Monday 3 December 2007

The 2007 Cycling Season: finito

Alas, a major snowfall has meant the end of my 2007 cycling season. A winter storm, originating in Colorado, has brought us 25 cm of snow so far and no end is in sight. My workout today consisted of shoveling the driveway in what appears to be an exercise in futility. I actually was going to ride BlackAdder one more time but when I went out of the garage and the snow came up to his pedals, that was the end of that.

Looking back, I can count on some accomplishments for this year:

It was probably the best season ever as I put in 7800 km on the road, which is pretty good as my goal was 7500.

My weight dropped from around 90 kg in January to a low of 76 kg in August, currently holding steady at 77+ kg. I placed third in the Fat Cyclist's B7 Weight Loss Challenge and scored some neat stuff.

I managed to keep up at the California training camp in San Diego in January. I not only have great memories of this trip, but also a new coach and more enthusiasm for training.

I would have kept up at the Squadra Coppi training camp in April but the weather was so terrible everyone went home early.

My time on the Wintergreen Ascent was a big improvement over the previous year's.

I did some great rides in the hills of Maryland, breaking in the fabulous new Specialized S-Works Tarmac E5, and Harp Hill holds no fear for me now.

It was the first time that I did the longest ride of the Wilderness Road Ride and the Mountains of Misery on one weekend.

I rode the Mountain Mama century for the first time and really enjoyed it; the Do-it-Yourself Century ride we did on Skyline Drive was even better but even harder!

The flat time trials I did were a great learning experience, and I know that I can hit the elusive 40 km in one hour mark in 2008. Only 2.5 minutes to knock off!

We had a super time cycling in Alsace and the Black Forest, in spite of the weather. I ride with the best friends a cyclist could have. And I correspond with a lot of other great people about cycling too: cyclingphun, the Historian, DOM from PA, Pez...

The C&O Canal towpath tour I did with Dr. Chef was certainly one of the highlights of the year and reminded me of just how much fun meandering touring can be.

I enjoyed riding with the Oakville Bicycling Club--if only they had been around when I was growing up in Oakville!--and have enjoyed getting reacquainted with Gatineau Park and my cycling buddies here.

My review of "Paris-Roubaix" was published to great acclaim on www.pezcyclingnews.com.

I attended Cirque du Cyclisme in Greensboro and made new friends, as well as riding the beloved Marinoni with a herd of vintage lugged steel bikes.

So I have a lot to be happy about as I look outside and see the snow cascade down. And I am already training hard for 2008 and have lots of great plans in development.

5 comments:

Will said...

That's a pretty great list - but the weight loss (and of course the Alsace trip) really stands out.

Congratulations!!!

sarah said...

Congrats on all your cycling miles, travels and weight loss this year! Hope the winter doesn't last too long for you .. or you can travel with your bike to a sunny place.

Anonymous said...

Well, it seems your season lasted a little longer than mine! I've enjoyed reading your posts.

All the snow is good for the cross country ski trails though. Maybe I'll see you in the spring for another bike ride in the park.

Cheers!

Sprocketboy said...

After a successful year, it really motivates you to do even better next year! While I am contemplating the world of cross-country skiing, I am getting into serious indoor training and getting all the bikes ready for 2008. It is great to hear from everyone and I hope that my meandering blog encourages even more people to get their Tin Donkeys out too.

Anonymous said...

Awesome year! It gives me something to shoot for... and I have no reason not to be out there considering our great weather.
You can read about that on my latest post. (Donald's Daily Draft)
I have to catch the Cirque du Cyclisme next year.. it'll be in Leesburg, Virginia.