Finger crossed for you Iain!

Now I have a car that doesn’t cost £80 to go 250 miles, I’m planning lots of short UK trips.

I’ll do a week or so in Spain around Feb/Mar to ward off the winter blues, then some 2/3/4 day trips to north Wales, Yorkshire, peak district (cut gate!), lake district, maybe some of scotland too. Basically as much of the best riding in the UK as humanly possible! Camping/AirB&B with the odd guided trip.

Sounds like the SDW is going to get a hammering in 2020 from us lot.😀

Good luck with everyone’s personal journeys into next year. Literally and metaphorically.

Seems as good a place to ask as any, but why is 3-wheeled TTing a thing?

Trikes have a long and venerable history in cycling and racing. They require handling skills that defy conventional bike riding. And errrr because you can#. When racing to age standards, a tricycle gets you an additional 20 year handicap. So I’m racing as a 72 year old. But 260 miles is the target. Managed 231 without really trying (or training) this year.

#259 is the current all time greatest. I’m not going to break any two wheeled records, but discovered by chance I am rather good at 12hr TTs. So I thought “why not?”. Then I bought one. And then I raced it over 12 hrs and found I was still good. So a winter of training at tempo.

Foot-bike (kick-scooter) the streets and pavements by night to fight fatness, gain fitness and build core so I can hopefully get past injury and begin introducing MTBing and touring again in the spring. 4 years of being forced off bikes stuck indoors is doing my head in I’m really going mad as can’t run or even walk far. Imagunakickit back into shape. Then maybe next year finally get to try some bikepacking, planned SW Ireland/Cork-Kerry.

Meanwhile

(wot no pedals?)

Gran Canaria, 31 dec to jan 7. Booked yesterday. 🙂

I’m planning on doing more racing and away day stuff.  So far have 5’big events in the diary and will no doubt enter the smaller local enduros as well.  Hoping to have a couple of pilgrimages up to tweed valley.  I was planning on an alps trip, but had some crap news yesterday which will involve a pretty hefty bill to renew a roof.  So that’s depressingly out the window now.

Thank you @IHN for the reminder about Dunwich Dynamo. I’ve wanted to do that for a couple of years but it’s been on a weekend I have my daughter. 2020’s ride is on a non-daughter weekend so I might actually ride it.

My year is constrained by a big project which I am trying to get dates finalized as soon as possible so I can book something in the gaps. Looking at some 4 day stage races on the MTB, or a longer road bike event, but can’t firm things up until I have dates.

More commuting ,I’ve said I would do a Fred Whitton i.t.t. with a “friend”. So over winter I’ll be doing loads of steep climbs ,slowly. 😉
The “friend” has moved to Massif de Bauges region of France – I’m definitely going cycling there again. I fancy the Dunwich Dynamo too, plus a sdw in a day just to keep my eye in. 🙂

Retiring and moving to Scotland. Lots more walking, climbing, cycling, camping, skiing, ski touring, swimming, rowing, paddling, island hopping, bike fettling, growing stuff, making things in my heated workshop, brewing beer…. and no more spending 3 hours a day stuck in traffic jams.

– as much riding I can do on NZ’s North Island in three weeks
– few days in Northern California, Tahoe etc
– something like the Torino-Nice rally
– and probably the SDW in a day

Ridgeway as it looks great but slightly put off as a lot of it will be road?

Not an unusual ammount, I think the cycling route detours off the footpath but its mostly on quiet lanes and byways, very little of it is on roads where youd expect to see a car.

Does the new offroad section on zwift include a pedalling through mud and sketchy green chalk section?

Summer solstice is on a Saturday next year, so definitely ‘something’ on that day, but I haven’t quite decided what yet! A loose idea of a circular MTB ride starting heading north east then circling slowly around so that I’m chasing the sun in the afternoon.

Other than that, I’ve no idea yet!

Trikes have a long and venerable history in cycling and racing. They require handling skills that defy conventional bike riding. And errrr because you can#. When racing to age standards, a tricycle gets you an additional 20 year handicap. So I’m racing as a 72 year old. But 260 miles is the target. Managed 231 without really trying (or training) this year.

Fair enough! I was wondering if there was some actual advantage to it with the wheels in undisturbed airflow or they allowed for micro naps whilst pedaling in a 24h TT!

Nothing like sticking your neck out now to look daft 12 months down the line…

Learn to ski
3 Peaks in Sub-3:30. I need to find nine minutes.
Lakeland 200 in sub-24. A big ask given previous experience.

Moving to the alps should help with all three.

2019 has not been much of a year for biking for me due to injury and lfe getting in the way – so just to ride more!

I want to get the fatbike up into the mountains – I have hardly ridden it at all

I want to do a tour on the tandem again.

I am gong to keep on with my slide from mideaged uselessness to aging uselessness on the bike 🙂

Primarily roading. Audaxes (audii?) and sportives and stuff leading up to the Etape du Tour in July.

A weekend of eating and drinking in Padstow with family during January in lieu of Christmas presents.
Week in Val d’isere during March visiting my daughter. Don’t ski but hopefully some snow will have started to melt by then so a bit of walking at lower levels, hire a fat bike and generally enjoying the apres ski without the ski bit.
First time at Glastonbury in June!!
Another one looking at SDW with the lads. Few years since last rode it.
Two weeks away with the wife – location tbc. It’s been a while since we have two weeks together so looking forward to that wherever we end up and it’s fun just looking at ideas.
50th birthday in Nov. Trying to decide between a weekend away in a nice house partying with some select friends and family, or try and have a party nearer to home with more people included.
And trying to build my fitness back up after 6 months or so of not really riding or running much and losing my mojo a bit. Starting to get that nagging ‘need to get out on the bike’ feeling again, so that’s a good sign.

I also want to do an audax. Good shout.
Some of the Bristol/wales ones look ace.
(Weather permitting!

Fair enough! I was wondering if there was some actual advantage to it with the wheels in undisturbed airflow or they allowed for micro naps whilst pedaling in a 24h TT!

No they are a lot less aero with two extra wheels out the back. Mine has three HED3’s, and I’d like to get as aero as I can on my TT bike, within reason, then my power (210W) for speed needs to be fast enough to get to 260. It was fine for 280 on two wheels using this testing. As for micronaps – you have to concentrate at every second, because a trike goes with the camber of the road, so if you aren’t steering, you’ll be in a ditch! It’s an acquired taste 😉

Funniest thing is that a few years ago on the 24hr there was a STOP sign on one of the courses with a marshal, and ALL entrants had to stop and put a foot on the ground. The trike riders who did not unclip and put down a foot were originally DQ’d until a protest!

Back on topic, I’m consierdering reginaing my second Cat race license, but that is a huge road racing commitment for me (40 races in 2017 to get it, 3 in 2018 to retain it, but ill in 2019). I’d like to do more off-road riding for fun, and some riding abroad – perhaps Flanders again.

Currently looking a 3 week trip through some of the eastern USA states (Virginias, North Carolina, maybe Kentucky, Tennessee, etc) exploring some of the biking hotspots on the way (Roanoke, Pisgah, Dupont and a few others). Not a part of the states we have ever explored before.

thisisnotaspoon

Subscriber
“Ridgeway as it looks great but slightly put off as a lot of it will be road?”

Not an unusual ammount, I think the cycling route detours off the footpath but its mostly on quiet lanes and byways, very little of it is on roads where youd expect to see a car.

Does the new offroad section on zwift include a pedalling through mud and sketchy green chalk section?

Ah, right, cheers. I can live with that for sure. I like riding forgotten little country lanes.

As for the off road bit on Zwift, not ridden it but I would think nothing can simulate British mud and green chalk.😆

Planned os far are the Indoor and Outdoor Swedish Nationals for skydiving and all the training that this will entail, including a week of jumping somewhere with a big plane. I should hopefully have my C license soon after the start of the season, so I may find . place that does balloon jumps somewhere warm and treat myself (and GF). There’s also a big way camp in Klatovy later in the year, so I might apply for that too.

For bikes, I know I said it this year, but I might try the Cykelvasan. I’m no way fit enough for the full Vätternrund, so going for the shorter, more off-road trip to Mora seems to be a better option. I will make a point of getting my road bike out more though. Poor thing was really un-loved this year.

I’m kind of avoiding making grand plans, for the past couple of years had planned 5 or 6 events, only to end up managing a couple of them, and being a bit disappointed. This year has been similar, despite actually riding very regularly.

Just think our work-life balance doesn’t really lend itself to regular weekends/day trips away as my wife works at least 1 day nearly every weekend, so it feels a bit selfish to take big chunks of time for me.

I will continue to ride lots. Commutes (often extended), some night rides, solo rides on my day off, mostly all under 3 hours local stuff.

Popped my bike-bivvying cherry last year and would like to get another weekend and possibly a couple of just overnighters in next year. Maybe an event like Dirty Reiver (missed the last two) or 3 Peaks CX. And/or a North Wales / Lakes MTB weekend away with mates. But am also considering doing a bit more running this year, toying with the idea of the 3 peaks fell race (possibly doing a 3 peaks fell/CX double this year) and/or building up to a local ultra trail run.

It won’t be all of the above, probably 2 or 3 at most … and at the moment I am dithering and being indecisive!

Oh yes.
Two other targets. One achievable, one probably not so much… I want to clean the Beast and Cut Gate from Langset.

(Both up)

Which one do we think is more achievable?

Cut Gate from Langsett.

Roadtrip in the new camper, 1st month in Ainsa, 2nd month in BSM, back for Ard rock in Aug, Peaks/Lakes either side

Gisburn enduro, Boltby bash, Ardrock are already sorted plus afew trips down to south wales for BPW ect. Plus South lakes bike fest again and whatever away weekends/days I can get in between work/local rides (no kids plus an easy going wife means I get plenty of saddletime if I can be arsed)

Just to ride as much as I can. Not been a great year this one for getting out. Probably plan to take the Van and Bike up to the highlands for a week and hopefully a week in Europe somewhere.

Looking forward to:
Swiss Alps (Graubünden)
Ard Rock
Re-aquainting myself with the breadth of riding in Scotland after waaaay too long
Getting beaten my son, uphill and down
Getting the stuck bolt out of my Hexlock SL (the biggest challenge)

Booking the Huts, car relocation and ferry tomorrow for the ‘Old Ghost Road’ at the end of February. Going to test some kit/bike-packing carriage options on the ‘Moerangi Track’ either next month or early January.

SDW double and Chase the Sun South. The SDW double attempt will be done at whatever time the weather suits so the actual date is fluid. I plan to be ready by the end of May though. Chase the sun is on solstice so if I don’t get the SDW done by the first weekend in June then I will hold until July.

Both 200 mile rides, 1 on MTB and 1 on Road bike.