+1. Strategically train for the 100/200: Although the early season was cold and wet, I stuck to my reduced commuting regimen and was (just barely) prepared for the big ride. The arc of my training worked out very well, with increasingly longer rides that all seemed to fit in at their last possible dates. Weather was the big factor, but it all worked out. I ended up riding most of it alone, and the weather was among the worse we've ever had, but I don't recall bonking at any point. I wasn't dancing on the pedals on the long climbs, but I didn't have to dig as deeply as I have often done in the past. A big dud was the idea of painting arrows at the turns. I didn't realize how obnoxious it would be to drive around with the fumes from paint-coated stencils in the car. I may need to bite the bullet and buy a roll of Road Arrows, but then riders getting lost hasn't been a major issue in the past.
0. Explore more dirt roads that I haven't yet ridden: Before the 100/200, I was primarily road riding. Afterwards, I just wasn't motivated to take a day off to explore. I missed that. I still do. The reason I gave myself a pass was that I did fit in an exceptional ride that I've wanted to do since I saw on Google Maps a few years ago that there is a dirt road that goes over Stratton Mountain on the east side of the ski area. I rode this the week before the 100/200 and it was both tough and rewarding. My biggest surprise was when I met another cyclist coming the other way in the middle of the 10-mile dirt stretch that wasn't much more than a logging road up the side of a mountain. I tacked up a few new roads on this ride.
-1. Keep my annual mileage to at least 7k: At times, weather conspired to keep me off the bike for over a week, but I was fairly consistent in my riding. I just need to do it more often and farther.
0. Drop at least five pounds: While I didn't meet this goal, I didn't pork out, either. I also didn't get skinny. Since I didn't significantly alter my eating patterns, my weight stayed fairly stable.
0. Drop my pulse rate a few beats: I just checked and my resting pulse was 57. I can't say if that was up or down and one needs to check often in order to notice any real change. I didn't do those checks.
0. Pay a little more attention to what I eat: This one was worded loosely enough that I'll give myself a pass. Truth is, I stayed on my usual diet, which tends to be pretty good. There is still room for improvement, however, and I'm never one to follow eating fads.
+1. Ride the Prouty on the tandem again: Total score! Not only did we ride the full century, but we paced ourselves well and felt good all the way to the end. The tough thing about this ride is that it's far enough away that we don't know most of the people who show up. This year, we didn't see anyone we recognized. It makes you feel a bit isolated while in the company of thousands. The best part was finishing in time to eat, relax and get in the car, all before the rain started. The thing that makes us keep coming back is that it provides an opportunity to reflect on and celebrate the lives of the many people we know who have had to fight cancer. While we could go for a different route, it is tandem-friendly and has its pretty sections. We toyed with the idea of doing the gravel option, but didn't. We also thought about perhaps starting with the group but then taking our own route. The tough thing is to find one that is not too hilly, but we may revisit these ideas this year, especially if we can get in more miles before the event. On a tandem, we ride the Prouty solo, anyway.
-1. Complete at least one "epic" tandem ride: Not only did we not get in any epic rides, beyond the Prouty, we only accumulated a bit over 400 miles for the season. A pleasant caveat was a ride we did from Castleton that looped on unfamiliar roads, many dirt, and a rail trail, the latter being mildly engaging, but not enough to want to do again. The old slate quarries we passed were more interesting. I could probably give myself a pass on this one, but it's tough to call a 50-mile ride "epic".
0. Complete a LAMB or six-gaps ride: I'll give myself a pass, because I did a ride in March that covered three of the four LAMB gaps, but I didn't ride Lincoln at all this year. I did Roxbury once in August and it was tough, partly because I had ridden to the base with the GMBC on one of the few group rides I did this year, and the pace took a bit out of me.
-1. Sell off at least a couple bikes: Nothing went out the door this year, but I have a couple of bikes and frames ready for when the season starts approaching. I pretty much finished a Raleigh International that I bought purposely to sell, a Litespeed that I never should have bought and will be lucky to get my investment back from, the aluminum touring frame that was replaced by the Marin, and the GIOS frame that I bought several years ago and only rode once because it's just too nice. I did finally build up the 60th Anniversary Paramount last week and look forward to putting some miles on it this season. The Paramount already has its paint chips, while the Gios wears a pristine repaint. I prefer to ride bikes that I don't feel guilty when they inevitably suffer cosmetically.
If there's a cumulative score here, it looks like I come out at -1! I didn't do any randonneur rides. I also didn't engage in any of the things that I said last January that I wasn't into, including buying (or even wanting) new bikes and equipment, the local bike scene (though I did re-subscribe to the local club's listserv, which has been refreshingly quiet), and large group rides (except the Prouty). We still think tandem rallies are a thing of the past for us.
Last year, I said that I just want to be a competent cyclist, enjoying the ride, doing my own thing, staying healthy. That continues to be my primary goal. I recently read a piece in which the author wrote that he didn't believe in resolutions because they require willpower and that is no substitute for motivation in effecting real change. This is the reason that most resolutions are broken quickly after they are made. Still, it's good to have goals, so I am going to reprise these 10. I'm going to print them out and hang them on the wall as a reminder that these are self-motivating goals, meaning that if I engage in achieving them, they will bring their own incentives. As my grandmother was fond of saying, "A job well started is half-done." The biggest obstacle for many rides is getting on the bike. I think if I improve the consistency of my riding, take more initiative on getting in some longer rides in the summer, and work in more tandem rides, I'll see my mileage rise, fitness and weight improve, and have more fond memories at the end of the season.
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| 1999 60th Anniversary Paramount, brazed by Curt Goodrich at match Cycles. Reynolds 853 tubing, Campagnolo Record components, mostly appropriate to the era.These were sold only as frames and most were built up with Dura Ace 7700. The trick aspects of this bike are indexed downtube shifters, Campy Record carbon brake levers, sewups, and a Brooks titanium Pro saddle. Should be a sweet ride! |
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