New Year, New Goals

It's what I like about a new year. Out with the old and in with the new. Yeah, it's not a truly clean slate but it's a closure of a sort and it really is a new beginning. So here are the goals for 2011, in no particular order other than the sequence they emerged to be typed into the blog.

1. Ride a few time trials. During the Wednesday night rides, I heard about some 10 kilometer time trials to be held in Gardner, Kansas. Why? I need to get faster, better able to hold intensity over longer periods.
2. Finish a century ride. I bailed on the two I started in 2010, so this is unfinished business. Yes, I DNF'd for valid reasons (broken rear wheel at the diabetes ride in June;heat/exhaustion/mental games at the Louisburg Cider Mill ride). On the other hand, I came so close to 100 miles at the Octoginta ride (~84 miles). I know I can complete a 100 mile ride.
3. Do more training and less riding. Vary duration and intensity of rides so that I'm really training. Most of the people I ride with are at least my age, if not older, so I ought to be able to keep up with them. Being smarter about how I ride will make that possible.
4. Get better at riding in groups. I learned a lot during the group rides and Octoginta, but I have a ways to go before I feel like I'm a skilled group rider.
5. Technical improvements, like getting comfortable making turns at speed and riding no-hands so I can eat or drink.

I think it's a list of achievable goals.