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Year-ender

12.30.2010 by Ray Niekamp // 15 Comments

We’re at the end of another year.  Bike-wise, it was a good year for me.  Among my personal highlights:

  • A new yearly mileage record: 4,100 miles.
  • Two century rides
  • Completion of the full two-day MS 150 from Houston to Austin
  • Improved fitness – lost girth, if not much weight – I like wearing smaller pants
  • Improved hill climbing.  Not where I want to be yet, but I can now climb my personal nemesis – as long as I rest to catch my breath at the top
Happy New Year, y'all!

I’m undecided about where my biking will go in 2011.  Both distance riding and more training appeal to me.  Right now, I’m leaning toward doing more long rides – rides of over 60 miles.

I’m also debating whether to back away somewhat from the social aspect of cycling.  I enjoy riding with friends, and one of the highlights of 2010 was meeting and riding with folks I’d only known online.  But I do most of my riding alone, and I think I enjoy that more.  I look forward to our Sunday morning club rides, but it doesn’t kill me to pass one up.

I do enjoy organized rides, and will probably do more in the new year than I did this year.  I’ve missed lots of good ones in this area, and I’d like to try them out.

But I think the emphasis will be on biking as fun, rather than biking as work.  Best of everything to each of you.

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Comments

  1. Mel Hughes says

    December 30, 2010 at 9:52 pm

    I am way behind you in mileage. But I think you and I are on similar paths for 2011, especially the emphasis on biking as fun. For me, I would add to that trying to work in more utility as well. It is hard to do, living in such a rural area. But I think I see opportunities for that as well.

    Happy New Year! Thanks for the great blog!

    Reply
  2. Bike Noob says

    December 30, 2010 at 9:55 pm

    Forgot to mention utility cycling, Mel. I just got a rack on the mountain bike and dumped the knobbies for skinny slicks. It’ll be used for errands a lot, I hope.

    Reply
  3. pickspub says

    December 30, 2010 at 9:56 pm

    I tend to agree with you when it comes to the social stuff. I enjoy riding with others and the chance to learn from them, but I kinda enjoy the freedom when riding solo of being able to change my route or make an unscheduled stop whenever I feel like it. Plus, it’s just easier to schedule my rides without having to check with someone else’s schedule. Have a Happy and Safe New Year!

    Reply
  4. johnt says

    December 30, 2010 at 11:02 pm

    My #1 priority for the bike since day one has been to have fun and to meet new people. I have really enjoyed all the big group rides as well as the organized rides I have particiapted in this my 1st season and especially all the people I have met. I look forward to more of the same next year…. Hopefully a little faster and a little stronger. See you around…

    Reply
  5. Loving the Bike says

    December 30, 2010 at 11:12 pm

    It was great meeting you in 2010. Happy New Year to you and all the best for 2011.

    Darryl

    Reply
  6. Tim says

    December 31, 2010 at 6:29 am

    Happy Noob Year! Here’s to another year of Noobiness! 😀

    “No, no, no don’t think of it as work. The idea is to just enjoy yourself.”

    Reply
  7. B.J. Ondo says

    December 31, 2010 at 3:30 pm

    Well I had all intentions of making the 3500 miles BUT, the wife got sick, then the weather turned COLD and ICY so I’ll end up with 3475, RATS.
    Accomplishments:
    1st. multi-day bicycle road tour, July 2010!
    Have a Happy New Years and a excellent New Year too! LOL, I do understand the “Ride alone”, sometimes I wonder WHY I belong to a local cycling club??

    Reply
  8. Jeff says

    December 31, 2010 at 3:57 pm

    Hey, I took that picture! (I think…)

    Reply
    • Bike Noob says

      December 31, 2010 at 4:44 pm

      You would be so right. The quintessential Texas bicycling picture.

      Reply
  9. Barbara says

    December 31, 2010 at 9:01 pm

    Happy New Year HRN(His Royal Noobi-ness)!
    Finishing up my third year cycling… I can handle about one or two big group rides(3-4K people) a season, and a periodic club ride, but most often find myself going solo for many of the reasons already stated. In a perfect world I’d have a riding partner who’s just a touch faster than I am and at least as addicted to the sport.
    My eyes were bigger than my belly last year this time and set my 2010 goal too high at 7000. I didn’t know we were going to have such a wicked winter last year and had to be off the bike entirely for almost two months in the summer…so I ended up with 5200.
    I’ve always tracked my mileage on excel and just finished reformatting it so I could pivot the data easily to plan a more realistic goal of 6200 miles for 2011(I know, I’m sick and twisted to do this on NYE, but I just love playing with numbers!).
    My other cycling goals for 2011 include completing 2 century rides, a multi-day ride(currently shooting for RAGBRAI), increase my work commuting miles(still running the numbers on that) and do more errand running by bike, continuing my mentoring to beginning cyclists, and doing more advocacy work by either going to Austin for Cyclists in Suits day this year(keep planning on it but work always gets in the way) and/or doing something to promote biking to children. We’ll see!
    To a great 2011!

    Reply
  10. martinsj2 says

    January 1, 2011 at 7:20 am

    Happy New Year! I think you’re idea to keep it fun is spot on. As long as you’re enjoying yourself, alot of the mileage goals will take care of themselves. I’ve ridden almost all my miles solo but have recently undertaken a handful of group rides. I learn a lot more in those but the loss of freedom (time, place, etc…) is a bit of a downer.

    Steve

    Reply
  11. Apertome says

    January 3, 2011 at 8:54 pm

    Congrats on 4100 miles, that’s awesome! Hope you have a great new year of cycling.

    Reply
    • rainycamp says

      January 3, 2011 at 9:23 pm

      Thanks, and right back atcha.

      Reply
  12. Rick says

    January 5, 2011 at 9:53 pm

    Happy New Year, Ray. Looking forward to trying more organized Hill Country rides this year as well, but also hope to ride a little more in Far West Texas which, despite the wind, is cycling heaven. Solo riding is always an enjoyable adventure, but if you need a riding partner on any of those 60+ milers in 2011, give me a heads up.

    Reply
    • Bike Noob says

      January 5, 2011 at 9:59 pm

      You can count on it, Rick!

      Reply

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