2012: A Statistical Review

What a year!  My 2012 cycling season exceeded my expectations.  I won a race in my first full WORS campaign and finished on the podium in 9 of the 11 races in which I competed, taking second place in my age group in the final Cat 3 (Citizens) standings.  In the WCA cyclocross series I had fun and, occasionally, modest success.  I improved as a time trialist.  Overall, I competed in 22 different races.  I rode outside in all 12 months for the first time ever and topped 5,000 miles for the second consecutive year.  To reach my total of 5,005 miles, I completed a personal-best 204 rides and set personal records for mileage in the five coldest months of the year.  Here is my mileage breakdown month-by-month:

117 January (PR)
137 February (PR)
516 March (PR)
479 April
604 May
621 June
600 July
600 August
516 September
310 October
330 November (PR)
175 December (PR)

In support of my cycling goals and other athletic aspirations, I spent 870 minutes on the trainer and 750 minutes on the treadmill—totals that were lower than usual because I was able to get outside more often—went hiking on 6 occasions and snowshoeing on 2, and completed 156 upper-body strength training workouts.

So, what is the plan for 2013, my 10th season as a cyclist?  It’s still evolving.  I need 4,570 miles to reach 40,000 and I think that’s a worthy goal.  If a year from now I can say that I averaged 4,000 miles per year for 10 years, then I will be very satisfied.  But like this year, 2013 won’t be all about the miles.  Being competitive as a racer will be far more important.  I will tackle another season of WORS—this time as a Cat 2 (Sport) racer—and I hope to do more WEMS races.  Long-distance road events likely will have their place too.  That gran fondo I find so intriguing, the Ride Across Indiana, is still out there.  If RAIN makes it onto my 2013 calendar, then I might do a couple of brevets and centuries to prepare for it.  When next fall comes around, I want to be smarter about my goals and preparations for the cyclocross season so that I don’t run out of gas before the state championships.

Watch for more specific plans in January as WEMS, Wisport and the WCA finalize their schedules.