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No cycling resolutions? 10 to consider
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No. 5 - Try a Brevet
New Year’s resolutions are generally not very effective, especially the ones that actually start on New Year’s Day. The excitement of changing your life on a momentous day wears thin very quickly. Better to start a new pattern a few days or weeks after the magic of the first day of the year wears off. If you are struggling to come up with a resolution, possibly because you’re already perfect, here are a few to consider.
10. If you’re not already a bicyclist, become one. Bicycling is the greatest sport, recreational activity, and stress reliever I can think of. It gets you outdoors, it gets your heart racing and it provides ample opportunity to see the world in a very intimate way. Riding a stationary or spinning bike everyday at the gym does NOT qualify you as a bicyclist. Any activity that involves you pedaling a bike of any kind on the streets or paths of the real world is what we’re after here.
9. Join a club. Clubs add additional spice to the bicycling lifestyle. Use them for socializing, training or both. The two biggest in the metro area are the Denver Bicycle Touring Club and the Rocky Mountain Cycling Club.
8. Tour by bicycle. I’m not talking about a catered affair like Ride the Rockies or the MS-150, but rather throwing some gear on a bicycle and spending two or more days on the road on your own, or with a few friends. My wife and I occasionally take a 2 or 3 day trip to Estes Park on our tandem. My resolution for 2009 is to go on a self-supported tour of 3 or more days. To be clear, I think the MS-150 is a wonderful cause and I applaud anyone who participates. But self-supported touring is a much different game that offers a different level of fun and satisfaction.
7. Get a coach. I’ve never tried this but I’m tempted. I’m probably delusional, but I think I know the basic elements of a good training program. The thing I think a coach would do for me, though, is add a level of discipline and commitment that I’m missing now. It’s too easy on a cold or rainy day to think of some other way to get my cycling time in rather than gut out the intervals or recovery ride that I probably should be doing.
6. Go to France and watch the Tour. If you’ve never been, this might be one of the most exciting years to take in what is an incredible spectacle. With Lance coming back and a start in Monaco, the first week will be fascinating. But the race will probably be decided on Mt. Ventoux the day before the finale and watching the race enter Paris on the last day will give you goose-bumps. No matter when you go, the combination of bike racing, France and great food and wine is hard to beat.
5. Try a Brevet. These rides are longer than you may be used to (200K, 300K, 400K and 600K), but if you’ve ever done a century you’re certainly capable of finishing a 200K. Check here for info on this year’s series.
4. Join Bicycle Colorado. A strong, broadly-based advocacy group is in the best interests of every cyclist, from the most casual to the most serious.
3. Try commuting by bike. Resolve to ride to work once a week, or once a month, or, at the very least, on Bike to Work Day. It may seem daunting in many ways, but you will feel a great deal of satisfaction when you actually give this a try. Hard core commuters may look down on those of us who can only make this effort on occasion, but it’s better to do it a few times than not at all, and it will make you feel virtuous, at least on the days when you ride.
2. Drink a Shandy. This one’s a giveaway. If you can’t handle this resolution, then there’s no point in making any others. Better yet, resolve to ride to a bar that offers Shandys and have one there. You will feel almost as righteous doing this as you do by keeping resolution number 3 (above).
1. Use a mirror. By far the single most useful piece of safety equipment available today. If you try it for a few rides, you’ll never ride without one again.
If you think I missed some obvious resolutions, please send your suggestions to denvercyclingexaminer@ironmuscle.com .
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