Reflections

edrobbin

Signing off for a well earned Xmas break, I thought I'd sum up the last 5 months & 1000 miles of my cycling adventures. This developed into a 1000 word monologue, but I binned that & replaced it with a single statement:

Urban cycling is the biggest buzz I've ever had on a bike. Period.

Where previously I liked to get muddy and bounce up and down, now I like to go fast and race taxi's.

I think that sums it up.

smokey_bacon

Well I have to admit to fannying about this year. Been riding loads of different stuff and not focusing after ditiching club riding in Jan. Having said that my reflection would be "you don't know what you got till its gone" after having my bikes nicked two weeks ago and getting an enforced rest period I really cant wait to get back on the road....fancy abit of audaxing for 2016.

The Rookie

Good commuting year for me, 1340miles (business travel wrecks havoc) and according to strava over 2500 miles of all riding.
Aiming to keep my commuting miles up again next year as well.

cruff

Crappy year for me. Will end up just over 9000km when I wanted to do 12000 - mainly due to a serious crash in April and a knee problem that started at the Mallorca 312 and flared up again at L2P24 - eventually leading to six weeks almost completely off the bike. Only now starting to get any sort of form back... just in time for the weather to turn

Moved back down South - at least temporarily - and at least now have a nicer (albeit longer) commute into London (from Woking via SW London) than I did before (from Reigate via Croydon). Miss Lancashire though...

Finally sticking to a training plan through the winter and it seems to be giving me decent results (though that may be a false dawn as I might just be regaining fitness after the layoff). Hoping to race in 2016 - I'll be the fattest, oldest bloke in the bunch but I've been umming and aahing about it for two years now, time to finally do it

Also hoping to do track in Manchester when I move back. Never done it before, so will be fun

bigmat

Terrible year. Lost fitness, form and motivation. Since August it has been pretty much exclusively the plodding commute. Hopefully I can kick start 2016 and get back to where I want to be.

menthel

Bad year for me after a nice enough start. Two broken vertebrae and a brain that doesn't work was not a good May! Still, onwards and upwards in 2016, especially as the bright side was getting a new bike...

rick_chasey

Bad first 7 months.

Quit my job for a new one with a better firm.

I'm a lot less stressed, travelling less, cycling more and faster and the stress doesn't hurt my recovery anymore.

Had a month off in August but weather was patchy unfortunately. Never quite made up for the bad start so missed my target of 5,000km by 200km.

Next year I have 2.5 weeks more holiday, and am planning trips to Mallorca and the Alps with cycling friends I've made this year.

So bad start, good finish.

daniel_b

Set myself a 5000 mile\8000 km target this year, just fancied it really.

Was on target until I went to Spain for 3 weeks, and although was planning to cycle loads (6 of those days were used up with the ferry and driving to and from) didn't manage to hit the monthly target and eroded the miles that I had 'in the bank' and then some.

Managed to catch that all up in the next two months, and then a nasty cold wiped me out for the first two weeks of December - net result being I was up at 4.40 this morning to put 30 miles in.
I forget how many I have to complete (By Jan 5th) but it's a little over 200 I think now.
My issue is that my speed has been reducing since the summer, and this cold has knocked it even more.

Looking forward to ditching the mileage target for next year, and returning to a training program based on power, and getting back into intervals.
Also hoping to build my TT bike up, and actually enter some club TT's!

prawny

Not too bad a year for me, mileage was up on last year before I started full time commuting again at the end of November. Glad to be back on the commute again, looking forward to getting back into the commute, its hard work at the moment and costing a fair bit restocking all the old kit.

Roll on the good weather!

memsley89

I didn't have a yearly target, but strava just asked me what my aim was...
I just set it at 14,000km and I'm on target to get there.

My final commute of 2015 this morning, what a treat!
https://www.instagram.com/p/_oYaSCpAUT/

veronese68

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19766637#p19766637]memsley89[/url] wrote:

My final commute of 2015 this morning, what a treat!
https://www.instagram.com/p/_oYaSCpAUT/

:shock: I don't remember leaving my bike there!
Nice picture.
The overriding memory for this year is that it feels like it's been windy the whole time. Haven't really kept track of my mileage, probably about 3,000 which is not much compared to many on here. Often been a struggle for one reason or another. Must try to get out more next year just for the hell of it.

Snakebite the 2nd

I aim to do 3,000 miles a year.
I always come close but 2014 was the only year I got there.
This year I will be about 100 miles off.

It has been an enjoyable year all in all, most notably were the new bike and the Garmin edge 200.

Next year I would like to get out more on leisure rides.

hopkinb

End of my 2nd year commuting by bike - I've done 5200km or thereabouts since January - I haven't synced my Garmin in a week. Virtually all commuting km, virtually all on CS7 or parts thereof, and with 6 weeks off the bike over summer. Next year I would like to do some longer rides to make a change from the sprinting between traffic lights, filtering, swearing at pedestrians/taxis/buses/left hookers/right hookers/junction creepers. Also to put some knobbly tyres on the new Pickenflick and mess about off road.

Despite the occasional drenching, or the more frequent grind into a 25 mph south-westerly on my way home, or even the wipeout on a wet manhole cover, I wouldn't willingly get back on public transport.

y33stu

I set myself a 7000 mile target this year after doing 6500ish last year. As of this morning I'm 35 miles short of that. So I'm in the position of being able to do exactly 7000 miles, which will be nice.

That's come from 202 commutes out of a possible 228 days, excluding weekends, holidays etc... Travel scuppered the other 20 odd. Then a fair few weekend rides, which are getting harder as my back is getting worse after a slipped disc last year.

Next year, I don't give a monkeys what mileage I do. I'll still commute, but I'm not setting any targets, I don't want that hanging over my head all year. My main aim is to just enjoy riding again, free from back pain. And do a couple of overseas sportives in Belgium/France if I can.

GiantDance

Not been a bad year, some good mileage nearing 5000 miles with 9 days to go. Pleased with my progress in terms of getting faster and fitter. Commuting by bike what ever the weather has improved my moods and lowered my stress and also saved me money which is a bonus. Away travelling for a year next year so won't get much mileage in, so it all starts again in 2017.

jzed

2015 has been a bad year on the bike. January was a write off. Slipped a disc in February. Cycling got back on track culminating in 24 hour solo Loughton-London-Paris Solo in biblical storms. Commuting and CS2 deteriorated with more and more near misses (thanks Boris). September brought a couple of damaged vertebrae, a knackered shoulder and 3 months of physio. First two rides back brought two off's as an old chain snapped and the replacement slipped. Broken hand and cracked elbow sees out the remainder of the year.

2016 will be an epic battle to regain my lost power, shed the weight, and see if I can make a better stab at La Marmotte than last time.

Snakebite the 2nd

Bloody hell, it's a bit depressing looking through that lot!

Hope you all have a better 2016 guys......

imatfaal

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19766765#p19766765]JZed[/url] wrote:

2015 has been a bad year on the bike. January was a write off. Slipped a disc in February. Cycling got back on track culminating in 24 hour solo Loughton-London-Paris Solo in biblical storms. Commuting and CS2 deteriorated with more and more near misses (thanks Boris). September brought a couple of damaged vertebrae, a knackered shoulder and 3 months of physio. First two rides back brought two off's as an old chain snapped and the replacement slipped. Broken hand and cracked elbow sees out the remainder of the year.

2016 will be an epic battle to regain my lost power, shed the weight, and see if I can make a better stab at La Marmotte than last time.

Jeez that's enough accidents for a decade or two let alone a year. I have been checking my strava flybys this last month as my temporary extended commute goes through woodford/ b.hill to epping and I notice your moniker on some of the top tens/koms. From those figures I know it would you be "flying by". here is hoping for an accident free 2016

After getting back on the bike in late Feb I have managed my 8000km commuting - been a nice year apart from damn roadworks

wandsworth

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19766184#p19766184]edrobbin[/url] wrote:

Signing off for a well earned Xmas break, I thought I'd sum up the last 5 months & 1000 miles of my cycling adventures. This developed into a 1000 word monologue, but I binned that & replaced it with a single statement:

Urban cycling is the biggest buzz I've ever had on a bike. Period.

Where previously I liked to get muddy and bounce up and down, now I like to go fast and race taxi's.

I think that sums it up.

Funny, after over 5000 miles of road cycling this year, including commuting, I just discovered the fun of getting muddy on a CX bike!

nicube

Well this was my first year owning a couple of real road bikes having really got the bug not just commuting. Despite a busy year allowing for issues that prevent the commute or proper runs out I'm just shy of 4000km which I'll have complete before the new year and I'm happy with that, fitness has vastly improved.

Hoping to plan better for 2016 and aim at 6000k, joined the local club too so looking forward to some group runs and some structured training

pastryboy

Should hit 6000 miles for the year, about 2/3 of that commuting.

3 crashes of note - one resulting in a fair bit of blood and a trip to A&E and another resulting in a smashed helmet.

t4tomo

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19766243#p19766243]zebulebu[/url] wrote:

Moved back down South - at least temporarily - and at least now have a nicer (albeit longer) commute into London (from Woking via SW London) than I did before (from Reigate via Croydon). Miss Lancashire though...

Apparently a fine looking lass and can crack walnuts between her buttocks...

vimfuego

Did 10,000 miles this year. Good chunk of that commuting, but the year was built around an End to End (Deloitte Rode Across Britain - brilliant event & worth every penny if like me you can't be arsed to organise it yourself and just want to enjoy riding) so lots of additional training miles with that in mind. On the plus side, it's menat I've developed some new (longer) training routes, ridden in new places and done my first Audax. On the down side, I've neglected my MTB this year. I can see 2016 involving more XC riding :-)

Happy Holidays people. Here's to a good 2016!

warreng

Was heading for 6,000 miles after a slow start - I had a football injury in January that kept me off all bikes until March. Got a good head of steam up doing about 200 miles a week until October when it all went a bit tits up. Got caught up in floods in France where I nearly drowned and then had a pulmonary embolism in November. A mixed bag really.

I've just got the ok to get back into it so I'm aiming for 5,000 for 2016 and no near death experiences

adam0bmx0

Well, after a crap 2014 due to a knee injury at the start in Jan, I only did 2500km. This year however, got my knee sorted and have put in 6400km.

None of that is commuting miles, as work was only 3km away. (E&C to Westminster)

However, I've now emigrated to Brisbane, coming over in Sep so a large chunk has been over here as its summer!!

Ive also picked up a MTB as that was my first foray into bikes so nice to mix it up.

So yea, overall, a great year cycling for me. Although did get hit by a car near Oval, luckily no damage to me or the bike, so carried on to do my 3 laps of RP.

dyrlac

11,688.1 km as of this morning, of which 6,290 km on fixed gear. For once no injuries (touch wood), and barring holidays and a couple of weeks of superflu in September, no real gaps in intensity. Highlights include the Ronde Van Vlaanderen, a 258km day out, ride london, adding 40 watts to FTP, becoming a marginally competent mechanic, and taking the train fewer than 10 times all year. Lowlights include the relentless southwesterlies we've had all year long, a couple of comedy clipless moments and a self-inflicted crash on the Dolan, adding to my collection of knuckle scars.

Weighing up whether it is worth the wrath of the missus to squeeze in 321.9 km in the next 7 days, or if I ostentatiously miss 12,000 km, thereby banking relationship credit for 2016. :P

Next year already features Mt. Ventoux, the Tour of Cambridgshire and maybe a triathlon. Looking forward to getting a TT bike and adding power meters to the rest of the fleet.

Happy Christmas all!

rower63

8,408 miles / 13,528 km for me, including my first 100 miler during which my Garmin froze and missed recording a crucial mile and only posting 99. Might squeeze in an extra few before new year.

ugo.santalucia

Around 7000 miles, mostly commuting

prhymeate

I didn't set a target and don't commute as I work from home, but I did try to get more cycling under my belt in the last 6 months of the year. I went from 2300 in the first 6 to 3300 in the second, so I'm pretty please with that on reflection.

msmancunia

Bit of a mixed year for me really. Slow start as I was doing a transcription job for a journo friend who was writing a book that took up a lot of free time (Living on the Volcano by Michael Calvin if you're interested in what football managers think about). Then we had a really crappy cold spring, so I didn't do much. Redeemed myself over the summer with RideLondon on the Sunday, followed by six Alpine Cols later that week. The Alps trip made me realise that I really needed to shift some weight, so dumped the riding for a while, in favour of power walking and some running, as it's always worked better than anything else. Lost a stone in about six weeks, but curtailed by coming down to London for a friend's birthday, stupidly putting vanity before practicality and wearing high heels, and fell down a full flight of stairs at Coco Moco on Marlebone High Street. This resulted in a badly torn anterior talofibular ligament, two weeks on crutches, a load of physio and no riding or long walks until the end of January.

On the plus side, I didn't have to do any christmas shopping as I couldn't get out, so everyone got money or gift cards, I can use the time to put a big dent in my new transcription gig (footballer autobiog), and it's really made me realise how much I miss my bike, so a cycling holiday to Cuba has been booked for later in the year.

Wheelspinner

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19768320#p19768320]msmancunia[/url] wrote:

Bit of a mixed year for me really. Slow start as I was doing a transcription job for a journo friend who was writing a book that took up a lot of free time (Living on the Volcano by Michael Calvin if you're interested in what football managers think about). Then we had a really crappy cold spring, so I didn't do much. Redeemed myself over the summer with RideLondon on the Sunday, followed by six Alpine Cols later that week. The Alps trip made me realise that I really needed to shift some weight, so dumped the riding for a while, in favour of power walking and some running, as it's always worked better than anything else. Lost a stone in about six weeks, but curtailed by coming down to London for a friend's birthday, stupidly putting vanity before practicality and wearing high heels, and fell down a full flight of stairs at Coco Moco on Marlebone High Street. This resulted in a badly torn anterior talofibular ligament, two weeks on crutches, a load of physio and no riding or long walks until the end of January.

On the plus side, I didn't have to do any christmas shopping as I couldn't get out, so everyone got money or gift cards, I can use the time to put a big dent in my new transcription gig (footballer autobiog), and it's really made me realise how much I miss my bike, so a cycling holiday to Cuba has been booked for later in the year.

Wondered where you'd been MsManc! That sounds dreadful, mate has done almost the same injury falling down his stairs to the garden... and it's put a dent in his Xmas holiday plans big time..

Get well soon!