2019 was an odd year, bicycle wise.

The thing that makes it hard to pin down is the fact that while I didn’t ride nearly as many miles as I had hoped and I didn’t ride nearly as often as I would have liked, some of the rides I did get were top-notch. 

I rode in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington and experienced some seriously beautiful new territory. I rode gravel worlds in Nebraska and learned some valuable lessons while enjoying super crispy gravel. My wife, Kate and I had some great bicycle adventures together as well.

I also finished my Hilibike build, acquired a dandy Vintage Trek Road bike that I am beyond excited about riding in 2020, and collected a good pile of new/old parts for a Spacehorse rebuild. 

So, 2019 was good.

Looking towards 2020, I have a few goals.

Finishing Gravel Worlds in 12 hours, getting in one 50-75 mile ride every week starting in June, and a lot more riding with friends. 

I want to ride more miles. At least 6,000. I intend to work hard on that. I’m going to start working on my fitness now by cross-training and riding a trainer inside, in order to be ready for long days in the saddle when the weather agrees to it. 

I’m going to focus on proper nutrition and rest. This has always been one of my major weaknesses. I recently started eating a mostly vegetarian diet, unless it would be rude to my hosts or there happens to be free food etc. I’m not super strict about it, but I have been enjoying the change and the requirement to be “intentional” about my eating. 

I am excited about 2020. This year will be a springboard for the long-distance riding that I want to do so badly. I think I will be content with keeping my longest ride at 150 miles this year. But only if I am clearly looking forward to 200 and beyond in the coming years. 

Aside from these exercise-related goals, I would also like to go on more coffee rides and ice cream rides and library rides. I did not ride to the grocery store that frequently in 2019. One of the things about cycling that I really appreciate is how it makes all the small things that I need to get done throughout the week, more fun. Yes, it takes a little bit longer to ride a bicycle to the hardware store than it would to drive there. However, convenience is not all that it is cracked up to be.

So, Happy 2020! Let’s ride bicycles!

– Sam

Top Photo by Ron Orman.