2013 goals? Stay out of the hospital and get stronger. I've been getting frequent flyer miles in various hospitals the last couple years.

My wife and I are close to booking an upstate New York tandem tour in late September. It will be the first time we have ever done a cycling vacation. It will be a small group of 9 couples with a variable itinerary and 8 nights/7 days of riding with some dinners and happy hours included.

Continue riding my bike and learn to play the blues on guitar.

Did do the Durango Iron Horse in 2010 and had a blast. Great feeling of accomplishment. Took 2 years off and want to get back to that level of fun again.
2013: minimum - Ride the Durango Iron Horse in May within 5 min of my time 2 years ago and 2 more fun races somewhere in the US. (spread my wings).

Hi K7, I live in Scottsdale (north) and interested in the Texas Rando that you referenced. Have you done this one before? What basic level of fitness would be reasonable to enjoy this event?

Thanks,

Gumbus

1. Increase and then maintain my exercise program.

2. Shift my diet towards less fatty and salty foods.

3. Drop 20 lbs.

4. Improve my over-all education.

5. Reduce my main hobbies to: bicycles, motorcycles, audio/music, writing, and I.T.

6. Lose the need to set "annual goals" (by permanently incorporating the above into my lifestyle).

interesting,I used to live in Scottsdale ,in fact,SHSclass of 1961
Bud

Your 2013 goals? Sorry, I can only think up maybe 2 or 3 :D

OK, it's getting close to 2013.
Mileage goal: 4500. (currently close to 4200 for 2012) Will aim for 1,000 tandem miles as part of that 4500 number. We hit 840 this year - greatly enjoy riding with my stoker.
Vague commuting goal: At least once a week Spring through Fall. I now have the option of sometimes working from home, which puts a cramp in the bike commuter thing.
Maybe a century. Lots of 40-60 mile rides. Ride slowly around the neighborhood more.

Most important cycling goal for 2013: Bust through the 10,000 posts barrier on BF!

Let's see:

-Ride 4000 miles, I'm just shy of 3000 this year but may not make it due to time and weather constraints
-Seattle to Portland double century -or-
-Ragbrai, I can't do both but I'm leaning towards Ragbrai
-Lose another 20 pounds
-Commute an entire week by bike
-Get better on hills, although at 58 its kinda late to start
-Do 5 laps of Prospect Park at a 20mph+ average.
-Stay in one piece
-and more importantly, stay above ground

Would you do the double in 1 day or two?

I've been toying with the idea of doing it in a day, as a challenge, and was wondering how much of a challenge it would be. (It would have to be in 2014 too much other stuff going on next year.)

No Goals but now got an incentive to ride as much as possible over the winter to get fit. Got an entry into the 3 Main "National" sportifs in the UK next August and going to enter at least one of them. Depending on fitness I may try for all 3. Two 100 milers within a week of each other and in June there is a 204km over the Welsh Mountains. That one may be beyond my capability.

I did this in one day 4 or 5 times back in my youth. It is a challenge, and those last 50 miles really drag on especially since they are rolling hills. But the first hundred is mostly flat, with one short steep hill, the next 50 isn't so bad.

My take on one day vs. two has always been: would you want to get back on a bike after a hundred mile ride and do another hundred the next day? I've always said no to myself. One year when I didn't do the ride (this was back in the 80s, when I was 30ish) I stayed at a friends house in Tenino, one of the towns about 80 miles into the ride, and he had a group that was crashing at his house overnight that he picked up in Centralia. They were all very sore, and it was painful to watch them get ready to leave the next day.

And another year it was raining when I did the ride, but I decided to bail at his house as it just wasn't worth it. So I showered, relaxed for a bit and then the sun came out. I hopped back on the bike and everybody was looking at me as I was the only one that didn't look like a drowned rat. I finished the ride in about 14 hours, including the break, which isn't too bad. I also finished another year in 10 hours, after doing the first 100 in 4.25 hours, that's a 23mph average, and there were no stops. They had to peel me off the street to get going again.

But bottom line, at age 58, I would only do it in one day, I'd never get myself ready to do a second day of 100 miles. That's the thing that worries me about Ragbrai, after the first few days would I be willing to do more.

One of my Life Mottoes is:
Do it for Fun, or;
Do it for Survival, or;
Don't Do it at All.

For the past nearly two years I've been doing for Survival. Next year I'd like to move back to Fun.

Speaking of bicycling mottoes:

Everything breaks
Everything costs more
Everything takes longer

Not limited to bicycles, by the way!! :)

Thanks for the detailed reply.

I did RAGBRAI last year, and can assure you that it isn't as bad as it looks. I started cycling in April 2011 and did RAGBRAI in July, and survived.

The pace on the RAGBRAI rides is typically a lot slower than on (say) a century, it's more festive, and there are tons of small towns along the way the provide refreshments, entertainment, and resting spots. Think of each ride not as a 65-mile slog, but as 10 short 10-mile rides with breaks in between.

Personally, I hammered it on several days of RAGBRAI. If I were to do it again (and I might) - I'd do it as a social, fun ride.

Regarding STP:

I've been randonneuring this year, and have several long rides under the belt. So the 200 mile distance doesn't bother me - and your description of the course makes it seem quite doable. Thanks again for the info.

Do another century ride maybe a couple group rides. Looking to add a little avg speed over last summer. I am planning on putting the '85 Trek on a weight loss diet of a new wheelset and CF forks :).

So So True.

Ride about 2000 fewer miles and play more music (and maybe lift a little more).

My goal for 2013 is to get out on my bike at least 4 times a week and to occasionally ride with my club or one or two others. Last year I missed every club ride and I don't want to do that again. Riding alone is a lot of fun when I am exploring new territory but it gets pretty boring when I take a route I am familiar with.

I've been looking at the photos from Ragbrai and I do get the sense that there's a lot of stopping along the way. It also seems to skew to an older crowd than the usual century rides, so that gives me a sense that it would be a slower pace.

If you've been randonneuring STP won't be a problem. I was doing 75-100 mile rides as a build up to the 200.

I saw some stats - I think the average age was late 40s to mid 50s. I was 54 when I did it last year, and felt right at home.

The pace varied a lot, and there are plenty of very fast riders there too - I sometimes hooked up with groups and pacelined with them. The century (i.e. 70 miles plus the optional Karras loop) went by with a very high moving speed average - and there were still a few riders who rode away from me.

The thing about RAGBRAI - you can make it whatever you want. There are hardcore riders going at race-pace, family groups who ride once a year, and everything between.

I often hear stories about RAGBRAI being a rolling party of drunks. That is nonsense - though there are always a few riders like that. However, if you leave very early in the morning you can avoid the crowds, avoid the worst of the heat, and avoid the drunks - and if you're so inclined, you'll be able to put in a pretty fast pace.

:thumb:

My goals are to do the BRAG ride and Six Gap.

I'm going to finish 2012 at right around 2,700 mi, so for 2013 I am aiming for:

• Ride 3,000 mi
• Complete at least 2 centuries

Well Mr. Glenday, my goals are to lose 10 lbs & successfully complete an SR Series.