2017 Biking Goals

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  • December 31, 2016 at 3:55 am #1062379
    Judd
    Participant

    @bobco85 151071 wrote:

    I know I’m forgetting some things, but here’s my go at this.

    2016 Highlights

    • enjoying the challenge of researching, filming, and creating videos with voiceover (thanks to Judd’s suggestion) for bike routes to help people get around Metro’s SafeTrack surges

    2017 Goals

    • create a series of videos (still brainstorming here) to highlight bike routes or general biking in various areas/neighborhoods/etc.

    I love your videos and appreciate how much time you put into researching, filming and editing them. And since you know how to get everywhere by bike and where hidden gems are, I’d love to see some of the area/neighborhood videos

    I’m totally in for biking around the beltway.

    December 31, 2016 at 4:08 am #1062382
    Judd
    Participant

    @secstate 151073 wrote:

    Good thread! I’ve enjoyed reading these. Here are mine:

    2016

    First bikepacking trip: 3 days on the Greenbrier River Trail in WV
    Rode on the VA side of the river for the first time (thanks to the Boat Lights ride)

    2017

    Spend more time riding in NoVa
    Go clipless

    Greenbrier River Trail looks awesome. I’ve added it to my list of places to go.

    I didn’t know the Boat Light Parade was your first time on the Virginia side. There’s lots of great riding over here. When I first moved here, riding down to Mt. Vernon was one of the first rides I did.

    Going clipless was one of the best things that I’ve done. If you do, it helps to brace yourself against a wall and just practice clipping in and clipping out over and over again. It helps reduce the number of times that you will ridiculously tip over when you first start. (You will still tip over at least once. It is a rite of passage.)

    December 31, 2016 at 4:20 am #1062387
    hozn
    Participant

    2016
    – Finally rode over 10k miles! 10,467 and 699 hours — maybe I will round those up tomorrow during kids nap time …. or not. Have wanted to hit that number for years; feels a bit pointless now that I have :-)
    – Podium in a cat 4 race felt good. No top step for me, though.
    – Finally did the SM100.
    – Less of an accomplishment, but am really happy with my bikes — the new ti road disc frame, the 1x & hydro brakes everywhere.

    2017
    – Dial it back. Less riding overall and only early-season racing. I’ll get to be in Switzerland for work for July and August, so gonna enjoy those hills. But mostly gonna put more emphasis on fun than fitness when I am on the bike.
    – More core. That is always my goal. I have proven to myself that core workouts improve my comfort on the bike a lot. I need to get back into regular non-cycling workout routines.
    – Cat 3 (road) upgrade. It is a tall order with only targeting a few races, but it is good to have stretch goals. :-)
    – Stop feeling bad about not racing ‘cross. I always tell myself that I should do a couple of races, but I am reconciling myself with the reality that I am not that keen on contrived race courses. Or maybe just once Fall hits I am just done with racing and watching people do their “‘cross training” in the school playgrounds or adjacent to the trail awakens the cynic in me. I’ll take gravel or just riding single-track on the CX bike any day.

    December 31, 2016 at 4:38 am #1062389
    Judd
    Participant

    @Amalitza 151074 wrote:

    Ok, so other than learning to pop a 2mm high wheelie (*1)…

    -Tried (failed, but tried)(*3) to continue bike-commuting after evening ride got dark. Extended “commuting season” an extra 3 or 4 weeks over last year before getting freaked out being on some of the roads in full dark. Maybe I’ll give it another try before the winter’s over…

    Next year:
    -I’m starting to get curious about road racing. I’m faster than I used to be, (though I don’t know if that translates to fast enough not to be dropped by a race peloton)—( barrier 1), but I’m still not very comfy riding in close quarters—(barrier 2). This might require figuring out how to go about finding, choosing, joining a team…

    I’m wondering if the wheeling ability is influenced by bike size. I have an easier time getting a little bit of lift on the front end of my largest bike (62cm) but it’s harder on my correctly sized bike (58cm). I’ve actually watched some videos on YouTube on how to wheelie, because I think it would be fun to randomly pop wheelies when pulling in to coffee club or riding an organized century.

    I’m curious about the commuting season. If you were able to extend 4 weeks this year, what’s the difference from doing it now? Is it a dusk versus dark issue?

    For road racing: It appears that the National Capital Velo Club is a large and well organized club. I’ve seen lots of them riding around at Hains Point and the Freshbikes Tuesday rides and my observations have been 100% positive. Nice people that are predictable riders.

    December 31, 2016 at 5:22 am #1062391
    jrenaut
    Participant

    @Judd 151106 wrote:

    Going clipless was one of the best things that I’ve done. If you do, it helps to brace yourself against a wall and just practice clipping in and clipping out over and over again.

    Agreed. I was having major knee pain with toe clips, and clipless pedals make sure my feet are aligned properly so my knees are aligned properly so the pain that doesn’t come from over-exertion goes away.

    To learn clipless, I went to a quiet parking lot and rode slow laps, clipping and unclipping the whole time until I was used to the motion. I definitely still tipped over once or twice. Once was super embarrassing, right on 14th St at R NW at a light with half a dozen cyclists behind me at peak morning rush hour. Even worse, I went down on the still-clipped side and couldn’t get it unclipped so I was just lying in a heap in the road until some kind soul behind me helped me up.

    December 31, 2016 at 3:40 pm #1062401
    Anonymous
    Guest

    @Judd 151110 wrote:

    I’m curious about the commuting season. If you were able to extend 4 weeks this year, what’s the difference from doing it now? Is it a dusk versus dark issue?

    Really which parts of it were in the dark. It’s 30 miles long, which takes me over 2 hours on a fast day, and the iffy portions are the middle sections. So the extra weeks were progressively more and more of the iffy parts in the dark. And because of the length I was riding it once a week, so the 3-4 week progression was about 3 rides. They went kinda like “ok, that’s not quite as bad as I expected”, “ok, still not as bad as I expected” “holy crap get me off of this road like now”. There’s also a difference between being mildly terrified for a couple minutes just getting through this tricky section here and being mildly terrified for an hour straight.

    but yeah, i did find dusk vs. full dark to make a big difference. Being able to see the road outside of headlight range, and being able to see cars vs. disembodied headlights- I have a much harder time judging distance and speed when all i can see are headlights and i feel like drivers may have a similarly difficult time judging *my* speed and distance.

    December 31, 2016 at 6:01 pm #1062407
    Steve O
    Participant

    @jrenaut 151112 wrote:

    I definitely still tipped over once or twice. Once was super embarrassing, right on 14th St at R NW at a light with half a dozen cyclists behind me at peak morning rush hour. Even worse, I went down on the still-clipped side and couldn’t get it unclipped so I was just lying in a heap in the road until some kind soul behind me helped me up.

    This happens to everyone. Everyone. We all tip over a couple of times, and one of those is certain to be at an intersection with an enormous crowd of people all gawking at you (or it will feel that way, at least). Just take a deep breath and steel your pride for that inevitable eventuality.

    The way to get out of the tipped-on-the-clipped-side heap is to literally pick your bike up in the air with your clipped pedal and your arms and turn over on the ground–like a dying cockroach. I believe Boomer has a story like this, only he was still clipped in on both sides. Wish there were photos.

    December 31, 2016 at 6:31 pm #1062409
    Steve O
    Participant

    2016
    Rode to Pittsburgh – longest bike trip of my life (loved it!)
    Organized several Midnight Saddles Rides
    Organized a “Bread ride”
    Increased my circle of biking friends
    Marshalled the Air Force Cycling classic
    Attended 8 different coffee clubs at least once (MPC, Kindred, CCCC, HDCC, WTF, VTCC, FCC I & FCC II)
    Attended numerous happy hours
    Continued role as annoying gadfly at Arlington BAC meetings
    Taught bicycling to newbies and novices through WABA and BA
    Earned my 3rd coffeeneuring patch
    Earned my first errandonnee patch
    Created a set of Cards Against Velocipedes cards
    Rode 6000 miles

    2017
    Attend the DTSS Coffee Club
    Ride with Boomer in England
    Raise monthly biking minimum to 400 miles (was 300)
    Get a new, awesome job
    Both patches again – errandonee & coffeeneuring
    Take more & better pictures
    Do more hills (300,000 feet)
    Continue organizing social activities for my friends, old & new, in the bicycling community
    Volunteer to help with at least one regional ride (WABA, AFCC, etc..)
    Sob uncontrollably when my sweetie leaves for college
    (maybe) Get a better unicycle
    (maybe) N+1 (MTB?, Cross?, crabon road?)

    January 1, 2017 at 12:04 am #1062416
    hozn
    Participant

    @Steve O 151131 wrote:

    (maybe) Get a better unicycle

    I forgot to add “unicycle ~15 miles to work” to my to do list for 2017. So I also need a better/bigger unicycle. But if you want, you are welcome to a long-term loan of my 24″.

    January 1, 2017 at 12:13 am #1062419
    Steve O
    Participant

    @hozn 151139 wrote:

    I forgot to add “unicycle ~15 miles to work” to my to do list for 2017. So I also need a better/bigger unicycle. But if you want, you are welcome to a long-term loan of my 24″.

    And then back? That would be a long, tiring day!
    I may take you up on that, thanks, but only after you have your 1/2N + 1/2

    January 1, 2017 at 1:09 am #1062422
    lordofthemark
    Participant

    @bobco85 151071 wrote:

    [*]since I will be moving sometime near the end of summer 2017, get immersed in Seattle’s bike culture
    [/LIST]

    Oh no! Seattle’s gain will be Alexandria’s loss.

    January 1, 2017 at 1:51 am #1062423
    hozn
    Participant

    @Steve O 151142 wrote:

    And then back? That would be a long, tiring day!
    I may take you up on that, thanks, but only after you have your 1/2N + 1/2

    I won’t miss it, honestly; I rarely ride it these days, so you are welcome to borrow it. Just let me know. Yeah, I figure I need a 29″ or, better, a 36″ to make that trip at least marginally reasonable. Unicycling is a pretty practical means of transportation :-)

    January 1, 2017 at 3:25 am #1062425
    Phatboing
    Participant

    @bobco85 151071 wrote:

    [*]since I will be moving sometime near the end of summer 2017, get immersed in Seattle’s bike culture
    [/LIST]

    WSGFABR! We have some hills. The legs burn on the way up, the brake pads burn on the way down.

    January 1, 2017 at 3:31 am #1062426
    AFHokie
    Participant

    2016
    Rode 6000 miles
    Rode 10 centuries
    Rode the Pittsburgh Dirty Dozen

    Not planning to have a 2017 mileage goal; this past year at times it started to feel more like an obligation instead of a goal

    Goals for 2017
    My only distance goal is ride 1000 miles in a month
    Vary my commute route
    Ride to Annapolis
    Ride the NOVA loop
    Ride Skyline Drive
    Bike more of the C&O if not all of it from Pittsburgh to DC
    Ride either Ride Storming Thunder Ridge, Mountains of Misery or Garret County GF
    Convince el Fiance she’s able to ride either the Amish Country Century, the Seagull Century or ideally both
    Circumnavigate Oahu by bike this summer
    This won’t happen this year, but after my latest trip to WI, I want to Bike Across Bago

    Overall, ride more places I’ve never been before. Greenbrier looks awesome

    January 1, 2017 at 3:43 am #1062427
    streetsmarts
    Participant

    2016
    Went from approximately 0 rides and miles to getting on my bike(s) 101 times for 839 miles (I didn’t start til the end of May). Wow. and I enjoyed it!!
    Made bike-y friends. 😎
    Had a great bike mentor! (Komorebi thanks for showing me the around!)
    Attended numerous coffee clubs.
    Biked in the rain.
    Bought good lights & conquered my fear of riding on dark trails and streets.
    Biked in the semi-cold! (i know it’s not *really* cold yet).
    Stuffed envelopes at WABA. (Finally made it to the WABA office).
    Rode 49 miles in one day – to & including the Cider ride – on a mountain bike!
    Went to a bike maintenance class and changed a tube.
    Biked in Vermont, Rhode Island, DC, MD, and VA.
    Bought N+1.
    Got a couple Bike Snob books (funny, thanks for the suggestion Steve O). Though this forum provides hours of entertainment if you know where to look!!
    Wiped out on the trail; 2 stitches and road rash, but nothing broken.

    2017
    Ride at least as much as this year.
    Ride in more /different states.
    Try new routes (Haven’t been on the Custis, nor on the W&OD much, or on the Capital Crescent). Or the C&O….
    Ride to work 3/5 days – at least April to November ish.
    Run more errands and fun trips by bike.
    Help out with WABA and other bike groups more.
    Look for a newish cyclist to help along – maybe another new commuter.
    Get my new bike adjusted so I don’t have numbness and tingling after I ride.

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