So it’s nearly the end of the year and I set myself a goal this year to ride 5000km

A simple target to get to (and I know some do a heck of a lot more, I’m at 4700 so should get there) and when /if I do get 5k I’ll feel like I’ve achieved something I set out to do and may be little proud of myself 😀

But what do people care about?

Miles? Elevation? Number of rides?
Longest ride? Race wins? KOMS?

Just riding and not counting?

Hours riden as distance would be easy if i did all my miles on road compared to the vast majority being off road

A a a MTB distance is not that useful as 15 mile loop over Helvellyn will be pretty demanding where as a 32 mile local loop will be a doddle and quicker

Either way well done

Elevation for me, but I’ve forgotten what my target was.

😳

Currently on 106,300m – so lets assume it was 100,000 shall we?

For me it’s a combination of distance, time and elevation. My primary measure is distance, but for comparative purposes (e.g. year on year) I like to divide elevation totalled by distance covered (to see if the same kms were hillier this year), and avg speed. This year 3 months were na-da due to me recovering from an op – so there’s no way I’ll hit the same distance this year – but am hoping it’ll be faster. (most of my riding is on the road). I like stats.

Number of smiles?

As an ex (?) triathlete, I became slightly obsessive about stats. Every run, swim ride had a purpose and was measured and recorded.

In the end, got to the point where I had forgot the original purpose – to have fun. So now I have gone to the opposite extreme, no stats, not targets, just go for a run, have a swim and get in the MTB and have fun.

Much more fun!!

I only care about race stats. percentage of people beaten for cross as you don’t get times, percentage off winning time for xc (helpfully worked out by the roots and rain website).

Elevation for me (and completing the monthly Strava climbing challenge) 133000m, 436000ft.
I was hoping to make 500000ft but I don’t think I’ll get there now.

Some serious elevation gains there 😯

Elevation. Target was 100km (outer space), passed that in the summer, so now 100 miles (just over 500,000ft), mostly off road.

Depends what you’re doing. My goals are always distance-based, so I focus on distance, average moving speed and average overall speed (because the most effective way to get “faster” over a really long distance is to spend less time stopped). If your goals were speed-based you’d be looking at a different set of data, and if you were working towards a spot of everesting you’d probably be looking at different set again.

Smiles. Or miles (just for impressing non-cycling mates with). I usually set myself a goal of 10,000 miles a year. Never do it, this year I’ve come nowhere near. Maybe next year!

So whats stats are you ‘proud’ of?

100miles into space is pretty ace

So whats stats are you ‘proud’ of?

Some lads followed me in a van for a couple of miles, when the road turned into a dual carriageway, one wound the passenger window down and thanked me for cycling at 40mph and not holding them up. I wanted to say “thanks, I like to keep to the speed limit” but I was struggling to breath.

* can’t believe I’m typing this*

What DTF said….

Smiles/mile.

Depends, this month strata has its 6000m climbing challenge I’ll have that by tomorrow all on the mountain bike. Reckon 10,000 for the month.
Last month there was a 10,000ft peak do I did that.

tomhoward – Member
* can’t believe I’m typing this*

What DTF said….

Smiles/mile.

Ha; exactly; whatever keeps you sane! If that’s getting KOMs on Strava then fair enough; not for me though….

For individual rides distance, average speed, percentage on Strava leaderboard (top 10% is good for me).
Over a month or year I look more at riding time as there will be MTB and road rides in there.
Non cyclists often ask how far I rode at the weekend and to them 50 miles is very impressive where as if I say 20 miles on the MTB it not even though the effort and time will be similar.

So whats stats are you ‘proud’ of?

First time I did Ventoux it was at an ascent rate of over 10″ per second, which I always think sounds more impressive than the sort of thing I’d manage. (And that was on knobby tyres, with bouncy forks and flat pedals.)

Last time I did Ventoux (on a proper road bike) it was nowhere bloody near that 😉

I’ve given up on all speed and ascent rate stats (not that I ever bothered much with them). Still chasing the longest ride I can do in a single hit, though. I think I know roughly what my limit will be, I’ve just got to actually do it. Once I’ve done that, I suspect the only stats I’ll be chasing will be things like the number of cafe stops I can squeeze into a single ride. Which is not necessarily a bad thing.

I can manual across the car park , 80m thereabouts 🙂

I think I (well, two of us) probably still hold the record for the number of crazy golf courses completed in a single trailquest event, set on the Isle of Wight about 10 years ago.

\oo/

But what do people care about?

Me? Non junk miles, a junk mile being one I’m not enjoying.

The more non junk miles the better.

I removed total distance as a goal, since it got to the point where I’d go out on the CX bike on road just for the sake of getting the numbers up. Sure it might be a little bit of extra fitness before pigging out on Stollen and Mince Pies, but I’d rather do 15-20km up a mountain, then 30-50km on the flat just for the sake of numbers.

Might make number of hours a target. I did have “number of peaks/cols to summit” and “number of new rides that I’ve never ridden before” as a target, but they went out of the window by about July. Last year.

Maybe instead of stats, write out a to do list, and the target is to check them off?

I do like to see my stats, but I don’t really have any targets as I just ride to enjoy it. Also the lack of GPS signal in the velodrome (and not being allowed a phone in the races) would annoy me if I was going for a distance! Might have a go at estimating my track mileage too.

Bit over 5000 miles and 200,000ft so far this year, so nowhere near some up there, but I was pleasantly surprised when I saw! I like the 100km edge of space target. I could see myself going for that one year…

Well it also made me check strava
so far
2,163km Ridden
45,429m Climbed

Mostly on the mountain bike and with a good injury lay off, not sure if I’m proud or just happy I got out 113 times so far this year.

I’m hoping to be proud come sunday when a 4 day race finishes.

My biggest goal this year was to top 10 an EWS. That was going to be a challenge in itself as I only entered one, and being Whistler, it was probably the toughest one to try it on. Managed to sneak in 9th place, which was great, even if I should have done better (most ridiculous crash ever).

Smiles and experiences for me, otherwise, do a few races, have some fun.

I had a background goal, which was 6000km and 150000m of climbing but I was t going to beat myself up if I didn’t make it.

Turns out I did, last week. Officially the most miles & climbing I’ve done in a year, which is nice. Might try and crack 7000km by the year end now 🙂

the only stat that matters is how many puncutres you’ve had – FACT!

I only really check cumulative stats for refrence to last year, so more or less km than Nov 2014, other than thats its about me weight, fitness etc.

waist line 🙁

I always aim for a 20mph average on every ride.

Started the year with a goal of averaging 30,000 ft a month over the year off road and currently on 321,000 so still on target. 😀

Only just over 3000 miles though.

The last few years I’ve aimed for 10,000Km, about 500Km to go for this year so should do that. Tends to be a mixture of road, commuting and MTB, there’s about 3000Km of the latter so far this year.

Total ascent is current 136,000 metres – but then I do live in the Pennines 🙄 and can get 1000 metres of ascent done without going more than 5Km from the house!

Nice to have a target but if I was 2000Km from it then I wouldn’t be bothered about not reaching it.

i like to keep my haematocrit under 50

sweet. did manage 1000km for the entire year, which is up on last year.
if I add up all my km on the MTB, road bike, hiking and skiing.

Miles per pub.
But we can never agree whether it should be miles per pint, to allow for half pint and double pint drinkers.

it used to be just getting out once a month.
then it moved to an arbitrary distance total.
then it moved to completion of events – Mountain Mayhem, Fred Whitton, etc
next year it will be achievements in competition e.g. 22 minute 10 mile TT, sub hour 25 mile TT, points in crit racing.
year after that will be distance goals working towards London Edniburgh London.

your stats/goals have to mean something.

We’re 320 days into the year and so far I’ve ridden 204 times.

So I make that an average of riding between 4 or 5 days of the week throughout the year.

So long as I go for more than 5 minutes and then KOM I’m happy.

Hob Nob – Member
My biggest goal this year was to top 10 an EWS. That was going to be a challenge in itself as I only entered one, and being Whistler, it was probably the toughest one to try it on. Managed to sneak in 9th place, which was great, even if I should have done better (most ridiculous crash ever).

That’s rad! You are Nico Vouilloz and ICMFP!

Unless Loic Bruni or Steve Abraham turn up, hob nob may have nabbed it there.

your stats/goals have to mean something.

Yours might, mine don’t have to 🙂