Getting Started

So it’s a new year and I’ve decided that I’ll get back into blogging - it’s been a while since I’ve gotten anything down so I thought I’d give it a go - New Year, New Start and all that.

Anyhow, so as this year I’m looking to do some serious cycling, what better option to write on then?

So this is the start of a new blog that will be focussing on my riding for the year.

With the new year, it also sees the addition of a new bike - however, this isn’t likely to arrive until the end of January thanks to the ordering process.

The end of last year saw me decline in the number of rides that I did, compared to the start - overall I managed 2,500Km last year, up 500Km on the year before (tracked Km’s that is - the actual distance is probably longer, due to commuting to the station and lost GPS files when the Garmin played silly buggers etc).

Distance In Previous Years

The graph (taken from the excellent Veloviewer) shows distance against time on my rides on Strava. The last few months are fairly flat. That’s something I’m looking to change this year.

In addition to getting out and keeping the riding fairly constant, I’m looking at taking one photo (at least) on each ride I do. This is because sometimes I feel I just put my head down and cycle and don’t keep an eye on things around me - there’s some beautiful countryside around where I live and cycle and very often I can just blaze right by it. I’m looking to change that. After all, the view from Box Hill last year was stunning (after I made it to the top) but I couldn’t describe it fully now as I didn’t stop for a photo.

The aim for the year is to match last years distance - 2,500Km in a year. I’m hoping to beat that but that can be a starting point! I doubt that will include my commutes (it doesn’t seem worthwhile as I could probably get to the station before the GPS achieved a GPS lock!) but I’ve a few trips I want to do this year that should see that mileage tick up.

Anyhow, this blog is designed to help me document my cycling this year.

In short:-

  • Ride more

  • Take my photos