Baggsy

I was just writing down my goals for this year, something that seems to help me visualize what I'm doing and where I'm going. Looks like it's about like last years with a little added on. I am curious what some of your goals are, maybe give me a few new ideas for the coming year and help this list look less mundane...so what are some of your goal that keep you motivated?

Thanks in advance...

Digital Gee

My goal is to find the perfect woman with the perfect butt. Oh! You mean cycling goals???

bikingbets

1. 25 miles in the saddle without stopping
2. 50 mile ride
3. metric century
4. consecutive-day 50 miles
5. consecutive-day metric century

These are all in an effort to get ready for an organized consecutive-day 70-miler with camping overnight in September.

HiYoSilver

Keeping it simple:

1. ride more days this year than last year
2. ride further at one time

everything else is apple pie and ice cream.

Eclectic

For the past 6 years my cycling has gotten a little more serious each year (from just cruising around town a few miles on a beautiful day to regular 15 - 20 mile rides even when the weather is not optimum) I am not yet a super serious cyclist, I like too many other things BUT I do have cycling goals for 2006.

I plan on riding Bike the Border in June (3 day about 150 miles) and CANDISC (Cycling around North Dakota in Sakakawea Country - 6 day, about 410 miles in Aug) I have never done anything extensive up to this point but have a lot of friends and acquaintances that have done all or part of them. They are supported rides so should be a good introduction to touring.

I started riding this week (I am still a semi fairweather rider I like it to be at least 50 above and winds less than 25mph )
I bought a pair of bike shoes and am converting to clipless soon, next purchase is good comfortable rain gear. Learning how to change a flat is on the agenda then I am pretty much set up other than a lot of hill training and saddle time (yes North Dakota has hills and when it is 95 above with a 20 mile an hour headwind they can be tough )

Come on up (or down for the Canadians) and join us - great people, great hospitality and not a lot of traffic!

jazzy_cyclist

Still working on formulating my goals, but so far:

5 centuries (1 down so far)
3500 miles (last year I did 2300)
average 4 days/wk when weather gets reasonable
build up a frame (half done)
climbing - still thinking about how to measure this, and what to aim for...

stonecrd

My goals are:

1. Doing at least (2) Centuries
2. Increasing my avg speed to 20mph
3. Do 5000mi this year
4. Continue to ride 5 days a week
5. Do not participate in any Hurricanes

stapfam

Goals are very important. In 2002 I nearly gave up mountain biking due to a lack of mental attitude- I stopped pushing up the hills- I would cut rides short- I was just not enjoying being at the back of the group and having everyone else waiting for me. I nearly went out and bought a road bike- Instead I got a Tandem. Motivation was still not there but I decided to give it one more try.

I entered the big ride that I had last done in 1997. This is a hard ride and it gave me 6 months to get fit enough to do it. Plenty of Gym work- plenty of Riding the Tandem and in June 2003 I attempted the ride. (You always attempt this ride as of 400 starters- more than 50% will drop out) Put it this way- we finished it- and in the best time I had ever done it in- and we were the first Tandem to complete the full distance of 100 miles. Plenty of others had started -but none had ever finished.

Goals are very important but they have to achieve something- They have to be attainable but you have to work for them aswell. My goal for this year? Don't know yet but want to try some Randonnees in France so that in 2007- we can do some real rides.

Baggsy

Great replies from everyone, and I'm thinking the perfect butt might be on my list now!

Eclectic...sounds like your country is alot like mine, but our wind is about 60mph today. Makes those road miles come at a helluva price. I usually see more antelope than I do vehicles though, and that is nice.

And Jazzy...helluva set of goals! It appears you are well on your way, and if you or anyone else want to try some wicked climbing, come on out! I know a couple rides that are so steep you scrape your nose on the road on the way up. But I'm not good at them, not by a long shot.

My hat's off to you guys getting the centuries in already. I'm hoping to get two or three in this year. Not alot around here without driving 1/2 a day to get to 'em. And I'm going to do at least two duathlons this year, and my highest goal is to do a sprint triathlon...just gotta find one where a jet-ski is legal for the swim part...harder than it seems!

Anyone else combining running and/or swimming with their biking goals? It does add alot to the training, but it seems it never gets boring that way...

HiYoSilver

There's a huge, and growing tri community. The tri forum on this board is small so don't gauge enthusiasm for tri by the posts in that forum.

I'm at the age where the stress of returning to running is not kind to the knees and swimming is not kind to the joints. But if you have a younger body, by all means mix it up.

NOS88

I'm shooting for mileage 10% higher than last year, and a reduction in my century ride time of 10%. Pretty basic stuff.

Digital Gee

I learned (and now teach to managers and others) a neat little acronym for good goal setting: S.M.A.R.T. goals. That is, good goals are...

Specific rather than general (3,000 miles this year, rather than "a lot of miles this year")

Measureable: (3 centuries and 6 metric centuries, rather than "some" centuries and metrics

Attainable: rule of thumb -- good goals are REALISTIC and OPTIMISTIC at the same time. They CAN be achieved, but they are a stretch at the same time

Relevent: Set goals about things which matter, which might be different for different folks. For some, riding 5+ times a week matters more than riding 100 miles per week. For others, riding to have fun on every ride is more important than how fast or how far they go.

Trackable or time-bound: Make sure the goal can be monitored along the way to see your progress. Imagine, for example, setting a mileage goal but be unable to know how you're doing until the last day of the year. Not very motivating, right? So even goals that at first glance don't appear to have any numbers attached can usually be re-thought until you can find a way to measure them. A perfect butt, for instance, is obviously a 10. In the meantime, perhaps I should look for an 8 or 9? It's a thought...

Hope this is helpful to someone.

Oh and one other trick that I find helpful sometimes. If/when you can, express the goal in the first person, present tense. "I ride 3,000 miles per year," rather than "I am going to ride 3,000 miles a year." It's hard to explain in a paragraph or two, but the short rationale for this is you're programing your R.A.S. (reticular activating system -- a filter in your brain that determines what you pay attention to) to move you toward the achievement of your goal with less effort even more importantly, less resistance.

DnvrFox

Darn I hate to be non-specific - hey, I spent years in education writing those SMART goals, behavioral objectives and all the rest.

Let's see.

1. Enjoy myself 10% more 50% of the time as measured by my smile lines.

2. Try not to ride in 50 mph winds 100% of the time as measured by my anemometer

3. Enjoy myself 10% more 50% of the time as measured by my smile lines. (oh, I already said that)

4. Get 10% greater in aerobic shape 25% of the time as measured by my heavy breathing.

5. Enjoy myself 10% more 50% of the time as measured by my smile lines. (oh, I already said that)

(Oh, and I will ride 4,500 miles)

Confused? So was I when we used to have to write stuff like that. No more! I is RETIRED.

Send your picture and bio for our Rogue's Gallery to

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Digital Gee

I always take 50% of DnvrFox's retorts with 100% grain of salt, giving him allowance for being a SOF, after all. (Sexy Old Fart, for those who don't know the acronym.)

DnvrFox

Man, now you ARE in trouble.

I have powers in this forum that you wouldn't believe!

Ever hear of a computer keyboard blowing up when you type certain key strokes? Or bicycle wheels falling off? Or handlebars coming loose so you can't steer. Look out! And, the HEALINGS will now stop!

Dogbait

My goal is to become so good at riding a fixed gear that I can justify buying a two speed (they still makin' those?)

Dogbait

Digital Gee

I laughed out loud when I read this. Then I went downstairs to go for a ride. Picked up the bike from the rack. Uh oh! Front tire -- flat. I kid you not! Fortunately, all it needed was air, no changing tubes or anything. But is that weird or not?

So, DnvrFox, because you are so all powerful, I wil retract one letter from the acronym SOF. I'm taking back the "S"

DnvrFox

And that is just a taste of the POWER!

Trekke

For years I have set goals like x miles this year, average speed, # of centuries or better. This year my goal is very simple:

Ride just for the fun of it.

I am not measuring distance or log rides. I am not checking my average speed or time in the saddle.

You too can have this goal. Now everyone say it with me.

"I am going to ride just for the fun of it".

Digital Gee

I like your goal!

carpbum

My goal for 2006 is to be here and ring in 2007.

Trekke

Seriously. I am having a great time this year. I had become bored trying to get out and ride just to get in miles. I was beginning to dread it. I also started mountain biking with my son and days i don't ride i spend an hour at the gym doing some resistance training. Have found myself in all around better shape and feel better too.

NOS88

OOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooo Yessssss. A goal that is more significant than all the others I've set for myself. I mean there'd be no point in goals if I weren't here next year. I think I want to change mine to being here and able to ride on New Year's day 2007.

jppe

I have not written them down before now so this is an excellent exercise.

JPPE's goals for 2006:
1-Ride more than 6000 miles--currently 200 miles ahead of pace
2-Complete a 100 mile century a month (already have 5)
3-Complete the 102 mile Assault on Mt Mitchell with 11,000 ft of climbing in under 7 hours
4-Set a new personal record in the 10 mile Time Trials at Lowes Motor Speedway-break 24 mins??
5-Ride more and play less golf
6-Stop buying bicycles-way behind on that goal
7-Do a century in another state that I have not ridden in before
8-Stay employed-just survived a layoff so I guess I'm on target there
9-Ride (Finish) Blood Sweat & Gears in June

cheeseflavor

Lessee...

In no particular order:

• Ride my first century (that'll be April 30th).
• Ride at least a century per month after that.
• 5,000 miles for the year outdoors.
• Get faster.
• Climb better.
• Become a better sprinter.
• Have fun

Steve