So how was 2012 for you?

Brian B

Did my last 100 plus ride of the year at the weekend due to the shortening daylight hours and increasingly cold weather up here in Scotland and when I was out I thinking of my best ride of 2012. Usually for me its one of the days on my annual cycling trip abroad to the high mountains.

This year however was the weekend I spent up North when I did the Skye sportive in abnormally warm weather followed up the next day going over the Belach na Ba - the whole weekend I never seen a cloud and even the road tar was melting! Runner up was the 173mile run in the Borders which took 12hrs ride time.

What was your best time cycling this year?

nunowoolmez

Well 2012 was a mixed one for me. Rode 3 rides i wanted to do, Fred Whitton, Dragon Ride, & King Of The Downs. All brilliant but demanding rides. Sadly i badly injured an ankle in June (double fracture & torn ligaments) which wrote off the rest of the year for me, riding wise. Had to cancel my trip to the French Alps, gutted. Only just returned to work on light duties! Oh well, have a 2 week training camp in Majorca in February & have just rebooked 10 days in French Alps, which will also include seeing stages 18 & 19 of the Tour. Hurry up 2013!!!

Monty Dog

I spent most weekends from May to July during our wonderful summer solely to practise riding a bike for one lap of a stadium in East London on the 27th July - I was one of the Dove Bikes in the Olympic Opening Ceremony!

Ron Stuart

Highlight was the two weeks in the Algarve during February when five of the days was spent following these boys around. Check out the weather it was like this all the time 8)

option_click

Pretty good for me. Did some cycling in Mallorca, the King of the Downs and London to Paris.
Roll on 2013...

chrisaonabike

My 2012 has got two months to go!! Having only had the bike a month, I'm still getting up each morning, looking out the window, hoping that the roads are dry, and then being all glum if they aren't.

Just clicked over 300 miles total, having a blast.

Der Kaiser

Did 4 Sportives of varying levels and enjoyed all of them.

Keeping myself fit through the winter and hope to lose some weight.

alihisgreat

Did my first sportive this year.. already looking at three early season ones next year

gsk82

I had a great week in Majorca, favourite day was probably climbing up to lluc from selva then down to sa callobra. Also had a great week on tourmalet with Pyrenees cycling.

I think my favourite days riding was the white rose classic though.

thegreatdivide

The year started with recovery from the second operation on my arm.

I became the proud owner of a stunning Colnago Master.

Rode the Etape Caledonia twice in four days - the first time in blazing sunshine, the second in pi$$ing rain and a howling gale.

A handful of centuries.

Discovered the delights of cycling on the Outer Hebrides.

Got down to 64kg - but back up to 66 as I type :-(

Still got two months to do more stuff...

ManOfKent

I've done four centuries, which is twice as many as last year, but two of them busted my knees and I'm currently off the bike trying to recover. Still hope to get a few more miles in before the year is out.

Riding abroad for the first time - a week in Mallorca including Puig Major, Soller and Sa Calobra, then two days on French tarmac - was a highlight. So was a very very wet ride in the summer when the roads were underwater and I was soaked to the skin within minutes. No one in their right mind would choose to ride in those conditions but it was incredible fun.

vorsprung

Probably the highlight was doing a 600km on consecutive weekends, the Bryan Chapman 600 followed by the Kernow and SW 600

It was a challenge doing these back to bad. After the second one I felt really fit and ready to rip!

I also rode my own audax event the Avalon Sunrise 400 on the day that it ran as a normal event. Normally I ride it as a test a few weeks before. But this time I went round with all the entrants. The weather was awful! Also I had lots of mechanicals during this event.

Philip Whiteman

Highlight -

1. Organising rather than riding, the Kidderminster Killer. Really pleased with the feedback from the audaxers.
2. Nicest ride, The Shropshire Haffren

Lowpoint -

- DNF on the Three Coasts 600

pdstsp

Great year. Highlights:
1. Four day tour of Dordogne/Lot area of France.
2. Two weeks with family in the Alps - daily rides and fulfilled an ambition in riding the Galibier - what a place!!
3. Riding with herself after she entered a long distance charity event and needed some training miles - meant I could do two long rides each weekend instead of the usual one.
Lowpoint:
Currently down with ITBS and various other knee tendon issues. However physio is confident I won't be off the bike for long so not too bad.

mididoctors

11 day credit card tour in provence and the drome.. took in a lot of the lesser know but more picturesque cols

Brassy

In the end it turned out really well. After getting fitted out on the bike properly and sorting out the achilles problem I went and decided to get out in the mountains which was more definitely required cool the frustration of a bit of a bad start to the year. Booked with the guys at purevelo cycling cos they offered the most flexible routes for me. Loved every minute of it and it made up for everything. Actually looking forward to 2013 now.....

mallorcajeff

all good for me another year here in Mallorca and 9750 miles covered so far. Still loving every minute.

Drumlin

7 weeks of enjoyable cycling still to come before the end of the year

issacforce

was a good year as i treat myself to an isaac meson di2 beautifulllllll

madeinleeds

wet

IGH

A Quiet year for me, relatively. 405 miles in the National 24hr. The usual Super Randonneur Series. A couple of 25s without getting under the hour. Too much other stuff going on.

aspender

Monty Dog wrote:

I spent most weekends from May to July during our wonderful summer solely to practise riding a bike for one lap of a stadium in East London on the 27th July - I was one of the Dove Bikes in the Olympic Opening Ceremony!

Lucky you!

I was one of the fire bikes :-(

KentPuncheur

First full year of cycling, and I completed 21 sportives (as part of a charity fundraising challenge). Completed over 3,000km on the sportives in total. Tough year, took a lot out of me at times but I've got myself 'cycling fit' to start racing in 2013 and to take on some of the tougher UK and European sportives, namely the Fred Whitton being a goal for next year.

In hindsight, really wish I'd written a blog for this year, having completed so many SE based sportives. Some were brilliant events, organsied by some great cycling people/fanatics. Others were disappointing, but the overall feeling I'll remeber from the year and from the sportives I completed is the comradery and friendliness between fellow cyclists.

People will have their own opinions about sportives (and sportive riders) but for me they offer a superb platform to attain some degree of cycling achievement. If you treat them seriously, they can be a good entry into 'serious' cycling and a great personal goal/motivation to train for.

Brian B

I have done the Fred 6 times now and many trips abroad including the Marmotte and due to the amount of miles and training I pack in per week I reckon I do more than most of the club riders at my work. I recently did a sportive with a few work mates who 'race' and they thought they were going to wipe the floor with me when I came in 45mins ahead of them they were saying you should join our club and really egt your fitness up....go figure. :P

jmillen

Only managed to do the Dartmoor Classic, Moor2Sea and Jubilee 60 this year, all down here in Devon, but I'm new to road cycling and loving every minute of it !

Already planning the sportives to do next year and hoping to get in lots of rides before the year is out!

rodgers73

Crammed a lot in this year, so much that I'm struggling to keep up the effort going into winter!

Highlights -

About a dozen sportives including The Fred, Ilkley White Rose Classic, Exmoor Beast, Hell of the Ashdown, Virgin Money Cyclone, Etape Cymru and Tour of the Peak
A week on Gran Canaria climbing some lovely hills
A long weekend in Venice with a day trip to Stelvio (climbed both sides)
240 Miles ride to SW Wales in 24hrs
Way of the Roses (170 miles) in a day
London to Paris
A handful of century rides

Been a great year! :-)

marcusjb

Fairly quiet year really - the big rides were the Mille Alba 1000km in June (wet, windy, hilly) and the Kernow and South West 600km back in May (wet, windy, hilly - hardest damned ride I have ridden so far).

Touring the Picos De Europa on the tandem was an amazing time with some of the most staggering scenery and the best food.

As I consider dusting off the turbo, 2012 must be just about over now - I have a 200km ride next weekend, but then that's it for planned rides.

Roll on 2013 - going to be a big year

3Pears

Fantastic year !

1 week in February, then 2 weeks in March, training in Mallorca.
10 days riding in Gran Caneria (incorporating family holiday, off the scale brilliant).
8 days riding in the Dolomites (2 ascents of Passo Stelvio from Prato side, 48 hairpins) concluding with the Maratona dles Dolomites.
5 days riding in the Alps, Madelienne, Glandon, Croix de la Fer, Telegraph, Galibier and Alp d'Huez x2.

In my 50th year, 2012 is gonna take some beating

garyk72

Bought my first road bike this year (Giant defy Alliance 1) and have love every single minute of riding it. Also convinced two life long mates to get road bikes and now loving competing with them both around the Hampshire countryside! Looking forward to getting out on the bike again tomorrow no matter how wet and windy it is.

Just posted on the forum for the first time too so a great 2012 so far.....

NoMoreShadows

Highlights:

- Hampshire Hilly Hundred: highly enjoyable course & great organisation
- A week in the Alps: July, stunning weather wonderful hills

Lowlights:

- Kentish Killer: I am pretty much in the minority on this. Found the signage, organisation and overall vibe of the event somewhat lacking
- A fall and subsequent busted collar bone which kept me from riding La Marmotte.

crescent

Good year for me. Built my own bike at the start of the year. Did my first proper sportive (Etape Caledonia) and my first 80mile + ride at the same time! Also did a bit of cycling in Mallorca - my best cycling experience to date. Joined a cycling club but then decided it wasn't for me. A few more days spent cycling around Perthshire and rounded off the year by booking a trip to Alpe d'Huez next May - looking forward to it already.