Everybody loves to set goals that are easy to crush, I’m no different, but where’s the fun in that?
Ever since the Fort4Fitness Spring Challenge ride rekindled my long dormant flame for cycling I’ve been itching to get out and ride every opportunity I can. On many of these long, gravel county road rides I obviously think about some short term goal setting- like how long will I ride today, but I also think about my long term health and wellness, growing older, being more fit, healthy, and active when I retire.
Cycling makes it easy to be active and get fit- without making the activity ‘feel’ like a workout. Maybe its the constantly changing scenery, small things you see along the ride, the subtle smells along the roadside, like fresh strawberries, a patch of dill, or the not so subtle- a hog farm or some sun-ripened road kill, what be it- it’s all part of the adventure.:)
After the F4F ride, I quickly focused my attention on signing up for and riding the Ore to Shore Mountain Bike Epic, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. O2S is a point to point mountain bike race that starts in Negaunee and finishes in the beautiful Marquette, MI, on the shores of Lake Superior. This is a race that I thought about 10 years ago, but didn’t. Here it was, again, fresh in my mind and on my riding radar. I’ll be writing another post shortly that recaps my 2018 O2S experience- and what an experience it was!
But first, back to my long term goals- on one of the many many country miles between nothing and nowhere, I decided that someday when I am old and possibly no longer physically able, I wanted to look back and some major accomplishments that took me years to achieve. An accomplishment that was filled with wonderful memories and experiences- the planning, travelling, meeting people from all over the country, all with their own stories and reasons for being there- just like I would have mine…
Then it hit me- my long range physical fitness goal is to ride in at least one competitive cycling event in every state in the United States of America.
The rules will be rather simple- 1.) The event must be an organized event that could be a timed event, a race, or an event that provides some type of reward/medal/participants prize for completing, 2.) I must ‘finish’ or ‘complete’ said event- a DNF would not count!, 3.) The event distance must be 10 miles or longer. 4.) I must meet and or socialize with at least 3 different people before, during, or after the event.
What type of event qualifies? any type as long as it meets these simple rules- it could be road, gravel grinders, mountain bike, mixed-medium rides, dirt rides, cyclocross, whatever.
That’s it- the rules are simple but the goal will be challenging, requiring a good deal of planning, training,
travelling, and follow-through to make this happen. It won’t happen overnight, but will be one heck of a great set of memories as it progresses!
To document the rides I will write a post about each adventure, and as of now, the analytical data is being tracked in Strava. I will also be coloring in each state as the goal progresses.
Please follow along, by subscribing to this blog, so you get updates when new posts are published. You are also welcome to meet up or ride with me at any of these events, if you wish!
Stay healthy and ride safe!
Steve.
