Thread Title...How's your riding year been...?

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
Quite good - apart from some knee problem, thank you User.
150 per week base commuting...then the extra bits and bobs on a Saturday and Sunday.
Manc. to Blackpool - a few of us drinking in a 'pub garden' made out of paving stones and engaging a young lady in conversation who was happy to relate the tale of her ASBO to genteel folk...
Riding to Cardiff from London just in time to do a FNR to Swansea was fun (then climbing the mini mountain at The Mumbles to get to the bar before imbibing all the way back to London in the company of unsuspecting Welsh folk, then riding out of town!)
Following a route around London, devised primarily by topcat Dave, that was built in honour of the visit of "threefingerjoe" of this forum. Joe (who has a full set on each hand btw) is a CC member from St Louis Missouri - the Sunday mob, particularly Dave, did him proud, and I learned a lot about London via User10571, Simon Andrij etc - and got an ice cream! :hungry:
Riding London to Paris and then sitting quietly in a bar on the Champs Elysees with Frank and Titus, while watching a blur whizz past a few times...AKA the sprint finish of the Tour de France - and then doing a quick cobbly tour of Paris on the Monday. Panniers - ugh!
Blasting to Harwich, and then blasting back - into the Mother of all headwinds - a 202 mile jaunt, some of the return in the company of a tasty bunch of riders which made it exceptional testing and exhilarating.
Leicester to London with Flying Dodo as pilot...another of Adam's Amazing Adventures! And there was one to Kent and the Spitfire Memorial...
Commercial vehicle ride to Brighton from London - that was good fun.
And who could forget the Republican Ride to Hastings, in the company of Adrian and a merry band. Olaf and I, on our return, sitting in a Mayfair pub, supping with the flash hoipolloi - London was happy and bursting with life that day!
wvqzgl.jpg

Spending time with nice people, and also being of some help at times - that's always a nice reward.

Addendum: A nice tap-in to Stonehenge from London - Wootton Bassett - London etc for H4H under the command of Private MartinT235, featuring a superb video by Andy Allsopp,(scroll down to post #159) Cool Hand Luke just rolled along and DavyWalnuts added the bodily function sound effects for the 250 miles!

Regrets:
Too much call for work on Saturday / Sunday - but hey! who else is going to pay me? :santa:
 

NormanD

Lunatic Asylum Escapee
GOOD
Had a few good outings this year, but not covered anywhere the milage I wanted too
BAD
Injury niggles and illness has forced me to curtail a lot of miles this year
OVERALL
Poor year for cycling
 

threebikesmcginty

Corn Fed Hick...
Location
...on the slake
Simon keeps arranging FNRttCs when I can't make them, only managed the Cardiff run this year, wish he'd have a word with the full moon and see if we can't sort something out. Anyway finished weekend lectures now so hopefully that might free up the odd Saturday. Chiltern need to bring back the £5 specials too - flippin' expensive at the mo.

Commuting's been ok, as and when. Sunday run with mates has been great this year, some really good rides.

Regrets: I've had a few, but then again too few to mention.
 

rich p

ridiculous old lush
Location
Brighton
Recovery from the new hip op has been mixed but I've managed a 150 miler to Swansea, a laddish 5 day trip to the Pyrenees and a 2 week gentle tour of the Romantische Strasse in Germany.

All things considered, pretty good.
 

ianrauk

Tattooed Beat Messiah
Location
Rides Ti2
My riding has been very good for 2011.

I will complete my 10,000 mile target with some extra. Which considering my original target was only 8,000 miles the boy has done good. I changed to a 4 day working week to look after Ian Jnr but still managed an average of 140 mile commute week. Friday's gave me a chance to put Ian Jnr in his bike trailer and go visit the many local parks and to blag tea, chat and squat in the garden of the lovely family Arallsop.

I set my self a couple of other challenges. One was to cycle a century a month throughout 2011. I managed that with the help of 2 marvelous great friends I met from this site HaloJ & MartinT235, I couldn't have done it without those guys. We set up the 100 miles for food rides for the challenge and they turned out to be a fantastic success.
And to be repeated 2012.
The other challenge was to crack a maiden 200 miler.

I am also pleased with the continued Sunday Morning London Ride. What started out as a training ride for Mista Preston has turned into a regular, jolly fun meet for Cycle Chat peeps. Sometimes we have had a couple of riders, sometimes we have had over 20. A fantastic way for CC'er to meet CC'ers, cycling, chat, coffee & cake. and long may it continue.

I managed 7 FNRttC'S for 2011 which funnily enough is the same amount as 2011. I also set up for myself the SMRbtH (Saturday morning ride back to home), and managed to drag a few people on this and couldn't have done this without the company of such great CC friends. I'm not one for cycling solo.

My Favorite ride of the year. It was the Harwich FNRttC and back. It was a speedy, leg burner of a ride, with a boat ride thrown in. The return was tough work, very tough. It was the toughest ride I have ever done due to the FNRttC and a SMRbtH of what I thought would be 200 miles, with half of them into a raging headwind. But when you are in the company of great cyclists such as ZigZag (Rimas), MartinT235 & Aperitif (Martin), the miles fly by, it really is an honour & a pleasure for me to cycle in these guys company.

In fact it has been an honour and a pleasure to Cycle with all the Cycle Chatters I have met in 2011 & long may it continue for 2012 and beyond.

My regret... the Harwich FNRttC, reason being I didn't crack my maiden 200 miler due to my Garmin packing up and myself calculating the wrong mileage.. aaaggggghhhhh... how many miles? one hundred and ninety bloody six......
 

martint235

Dog on a bike
Location
Welling
The Good:

The many FNRttC I did make. Always fun. Particular mention has to go to the Newhaven ride. My disappointment at not going to France was easily outweighed by spending some quality time in pubs with the likes of Adrian, The Claud, McWobble et al. Riding back from East Croydon station was an experience though! It's probably a good thing that I don't remember much of it.

Managing to achieve all my targets for the year. Over 7,000 miles including commuting. All the rides for food except the bad Cambridge one and the June one. I did manage the century a month challenge though and thanks for this goes to the stalwarts of these rides HaloJ and Ianrauk. (Abs, if you have any good ideas for resolutions for 2012, keep them to yourself :rolleyes:)

The very good

Raising over a grand for H4H with the Wootton Bassett ride. Realising just how nice people can be. The many people willing to offer advice to me for the Wootton Bassett ride, people with far more experience of these things than me and advice that made the whole thing work. The fact that 4 people were willing to give up over a day of their time to ride with me, thanks to DavyW, Aperitif, Red Jedi and Arallsop (don't forget we have to come up with something for 2012!!! :whistle:). Bringing a new deity to the druids at Stonehenge, arise Mr Marmite!!!

The bad

Not doing all the FNRttCs, something I hope to rectify in 2012. I didn't even manage to do all the London based ones largely due to damaging an achilles tendon chasing down a car in May.

Chasing down a car in May. I should have learnt by now. It also cost me a Ride for Food.

And finally the exceptionally good

All the people I've met, way too many to mention but every one a nice one.
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
I managed 7 FNRttC'S for 2012 which funnily enough is the same amount as 2011.

Can I have a borrow of your time machine please?

Personally, I've done a fairly piddling milage this year, almost all commuting, and that's only a mile and a half each way. A few longer social rides, but I'm not as fit, and a bit heavier, than I was at the end of last summer.

On the other hand, my weekends have been full of Other Stuff, and very nice he is too.

Highlight? Not riding as such, but finally owning a Brompton, which is just so much fun!
 

fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
Crap.

Shoulder Op semi successful - mechanically fixed, but in more pain even after 10 months. Nerve pain still bad.

Commute miles OK - weekend poor - shoulder issues not sorted, NHS happy to fill me with drugs, problem might be in neck muscles compressing nerves (private referral said that - seems logical but that cost the other side £1500). Having physio/acupuncture, but not getting enough as it's via work and fits in when I am free/they are free. Keeps cost down though. Claim no-where near settled = stress !

Fixed bike OK to ride as it's significantly shorter reach than my two road bikes - they kill my shoulder. So hissed off as I love my old school bikes, they are both awesome rides. My most ridden bike is the fixed - keeps me fit, reach comfortable. Only been on the Herety about 3-4 times this year... not good at all.

NEXT YEAR.... :gun:
 

MissTillyFlop

Evil communist dictator, lover of gerbils & Pope.
Compared to the rest of my life, this has been a very good year for cycling - it's also been my first one!

Good:
London to Paris
London Nightrider
Davina's Diva 100
My free cycling holiday on the Hadrian's Wall cycleway
London to Dover (except that terrifying ten minutes when I accidentally ended up on the A2)
London to Brighton
Cycle Chat Sunday Ride
Discovering "Cake" in Downe. (That was one of the greatest moments of my life, full stop!)
Discovering Cycle chat.
Getting paid £400 to lark about on a bike in a santa suit.
Finding a Dawes Galaxy in a charity shop for £20
Raising over £2500 for Mind with me wheels

Managed to do a shade over 2600 miles and I am aiming for 3000 next year (was in bed with Pneumonia for 2 months at the start of the year!)

Bad:
Coming off on Brixton Hill and spraining my groin.
Coming off whilst dressed as santa and spending all night in casualty!
Blackheath, AKA puncture central.
Being hit by silly person in car (Not looking - grrrr!)
Thrush in France debacle
My fine for being a dumbass and sitting in a box junction

I can't believe I have actually done this - I am the world's laziest person and I hadn't done a spot of exercise since I left school in 1995. I love bicycles! (please feel free to give me some more of them!)
 

DCLane

Found in the Yorkshire hills ...
This is the first year I've properly ridden a bike since the early 1990's, triggered by my weight in January and poor health.

Good:

Actually bought a new (not s/h) bike for the first time since I was 11 and the first bike since early 90's.
Decided to get on said bike and pedal a bit.
In the process I've lost over 3 stone - and have therefore needed an entire new wardrobe of clothes.
I'm MUCH healthier and have passed my 6-monthly health check for the first time
Hit my target of riding from Dewsbury to Ribblehead as proof of health ... and even did back again.
Done first event-type ride, albeit only 26 miles
No real injuries or accidents. Not sure how, but it's a big plus.
Met some interesting (and a few odd) people whilst riding
Joined up on here and also joined CTC for the insurance
One CC ride plus joined up with the cycling group at Spring Harvest in France
I save approx. £10 a time I commute the 10 miles each way into Leeds
Students think I'm loopy, coming in wearing lycra.

I've done nearly 3000 miles, with my nominal target being 2500. In 2012 I'm going for 5000.

Bad:

It's cost a lot. Currently over £2000 including the 3 bikes I've bought, although the commuting benefit/eBay sales has reduced this to £1300 still outstanding. I'll nil this sometime next year.
I've got no clothes to wear which fit me, since I've spent all the cash on bike stuff. There's about 3 shirts, 1 suit, 2 pairs of jeans and not much else.
Having to commute on 40/70mph dual carriageways since the Leeds cycle routes south of the city are abysmal.
Work colleagues think I'm loopy, coming in wearing lycra.


All of my clothes have either gone to the charity shop or are now on eBay (please sell ...) so if I put the weight back on I'll have to go naked. Given my new slimline figure that's no longer a daunting possibility :tongue:

Besides that, in 2012 I've got 3 Coast-to-Coast rides planned, the Cheshire Cat and Etape Pennines sportives, a 24-hours 3 Peaks of the UK walk for charity and a possible triathlon. I've also got to find a club that'll take me/I'll fit in. It's going to be a busy year. :bicycle:
 

colly

Re member eR
Location
Leeds
My cycling year has been........?

Patchy.
Started off well, and then things conspired, as they do, and I didn't get out so much for a while. I have been on a few CC rides which are always good and met a good number of new members. All of whom it was a pleasure to meet and ride with.
Two or three velodrome do's as well which are always fun. Again meeting some new faces off CC.
I think my overall miles for the year is kind of modest, 1500 or so at most.

Maybe next year I will 'plan' more and set some specific targets.








Then again, maybe I won't. ^_^
 

BigonaBianchi

Yes I can, Yes I am, Yes I did...Repeat.
No where near as much as previous years this year...I've had some stuff to sort out ..bought a place in need of a refit, renovated it myself all summer while living in a building site, so had to concentrate on getting the job done before winter which i have now done. So th eriding took a back seat for a while. But I'm getting back in the saddle now..and in the pool to work on th etop half lol!
 

GrumpyGregry

Here for rides.
quite a memorable year on two wheels;

The Ups
a few FNRttCs and a few midnight rambles (essentially a solo shorter FNRttC), some nice days rides and some splendid cycling on me hols in Spain. A weekend in the rain in scotland involving a trip on the sleeper was fun as was my failed attempt at Swansea - Haverfordwest, but at least I then had a bike for my week in west wales. Got my boss cycle commuting to work regularly.

The downs
didn't commute as much or as often as I could have, didn't do a single Audax nor did I ride with my local club, as I rediscovered runningm via a running club, and it clashes time wise, one clipless moment, one hedge moment, one proper crash and two attempts on my life by motorists.
 
Top Bottom