless I became as an adult.

[katluvr]

Good timing for me to read this thread as I have been formulating some 2013 "goals" or "resolutions". Yet to put them down on paper (or computer). So I'll start with the bike goals:

#1: Ride more this year (running took over last year)
Log my miles to see how much I really ride this year.
Ride more regularly.
Get a bike fit (easy--received gift certificate for X-mas)
Do a Century (haven't done one for a few years)
Put the old bike on the trainer and work on overall fitness! (And bike while I what TV instead of drinking wine while I watch TV)
Do an charity ride (normally a MS ride) in a new state
Ride to work (I really do want to do this)
Start riding my bike for short errands or lunch downtown.
Obviously I would like to "get faster"! (Who wouldn't?)

Ok, so mostly generic type goals, no specifics...but it's a start!
Happy New Year!

K

[ehirsch83]

Happy New Year, everyone!

These are my goals for this year:

1. 4000 miles
2. Learn to ride hills (I live in the flats)
3. Work on speed so I can ride with my friends in the 20+ pacelines and not get dropped after 10 miles
4. Complete the Smart Ride (Miami to Key West) I'd trained for this year, but didn't do due to injury days before.
5. Have more fun!

What are yours?


You have Claremont and just past there you have San Ann- tons of hills to be had :)

You can drive out to the West Orange Trail start and ride from there or check out Winter Garden Wheel Works- they have a women's ride :)

[murielalex]

You have Claremont and just past there you have San Ann- tons of hills to be had :)

You can drive out to the West Orange Trail start and ride from there or check out Winter Garden Wheel Works- they have a women's ride :)

Thanks! I have friends that head to Claremont about once a month. As soon as I get my ankle back up to speed, I plan on joining them. I will definitely check out Winter Garden Wheel Works. We tried to get a women's ride going down here, but could never get a consistent group going since most belonged to clubs already, and there were always scheduling conflicts. Been talking to a few women about starting up a fun, social ride with a nice meal at the end.

[Bike Writer]

I just want to have fun.

LOVE THIS! Thanks for the reminder that it should be at the top of every list. :D


Bike Writer, I love some of your goals - especially the one about riding with a kid under the age of 10!

I haven't been riding long, so mine are modest, but here they are:


Conquer the clipless pedals
Train for and ride a Team in Training century
Get better on hills (I live in Flatsville too)
Get dh a bike and ride a lot with him!
Up my average speed to over 20 mph, so I can ride with the faster pace groups (and in some cases, ride with a group period)


I've started to tackle the first, and I think I'm going to plan on the Cross Timbers Classic Bike Rally in May for the second. The fourth will be money dependent, and I'll hopefully make good progress on the third and fifth just training for the century.

luvmyguys, I ride with my nephews, nieces often enough to help mentor them along in the sport and just share the love of outdoors but I started thinking of a couple of friends who don't ride and I know their kids ride bikes but don't get the opportunity to go out on a trail in parks and such so I thought it would be a good idea to spread the love of biking outside of my own family.

It's been an interesting read to see what things others want to work on. Mileage comes up often in this discussion and since we don't have crystal balls to see the future it's hard to predict or set a mileage number with any degree of certainty. Heck, last year with injuries, surgery in the fall prime riding season and with campaigning taking up my whole season I rode about a third of the mileage of the previous two years. This year I was lucky to get in a little over 500 miles, the previous two years it was nearly double then triple of that. None the less, I put a number up there to shoot at, we'll see what life brings.

[azfiddle]

I had goals last year- 5000 miles originally, then upped it to 6000, but finished at 5723. That's still an "A" by percentage.
This year- well, I might not worry about a mileage goal. I need to find more time for music and maybe some other stuff, but I am riding with a women's group now so I do have a commitment to ride regularly with them.

I like nybiker's goal to have fun, and I need to stay active to maintain my weight (which has actually crept up several pounds).

[emily_in_nc]

This year's only real goal is to get back into road riding when we move back to the US. I have no idea how many miles I'll be able to put in, or if I'll do any events, I just want to get back to the road and have fun with it!

[Jo-n-NY]

This year's only real goal is to get back into road riding when we move back to the US. I have no idea how many miles I'll be able to put in, or if I'll do any events, I just want to get back to the road and have fun with it!

Emily expect you will do very well on the roadbike with all the riding you have been doing in Belize on the cruiser along with the running on the beach.

I for one put a lot of miles on the bike in 2012, 4830miles. This year I just want to have fun riding and continue to lead the group rides. My 2013 goal will be to build up to run 5K. Right now I am doing the run/walk mix. After reading all your comments on the Couch to 5k I just downloaded the app.

[angel@]

For 2013:
having lots of fun riding my bike;
no injury on special parts without substitution, like knees, heart and so;
wind blowing on my back :)
more safe rides on the road for me and every bike users
Take care and drive safe, girls (helmet, reflective vest and front and rear lights)
Love the ride in 2013

[MojoGrrl]

Ride 5000 miles this year
Do at least another 200k this spring/summer, and try a 300k
*Maybe* try a double century

[LovelyGirl]

My goals are simple since I'm in that cherished stage of mothering little guys, and I always like to bring them along. Now that I've got my new Riv I can barely wait to see where we'll go together this year, and I've already planned some adventures I can have with my family.
1. Bike to my son's school each week.
2. Drive to my home state instead of fly, so that I can bring our bikes in the van. (1800 miles one way, yikes!)
3. Bike to church on Sundays.
4. Bike to the park with little guys every week.

[Owlie]

Goals for this year:
2000 miles. I surpassed 2012's goal (1000 miles), but didn't make the revised goal (to double 2011's mileage, so 1620-something).
Work on getting my knee better.
Perhaps a century?
New bike?