lookinUp

Here we go again - another challenge! Since 'Ride you age on your Birthday' was such a success and so many BF 50+ members accomplished that, I figured we needed a new challenge for the new year.

What do you think of 'Ride 2006 miles in 2006' as a challenge?

Any other ideas out there? I know that will be easy for some, and impossible for others, so we may have to adjust it. Post your Challenge ideas and let's see what the group wants to do.

DnvrFox

I guess I prefer setting my own goals and challenges consistent with my own life situation.

However, I would support others who find interest and motivation in a group challenge.

I think almost all of us easily ride 2,006 miles per year. Even with my medical situation this year I beat 2,006 by a long way. So, it would only be a challenge for the few.

My personal challenge is to get back in good enough shape to be able to do a century again in a day. It has been some time since I have had a long ride, and while I take a lot of 20 and 30 and some 40 mile rides, my personal medical situation has been that I haven't done a century for several years.

And I want this to be a small century, with no worries about the speed or length of time it tkaes to do it. Just in one day. A nice relaxing day. I would like perhaps 1 or 2 folks of like mind to join me on our Denver Trails. How about it, BJ Ondo and others?

Perhaps we could each publish our own personal goals and make that our challenge? To meet our own goals?

lookinUp

DnvFox - good idea. Why don't we each set a goal for 2006 and then report back on our achievements. Perhaps it could be a sticky under the title '2006 Goals'.

What does everyone think?

Digital Gee

Oddly, I had already been considering 2006 miles as a goal for 2006, even though I know I'd reach it quite easily, barring injury or the chance encounter with a woman who talks me into relocating to the South Pacific.

I want a goal that I can reach, but is a stretch, so I'm still thinking. And I like the idea of two centuries -- one to see if I can do it, and one to confirm the first one wasn't a fluke. (Someone mentioned that on another thread today, and I liked it.)

Right now, I'm thinking 3,000 miles, two centuries, twenty five lost pounds, and a new bike might be my goal for next year. That, and a woman who tries to talk me into running away to the South Pacific (but fails -- hey -- I gotta ride!)

bernmart

I haven't ridden my age in miles yet for my 2005 challenge--my birthday is Dec. 31st! And I'm gonna do it, weather permitting, as it usually is here in SoCal. That is, I'm gonna ride 67 miles on 12/31.

What happened to that thread, anyway?

Denver has the right idea about setting personal challenges for 2006. Mine will be to ride my first century. Gulp. I've got my eye on the Palm Springs Century, 'cause it's relatively flat, if windy. Anybody else thinking of doing that one?

BJ Ondo

I'm in for the "Mellow Centruy" ride but as far as goals for 2006, the ONLY goal is to get on the bike as much as possible and ride as many miles as possible, don't care for setting "miles=goal", that makes it work in my mind and I only ride for FUN!

oldspark

My goals for 2006 are to get into good enough shape to do a couple of races (maybe four), I will never be this "young" again so no time like the present.

oldcrank

My goal for 2006 is to enter the Major Taylor memorial hill climb time trial -- and place ANYwhere other than last in the 50+ category.

It is a short, 500-foot climb . . . but at an 18% grade.

If you'd like to check it out, here's the URL:

https://www.majortaylorassociation.or...street05.shtml

berts

I went to the "coach" and told him that I plan to increase training ride mileage to a century (160 km) on saturdays and half centuries twice during the week, while increasing my velocity. He replied "don't bother - just enjoy riding. If you work up to a very high fitness level and for some reason can't keep it up, your fitness falls like a stone".

Taking his advice into consideration, I still plan to improve fitness but at a much reduced stress level.

One goal this year is to participate in 2-3 races (national RR and TT championships plus a prep race) (last year I did 7 races) but my main goal is just to enjoy riding.

jppe

Great event! Thanks for sharing the link. Climbing is certainly something I need a LOT of work on.......I bet you'd make an excellent showing in this one and it sounds like a great goal.

There is a 65 mile loop I do in the NC mountains that has 2 grades in the 19-21% range. While the steepest parts are in the 19-21 % range, they at the end of some pretty long climbs. The first one is at the end of a 6 mile climb at the very start of the loop. The next one is after a 2 mile climb at the 52 mile mark. I do that loop to get in some good climbing training......

oldcrank

With your experience with the 6-mile climb mentioned above, you should look into the Mt. Washington event. I'd bet you'd make it. Here's some info:

"The Mt Washington Auto Road is 7.6 miles in length, has an average grade of 12% with extended sections of 18% and the last 50 yards is an amazing 22%!"

They close the mountain off to cars for one day a year for it. It's summer at the base, and sometimes in the 30's at the summit.

Been thinking of this as a 2006 goal myself . . . I'd love to do this for my 50th year -- but, at the same time, I have to be realistic and not kid myself. When training picks up I'll reassess.

I bet your NC ride is a very beautiful one.

jppe

Interesting you should mention the Mt Washington climb. One of my best friends hiked through there in Sept and said the winds were Hurricane force that day as they were in the 80+ range. He said he walked down part of the road and the wind was so strong he almost sat down in the road with his backpack and inched along. He said it was all he could do just to walk in the road without getting blown overall the guard rail.

So, take 7 miles 10-15 per cent grade and add some wind and you have yourself one heck of a challenge.

p8rider

If you want to check out Mount Washington look up this sight; www.mountwashington.org
From there click to the live cams. It provides a live weather snapshot wind/temp/etc. In the eastern U.S. there is no other place with more violent weather. I glance at it everyday just to see how wild it is.

marmotte

Our (my wife and me) goal will be a 10 days tour in the western Alps from Geneva to Savona, a ferry harbour to Corsica (where we will spend the remaining 10 days of our holidays in 2006). We cycled this tour several times before, last time in 2004, and we never found something better. Because I become older (me, not my wife ) it will be a challange, especially because I will carry the luggage...

See the diagram below, it is in km (1.6 km = 1 mile) and in meter above sea level. (enlarge the picture by clicking 'adapt to window' or so, I don't know the current US-version)

Another goal is to master a 200 km ride (which is about 125 miles) with a friend of mine late in June or in July

marmotte

genec

Ride your weight in two days.

Digital Gee

Hahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

You're kidding, right?

TysonB

2006 in 2006 has a nice ring. That WILL be one of my goals for the thanks for the suggestion Lookinup.

My other goal is the Redman Tri. It is an Ironman and 1/2 Ironman held for the first time last year in Oklahoma City. My goal is to be the least trained entrant and to cross the finish line hours later smiling and happy. Cruise the swim, hop on my old Peugeot for a while and then drag my fat butt through the run. What could be hard about that? I've yet to decide whether to do the full or the 1/2 and will wait till spring to decide. Discretion is sometimes the better part of valor, but if I run one decent marathon in the spring. I'll probably shoot for the full ironman. BTW, I don't pretend to be one of the fast guys around here. I'm 55, 6' and 210 lbs.

Tyson

tlc20010

Great idea! I just got back into riding seriously this past spring to rehab a knee replacement. That lead me to do my first century last month and I found it very satisfying. My goal is going to be a century a quarter in 2006. I got in about 3600 miles since I bought a computer in June, so I figure that 6,000 in '06 ought to be doable, and finally I'll buy into Digital Gee's lose 25 pounds and get a new bike program.

Ah, nobody's going to remember any of this next December, are they?

Tim

roccobike

Thanks for the suggestion Lookinup. I am going to shoot for 2006 miles. Since I can not ride a road bike, I will be accomlishing this from a mostly upright postion on a hybrid and a mountain bike. This ought to be interesting.

FarHorizon

Ya know, it doesn't HAVE to be ON YOUR ACTUAL BIRTHDAY. I rode mine a few days before, but if weather shut me down, I'd have done it later. Anytime in the calendar year - if you rode your age in miles - YOU QUALIFY!

My 2K6 goals are:
To ride a century and a follow up.
To give more bikes to the LBS to donate to the needy than I did this year
To make my daughter and my wife the happiest women in the world
To continue to do the best work I've done in my life
And to do anything else that comes up that is a good thing that I haven't yet done.

Sounds generic, but I continue to find new stuff to do. Youth is really wasted on the young...

Merry Christmas to all the 50+ forum folks and thanks for making my 2K5 a better year.

rck

Its to late today-but I'll start my diet tomorrow!

Little Darwin

I don't think in the past few years I have ridden my weight in a week...

Actually, I was just in the midst of composing a smart alec remark, but I like this.

I now have three goals.

1) Ride 2006 miles

2) Ride at least one metric and one imperial century

3) Ride my weight in two days.

This last one will mean that I have to work hard in two areas. Increase my mileage capabilities, and lose a lot of weight.

bernmart

FarHorizon:Ya know, it doesn't HAVE to be ON YOUR ACTUAL BIRTHDAY. I rode mine a few days before, but if weather shut me down, I'd have done it later. Anytime in the calendar year - if you rode your age in miles - YOU QUALIFY!

Thanks for reminding me, but on or around my birthday seems like the best idea, to me--67 miles on or about 12/31. If no one in my club wants to come along, I may do it on 12/30, so I'm not an exhausted blob on New Year's Eve. The thread about this particular challenge seems to have petered out a bit, but I'll keep everyone on this good forum informed.

FarH, best to you and yours, and all of you on the forum, as we pedal into this holiday season.

Bernie

Grampy™

My goal for 2006 is 4012 miles. At least 1000 on my fixie.

Digital Gee

I keep thinking about this 2006 goals thing. Today, as I rode, I considered shooting for a 10mpd average for the year, which would set the bar at 3,650 miles for the year.

But, that seems too much of a stretch for me. My belief about goals is that the most powerful are in the sweet spot between optimistic and realistic. So then I considered 250 miles per month, or 3,000 for the year. This seems doable but not slouching.

I'm pushing to reach 1,400 this year (I'm at 1250 or so and time is running out!) having started to ride on June 5th, which would be about 200 miles per month. I think a 25% increase, given my new skills and fitness levels, is not unreasonable.

So, I'm getting sold on 3,000 miles for 2006. And this is based on my current bike. Obviously, a new bike would make this goal easier to attain.

Any feedback or suggestions?