Friday, November 9, 2012

Goals for 2013

I like goals....they keep me focused, and give me the motivation to continue to improve.  Each year I have set goals, and I have accomplished them.  These goals range from simple to rather large and involved, but regardless, I have met each of my goals and exceeded them every time.  Lets take a look back at some of goals that I have accomplished shall we...

2011

This year started out in June with a simple goal of getting on a bike and seeing if I remembered how to ride.  Much to my surprise, you actually never forget how to ride a bike.  I rode for the first time in 20 some years in the month of June.  This was followed by my first real goal related to cycling.  That was the 2011 Tour to Tanglewood.  My initial goal was to ride 30 miles on both days, but after a short month of training on my first "real" road bike, I exceeded that goal, and rode 50 miles each day!  Beyond that, I continued training, and extending the distances that I was able to cover in a day.

2012

This was my first full year as a cyclist, and I came into it with a goal already in mind.  My first goal for the year was to ride a full century followed by a metric century in the Tour to Tanglewood.  I also wanted to raise $1000 for the NMSS.  After completing two training centuries, I met my distance goal for the Tour, and actually more than doubled my fund raising goal!

Another goal that developed in late spring was to be able to ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  I got my chance in early June, and managed to ride a full metric century in the mountains.  While I could check this off the list as an accomplishment, I was not happy with the outcome.  Unfortunately, I blew up climbing the big hill of the day and quite literally had to limp the majority of the return ride.  It was a disappointment, but I got the chance to redeem myself in mid October when I was given another chance to ride the Parkway.  This time, the distance was a hair longer, but the climbs were double what I did on the previous ride.  With lots of technique and equipment changes, I was able to conquer the Blue Ridge Parkway, and officially check that off of my list of goals for the year.

A minor goal for the year was to learn how to work on my own bike, and get comfortable doing various maintenance and improvement tasks on it.  Throughout the year, I learned how to replace tires and tubes (good to know for flats on the road), replace chains, rear cassettes, rewrap bar tape, fix a sticky rear derailleur, and do a complete wash after a long ride in the rain.  Its not much, but I am becoming more familiar with the bike, and with that comes the confidence needed to ride the distances that I do without any support.

2013

Now for the upcoming year, which will be the biggest year yet!  I have a great foundation to build on at this point.  I have ridden three centuries, countless metric centuries, and have improved on my hill climbing ability.  Now its time to get serious about my goals.  This year its not just about the Tour to Tanglewood.  Sure, its still a focal point for the year, and a very important ride for me, but there is not much growing room for me in that event any more.  I want more....faster speeds, more climbing, and further distances.  My goals for 2013 encompass all of that.

1.)  First of all, and likely the easiest goal for the year is for me to enter into the 20's for average speeds over the course of a 50+ mile ride.  To put this in context, when I was riding my mountain bike, my average speeds were about 13-14mph which I was excited about!  When I moved up to a road bike, those averages went into the 16's very quickly.  2012 started with upper 16's and has seen mid 19's toward the end of the season.  I'm not far from getting to my goal of 20mph, and might actually see it before the start of the year.  I have been spending time on my trainer working on intervals, as well as pedal drills which should make me a more efficient engine for the bike.  I have also worked on lowering the rotational weight of the wheels, as well as adding an aero quality to them.  The training and equipment should help me break that 20mph barrier, and that will be a huge day for me as it will put me into an "A group" status that I am just not quite able to join yet.



2.)  My second goal for the year is an extension of my Blue Ridge Parkway goal from 2012.  I want to participate in the Assault on the Carolinas which covers 100K distance in the mountains of North and South Carolina.  The highlight of this ride is a 6 mile, 2000 foot climb to Caesar's Head State Park.  The hardest part of this goal is that it comes so early in the riding season.  The scheduled date for it is April 13th, which means cold temperatures and a good chance of rain for the mountain areas.  It will be nice to ride a mountain metric that is fully supported though.

Edit:  Check this one off my list.  It's done!



3.)   The third goal for the year is probably the crown of achievements I will attempt this year.  It is called Double Down to the Beach, and the name just doesn't do it justice.  This is something that I will not be able to attempt prior to actually participating in it.  It is a one day....200 mile ride from Greensboro, NC, to Myrtle Beach, SC.  This is the second year for the ride, and I plan on being one of the riders....hopefully in the "A group".  The first 80 miles will be like most of my rides that I do around home with rolling terrain that will work on my legs over time.  However, after that 80 mile mark, the course profile turns into a shallow decline for the remainder of the ride which should boost speeds, and extend the endurance.  It starts at 5:30am, and ends quite possibly after the sun sets for the day.  There will be full SAG support, but I'm going to be leaning on Toni to be there with me with food, fluids, and a camera.  I'm hoping that she won't need to give me a ride to the destination.  When I'm done....if I finish....I will have ridden about 212 miles in a single day, over two states.  This will be the Hoorah moment of the year!



4.)  My final goal for 2013, is to once again participate in the Tour to Tanglewood.  I will ride the long routes both days which should total around 170 miles or so.  I will try to raise at least $3000, and ride much faster than I did in 2012.  I figure with the Assault on the Carolinas, and Double Down to the Beach under my belt, the Tour will be a piece of cake.


Well, there you have it....my 2013 goals as they sit right now.  I'm sure there will be other goals added along the way as things present themselves, but I think this will be a well rounded set of goals to get started with.  I do know that in order to achieve these goals, I will need to continue my training throughout the winter months.  Look for me on the road, and on the trainer at home.  Miles will be logged in the saddle, tempos increased, power and endurance brought into a whole new level.  I will evolve into a more serious cyclist in 2013.  The days of just pedaling are behind me.  Its all about form and function now which will lead to a more enjoyable experience on two wheels!

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