Goals & Events

It's probably important to have goals & events in mind when you set out to train on your bike. In addition to a yearly plan which lays out specific cycles, ramps, rests, and peaks, goals and events allow you to have some tangible mark to shoot for at the end of the road and/or period. Personally, I'm always trying to lose weight. But I don't consider that a goal, per se. It's more of a side benefit of what I do. Given that so many people are trying to lose weight, I figure I'd mention that I don't think weight loss is a viable goal in terms of why you might be doing 60 second intervals which make you want to puke at the end.

Anyway...I believe it's important to set goals and to be tough on yourself in trying to attain them. At the same time you need to know yourself and your limits. If you're just starting out it's not a good idea to jump right into trying to do the RAAM. Set realistic goals, ride in events which stretch or test your goals, have a plan, and be smart about how you put it all together.

Above all else, you need to have fun. Don't get me wrong, I'm not so delusional to think that riding in a 24 hour event isn't somewhat painful - it certainly is. But you need to be able to come up for air now and again and realize that a lot of what you do is fun as hell. If you're not having fun some of the time, then you need to reassess your plan, your goals, and the events you do.

So ok, this entry really doesn't have much meat other than to say, you need goals and events. So there you have it. Find some goals and events.