Ten Riding Goals for 2017

1. Ride safely, be well, be in the flow. I'm lucky to be alive. To be able to peddle is a gift. I'm lucky. So, I'll be appreciative; I'll be mindful and focussed in all the riding. Every time I set out for a ride I know I'm at risk. I'll manage the risks as best I can. 
2. Gran Fondos. Ride all five 2017 Vicious Cycle Gran Fondos with focus and élan. Try to get within 10% of the top riders. Try to peak for Gran Fondo Leavenworth and Gran Fondo Ellensburg - and seek out that effortless feeling. 
3. Snoqualmie forest roads and nearby surroundings. Learn about the gravel roads in the Snoqualmie Forest. Get out with a group and have fun. 
4. Weight to 146 pounds. Keep weigh under 150 pounds in October - January. Aim to be at 146 pounds in March. Hard but give it a go.
5. Core strength and flexibility. Work hard at core strength and flexibility. Get a core check-up in the autumn and establish some specific goals for improving core strength and flexibility. Learn some new exercises and add variety.   Done - thanks to Kari Studley, who is just amazing! Contact her at Corpore Sano. 
6. Position and bio-mechanics and peddling. Would new road shoes and cleats be helpful? Is my position on the Super Course and on my road bike okay?  Any changes needed?  Good to go for this year - thanks to Kari Studley.
7. Peddling.  How does one peddle well? A major difference between superb riders and ordinary riders is evidently neuromuscular efficiency. Can I improve my efficiency with better peddling technique and better position on the bike? Is 80-90 rpm on long climbs possible? That seems like a ridiculous hard. Do I have the physiology for that?  Can such peddling help save energy for the second big climb?  Learn some exercises for improving my peddling: 
1. Peddle from the hips. 
2. Do one-leg peddling practice at the beginning of the morning commutes when I'll be relatively fresh.  
3. Follow in the British Cycling warmup routine with discipline prior to interval work on the rollers and when riding in-doors. 
4. Work at leg speed during long base miles. Incorporate some slow and fast peddling repeats on long hills, aiming to be in Zone 2 or low Zone 3.  
5. Explore how a trainer can complement the rollers for indoor interval work and peddling practice.
8. Structured training and specificity. 
1. Aim for about of 12 hr/week (about 550-600 hr/year). 
2. Do the morning fasted commutes, which I had good experience with last year. There is evidence that they seem to work - see British Cycling and this fascinating report.
3. Follow a more structured training plan whereby I improve (1) My endurance (e.g., 6 hr rides in Zone 2); and  (2) My threshold power (e.g., intervals: 8 min. in Zone 5 with 4 min. recovery).
4. Figure out how to train with more specificity for multiple long gravel climbs and descents. Pretty simple, I think: Include more climbing in Zone 2 during the base miles; Do some intervals on the hills. 
5. Do the following polarization: Week #1: Hard (2 interval sessions+1 long ride+1 rest day); Week #2: Volume (1 interval session+1 long ride+1 rest day); and Week #3: Recovery (1 interval session + 1 long ride + 2 rest days); and then repeat. Last year I felt like crap when trying to consistently do two interval works per week. Perhaps, this kind of pattern, inspired by this truly fascinating report and and my experience with weekly intervals last year, will be more manageable and lead to good physiological adaptations. 
6. Prior to tappering for GF Leavenworth, do some hard, long efforts (e.g., try for 3 hr in Zone 4 - is that possible?). While I think last year's training was generally good, I don't think I was ready for the long, hard efforts - that was too different in comparison to my training routines. 
9. Bike handling and high speed downhills. Get a better sense for my limits when going fast on the way down. Improve bike handling and efficiency in varied terrain. 
10. The Super Course. Attend to the details related to tubeless setup, wheels, hubs, brakes, drive train.  Is it time for a new seat?  Tires and tire pressures - figure it out. 
11. Investigate frame options. See what options exist for a light steel frame, which takes 40 mm tires, 11-speed, etc.  Is it time to consider disc brakes?  What challenges arise when building wheels with disc brakes? Such a bike might be a nice thing for 2018.