In January 2011 Bianca joined our family.
Unusually for a Cycle2Work scheme bike, I actually intended to use Bianca to commute.
I hadn't set any targets (save for doing sensible training and then making it to Paris in July). I wanted to challenge myself to actually cycle as much as possible. I think I thought 4 days a week might be possible. It was. But not every week. And I wanted to cycle even on days when I knew that it would be raining on one but not both of my rides. I've been good at sticking to that rule for the most part.
So this what the year looked like:
and here's the breakdown:
A few other vital statistics - I cycled to work 127 times in 2012. That's a fair go of it - about 55% of the working days in the year. More if you take out days when I was in London and couldn't cycle. A good year's work, I think.
So what have I learned about me and about cycling this year:
I undoubtedly have a compulsive personality. I knew this already, but cycling has rammed it home fair and square. It's amazing how geeky cycling can be and HOW.MUCH.STUFF. there is to buy... and it's always about upgrades too. On everything. Down even to the bar ends on your handlebars.
Don't buy the cheapest thing. You'll only want to (or probably have to) upgrade. Save the time and effort and buy quality.
Do a challenge on your bike. Do the MacMillan Challenge. I'm not really the challengy type, but my trip to Paris over 500km in 4 days with 2 friends and 93 strangers was amazing. An incredible experience. We raised over £1/4m between us and will be helping the lives of those that suffer from cancer and their families for a good while with that. If you're truly amazing you could try a challenge like a recent hero of mine, James Golding and Cycle Across America after being early dead in a hospital bed only a few years ago.
Cycle in Northern France. The roads have NO TREES and there are brutal headwinds, but the road surface quality is excellent and the drivers over there are so friendly and generous. What people say about cycling in France is true. Recommended.
Visit Theipval. Even if not on a bike, do it anyway. Arresting place as a permanent memorial to those Allied troops that died in the Somme in the First World War.
Get some decent commuting tyres if you're going to ride on South Buckinghamshire/Berkshire roads. They are AWFUL and you'll avoid spending time dealing with loads of punctures... I've had none since I switched to Schwalbe Marathon Plus.
If you get hit by a white van and there are 75 plus witnesses (because it's one KM into a 500KM cycle to Paris!) then take notes and details and follow up. I got £150 in expenses from the douche that hit me and that covered a new helmet and the retruing of my wheels. A colleague got several thousand, but he was lucky not to be more injured than he was.
It's fun to set yourself goals and compete against yourself. If you can't afford a fancy Garmin, you can get by with Runkeeper or better Cyclemeter. I've loved racing against myself on my commutes this year and long may that continue.
Cycling is fun on your own. You get to see things you miss when you're driving (particularly how bad everyone is at driving!). But it's much more fun with friends. Be it in a big group, a medium group or just a few of you...
Get the kids involved. Recommend Isla Bikes. Jasper loves his and the resale value means they are basically an investment rather than a cost.
And so my personal challenges for 2012:
I'd like to do another challenge. I've got my eyes on another roll to Paris, but this time with a bigger group focussed more on the cycling than the challenge. Hopefully, I will be able to do this for the awesome charity UK Youth who work with O2's Think Big initiative promoting young people.
I should try and get past the 5,000km mark.
I'd like to cycle more with friends. My best mate has just bought himself a ridiculous carbon road bike and so I am hoping we can meet up and do some miles together. Not least because we don't see much of each other these days and it'd be lovely to catch up.
I want to keep enjoying it and keep using it to actually do some exercise in a lifestyle that allows no additional time to do anything. If you thins you could commute to work by bike, I'd really recommend it.
So in summary, nearly 5,000KM later, 2011 has been a great year for discovering a new passion. Long may it continue. Shout if you fancy a ride some time...
