Hi all, didn't see a Happy New Year thread - I guess you're all out bivvying in the hills somewhere

What are your plans for this year? Interesting events/rides/adventures, resolutions, targets etc?

For the first year in ages I seem to have zero goals this year (and I'm not sure I like it!).
However I do have a sparkly new road bike that's a bit special, so will be doing some quality rides on that, plus there's a club ride in the Alps in August to do the Tour des Stations.
I want to do a tour of Normandy to see a lot of the WW2 sights, but haven't planned that, and also want to do a Wales coast to coast to coast (cambrian trail south, then a slightly different route back).

Plus work on all over fitness....

What are your plans?

An event a month

Winter event
Winter Jenn Ride
Dales Divide if I get in
April tbc
Valerio's Tor of the peak
Etc

As ever, no ride plans. Maybe I should book something in as a goal/motivation.

Will be doing another year of map colouring, got a custom OS map this year to spread myself around a bit more.

Going to the TT in May/June, promised I’d go every year but always left it too late. Can’t wait

Mrs Voodoo is keen on doing a trail race this year, so I might do one with her too

HNY
Welsh Ride thing, NYM 300, Something in the Highlands - My argyll 500 or a short Highland Trail, something in the Yorkshire Dales, Bivvy and month and mebbes a BB200.
And hopefully lots of snow stuff this winter.

HNY.
As ever get some weight off. I've snuck back up again ... not happy.
Ride 2024 miles. This was a great target in 2023 ( I did 2040 in the end, 2023 wasn't a good year for weather) about 40 miles a week which for me in south Shropshire is a perfect baseline.
Start my stretching regimen again.
WRT
Wimbledon avoidance 4 dayer. Probably train to Fishguard again then ride south and collect as many BCQ points as I can, probably back to Llandovery.
Generally knock off a few more BCQ's
Maybe buy a motorhome.
Get out with the RSF Welsh Borders group more.

More regular 2 night trips from my door into Wales would be good, around the Brecons and Black Mountains.
Riding to Eurobike again if I can swing it as a work product test trip (it would be, honest). The new venue is in Frankfurt which isn't as nice as Friedrichshafen as a destination but the ride along the France-Belgium border area and through the Vosges appeals.
Ride to the Alps in the summer, or maybe a ferry and Spain / Pyrenees.
I wanted to do the Bryan Chapman route as a from-the-door permanent/solo in 2023 but a discomfort issue was still nagging at me last year and taking my riding ambitions down a notch. Maybe this year as Eurobike ride prep.
Any recommendations for 300 and 400 audax routes in Wales, ideally that start near the Severn bridge or in the S Wales area, are welcome. I rode the 4 Across (LWL) route when I lived in the SE and enjoyed that (well, apart from returning to the SE )
Happy new year and happy planning

jameso wrote: ↑Tue Jan 02, 2024 9:32 am More regular 2 night trips from my door into Wales would be good, around the Brecons and Black Mountains.

Must start doing this again too, used to do it regularly but it has tailed off as I have tended to drive further to ride.

Any recommendations for 300 and 400 audax routes in Wales, ideally that start near the Severn bridge or in the S Wales area, are welcome.

Message Verena. She has been getting into audax and is based S.Wales. Or maybe Matt Page!

jameso wrote: ↑Tue Jan 02, 2024 9:32 am Any recommendations for 300 and 400 audax routes in Wales, ideally that start near the Severn bridge or in the S Wales area, are welcome.

Brevet Cymru 400 is the classic Bridge to Coast and back route, little changed in the last 15-20 years. Maybe freestyle the A40 return as it's designed to be late night nav and wouldn't be very pleasant if you split it into two day rides. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/4572228

Also check out Mark Rigby's events (Black Sheep) from the Tewkesbury area for good route ideas; he ran the Chapman for a decade or more during it's R4pha-renaissance period.

Going to be a tough one for me, this last 18/24 months have been incredibly tough, this year is learning to work with the new me, I am fighting a limited mobility, no fitness, a brain that does not always want to work and depression. I am essentially working from absolute zero fitness wise, with the goal of my first over night bivvy this spring and the possibility of a longer two day ride in Autumn. right now I am working on the 10 miles a week goal and increasing each week as it gets easier and doing body weight exercises to return strength to my damaged right hand side. Other goals, I want to take a photo a day (already missed yesterday) and read a book a month.

Not many solid plans for 2024; lost my mojo for riding for a couple of months after Paris-Brest 1200k audax in August. Found it again in Scotland in November and I think I'm going to try and continue with some more new-area exploration stuff. Whether that means road or offroad dunno.

I have some half plans for WRT with my 11yr old, a long weekend roughing it across France based on four TdF stages, and extending some work trips to add some riding (mainly in the Highlands). I'm also after an FIA-approved rollbar for my car so I can do some track days, which is a great way to Brewster's Millions my savings.

Will make it up as I go along as usual.

Sorry to read that Loki. Could you get out on foot with bivi kit? I've been thinking of doing a hiker bivi recently, should have added it to the list here. Since we all have the gear I wonder how often many of us get out on foot rather than the bike.

Thanks Dyffers and Psling. Mark Rigby is someone I know of, my first and only 600 so far was the TINAT (stands for Trial by Fire I think!) and I met him briefly there. Hadn't realised he was fairly local though.

No real plans.
Need to work on fitness, so try to get out more. Having moved to a dull west lothian town my zest for life has dropped off considerably.

Thinking of quitting work in April. Took a contracting gig that has been extended and extended - it will be 3 years come April.
Get the summer off, do travelling - bikes, motorbike, tenting, campervan - combination of those.

Was in France, Spain and Portugal this year - keen to get back and explore more, with the rough idea of moving out to Northern Spain in 2025 once I get my Irish passport sorted.

Happy new year to you from down below, Mr Large....and to all the 'Boners : )

Planned events...
- Tasmania in Feb. for RB Hardline and a TISM gig
- UK in May for Friends of Cardiacs gig and take my brother out cavorting in the rain for a few weeks around the old haunts as he needs to find his inner tramp ; )
- Kat home to Oz for June or July

Starting with a new team at werk this year...hopefully the pace backs off a touch...it's killing me quicker than I'd like. More priority needs to be put on sneaky bivvies. Life won't wait for me.

Greetz

S : )

jameso wrote: ↑Tue Jan 02, 2024 11:14 am Sorry to read that Loki. Could you get out on foot with bivi kit? I've been thinking of doing a hiker bivi recently, should have added it to the list here.

I wish that was the case, walking is the problem I have, being on a bike is actually easier for me, I have learned that you don't recover from a brain tumour, you learn to live with a new version of yourself, I doubt I will be able to bang out a century in a day again with ease but I will be able to enjoy what I do, just a case of getting bast the hard stages at the beginning of the journey.

Loki wrote: ↑Tue Jan 02, 2024 12:13 pm

jameso wrote: ↑Tue Jan 02, 2024 11:14 am Sorry to read that Loki. Could you get out on foot with bivi kit? I've been thinking of doing a hiker bivi recently, should have added it to the list here.

I wish that was the case, walking is the problem I have, being on a bike is actually easier for me, I have learned that you don't recover from a brain tumour, you learn to live with a new version of yourself, I doubt I will be able to bang out a century in a day again with ease but I will be able to enjoy what I do, just a case of getting bast the hard stages at the beginning of the journey.

No idea if there's anything we or I can do to help, but my son is nearly 10 years into various chemotherapy treatments for a brain tumor with spinal metastasis. We've managed to do a lot of travelling, so could at very least advise on travel insurance! And get out when we can on a MTB tandem...

currently laid up with a virus....... but got some plans

Fat Viking in Norway in 2 weeks time. cant bloody wait.
winter Jennride in feb, if Norway goes well.
and plans to ride some Audax events with my good lady.
and probably a Belgium-Holland tour in summer, because i just love the places.

My personal targets for the year (depending on the next MRI scan results, see above!) are to do something active - 5km+ run, 10km+ on the bike, climbing, yoga, weights etc - every day.

And a Bob Graham in June, followed by bb200 or 300 in the autumn.

PaulE wrote: ↑Tue Jan 02, 2024 1:05 pm And a Bob Graham in June

Ace! It's probably 5 years since my BG and it's still the best day Ive ever had.

I proposed to my good lady on the steps of the Moot Hall after running leg 5 together. Thankfully she said yes, although she had provided all the road support as well as running the final leg, so was probably incapable of making rational decisions.

Johnallan wrote: ↑Tue Jan 02, 2024 7:41 pm

PaulE wrote: ↑Tue Jan 02, 2024 1:05 pm And a Bob Graham in June

Ace! It's probably 5 years since my BG and it's still the best day Ive ever had.

I proposed to my good lady on the steps of the Moot Hall after running leg 5 together. Thankfully she said yes, although she had provided all the road support as well as running the final leg, so was probably incapable of making rational decisions.

It's <crikey> nineteen years in May </crikey> since mine Definitely a red letter day. I'd already married my road support crew

No definite plans for this year but the aforementioned road support is talking about a summer Scandinavian trip.

Going to be a tough one for me, this last 18/24 months have been incredibly tough, this year is learning to work with the new me, I am fighting a limited mobility, no fitness, a brain that does not always want to work and depression. I am essentially working from absolute zero fitness wise, with the goal of my first over night bivvy this spring and the possibility of a longer two day ride in Autumn. right now I am working on the 10 miles a week goal and increasing each week as it gets easier and doing body weight exercises to return strength to my damaged right hand side. Other goals, I want to take a photo a day (already missed yesterday) and read a book a month.

Good luck. It'll be tough without doubt but it sounds like you've got a good positive handle on things and some realistic goals ... it'll all come good

I’m going to cox my ladies rowing crew to a win at the world gig rowing champs then do a big ride in Spain with Dunc.

I am not going to get injured and will ride more mtb miles and less road ones.
I would like to.do 500,000 ft (150, 000 m)of climbing ( was 45 000 ft off this year .so attainable.

I've always wanted to get a good Eddington score and each year seem to have too many targets. This year I've enrolled on the BAM but mainly it's reaching that Eddington score.

Plan is to ensure each ride is at least 100km. If I do 63 of them it'll mean I achieve an Eddington score of 63 (63 rides of 63 miles minimal each). Also has the added benefit of getting to 3950 miles without much thinking.

Other than that, an mtb Everesting; BB200; Raph^500 in a one-er [but I call it Ride 313 in honour of the most special companions of our Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu-alayhi-wasallaam); and at least a 200km per month night ride.

Lazarus wrote: ↑Tue Jan 02, 2024 9:27 pm I am not going to get injured and will ride more mtb miles and less road ones.
I would like to.do 500,000 ft (150, 000 m)of climbing ( was 45 000 ft off this year .so attainable.

105, 000ft this year. That fantastic John

Winter Event- head for a bothy
WRT- take on Stuarts route for the event, thoroughly enjoyed his route last year, not easy but so many memories
BAM- complete my third year, indulge in more proper mileage and wild scenery, involve a lime kiln, use a fold up while on hols down south, enjoy a BAM with Kev (hope to see him Saturday to discuss)
Trans Cambrian Way over 3 days with me ol mucker Dave
MTB- get back to hitting my local trails again