Fifty Plus (50+) - 2011 Report Card: Cycling related goals.

So, below is a list of the bike related challenges that I had lined up for the year 2011. Unfortunately, family health issues chewed up an enormous amount of my time and energy from mid 2010 till late Summer of 2011. Once we reached our newly established household equilibrium I opted to spend most of my relaxation time just goofing off. I’m not disappointed, in fact I’m thrilled that we have resolved the health situation to the extent that we have and I still had the time and energy to dabble a bit with the bikes. The bike related items that were not enjoyed in 2011 will instead provide me with entertainment in 2012, or later.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/700257-What-are-your-goals-for-2011

The link is to the original post of 2011 goals from a year ago. Below are my slightly tweaked excerpts from that thread and my results from 2011…..

1. I try not to be a goal oriented person, but I always end up chasing after some rainbow or another anyway. That being said, I'm gravitating towards less riding and more wrenching for 2011. I have no mileage goals, no specific distance rides, and no organised rides planned for 2011. This will be a year of relaxation oriented rides mixed with sorting through my piles of old bikes and parts.

*Clean and service my 1966 Schwinn Starlet III (just short of restoring it)
Didn’t get to it at all.

*Reibuild my 70's Columbia 10 spd. into a cruiser style 10 spd.
Done…cleaned, tuned, new brakes, new tires, hauled to Chicago and donated to daughter’s boy friend.

*Rebuild my 70's Huffy 3 spd.
Didn’t get to it at all.

*Marry an old push Reel Mower to a Magna Mtn Bike
Didn’t get to it at all.

NOTE: All of the above projects are curb finds, including the mower.

*Take my '86 Raleigh Marathon on our cross country road trip (Van) and squeeze in a couple rides.
I installed a rack on the Marathon and had it ready to roll, but the cross country trip got cancelled due to health related issues.

*I'm toying with the idea of putting christmas lights on some old junk bike...I dunno yet for sure, it's still an infant stage of an idea.
Didn’t get to it at all.

*It goes without saying that when ever the spirit moves me, I'll pedal off on a little neighborhood adventure with my trusty Canon camera strapped to my side.

I ended up riding 2600 miles this year, much less than the year before but I believe I hit a pretty good mix between responsibilities at home and recreational miles on the bikes. I rode several Breakfast Rides with the local Recumbent Enthusiasts, rode a solo unsupported Century on my 60th Birthday (Fathers Day), rode an 80 mile area Recumbent Rally, rode several times with fellow BF member Gyro, and squeezed in an early autumn solo unsupported century just for good measure.

I also squeezed in some routine maintainance on some of my most often used bikes:
* replaced chain, cassette, and brake pads on my Volae, repacked the rear wheel bearings on the Volae.
* replaced chain on my Tour Easy and added a rear rack and panniers.
* repacked the rear wheel bearings on the Trek 820

I even managed to obtain a few more project bikes from here and there along the curb (garbage day treasures).

I think I did alright, at least by my loose standards.

How did you all do with your goals. Any over-achievers out there?

I'm dying to learn if Louis attained the status of Astronaut or not. :D

And don't forget you cranked out 61 round-trip commutes (so far) over on the Commuter Cycling Century Challenge (http://tinyurl.com/3jkhshq).

I know you're on those oddball Fireman's Hours at work, and if I calculated correctly, it gave you only 180 possible workdays in the year (before vacations), so you commuted on a third of them. In my book that's darned good, especially for R-Town.

As for my own goals. I kept them simple this past year.

2011 Goals


4,500 miles (12.33/day) 4,486 as of the commute home tonight, with 17 days to go.
100% on the Commuter Cycling Century Challenge (http://tinyurl.com/3jkhshq) 100% (203) so far, with eight workdays left to go. But for me it's easy since I don't own a car.
No crashes So far so good.

I had no goals in 2011 and am extremely pleased to report that I succeeded admirably. I plan on repeating this in 2012.

After my swim today, a fellow swimmer (who swims a mile each day) asked me how far I swim/how many laps/how long - SOMETHING measurable. I told him I swam until I was done, and the same with my bicycling.

I like the NO CRASHES goal, tsl. I guess that's always been my unspoken goal.

I aimed for 4000 miles this year and just passed 3600, which is a hair more than last year, so I'm satisfied.

I had no goals in 2011 and am extremely pleased to report that I succeeded admirably. I plan on repeating this in 2012.

After my swim today, a fellow swimmer (who swims a mile each day) asked me how far I swim/how many laps/how long - SOMETHING measurable. I told him I swam until I was done, and the same with my bicycling.
Good call. Things can get ugly if you stop swimming before you're done.

1. Don't get hit.
2. Don't get hurt.
3. Try not to yell at people.

2 out of 3 this year.

*Marry an old push Reel Mower to a Magna Mtn Bike


Here ya go.....this is just down the road from me:
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h88/RevRyp/fda989f2.jpg

I had low level goals but nevertheless completed them with much joy:
-finish my first century ride and on a vintage steel framed Trek
-find and buy my dream bike when I was a kid (Motobecane Super Mirage). Found one in superb conditon for 60.00