What to do in 2018?

Several people have asked me if I plan to race again next year.

Truth is I haven’t had a reply for them. Until now I've not had the head space to consider it. Now things are a bit more settled I've finally started thinking about my cycling goals for 2018.

Although the closure of City Cycles might mean more opportunity to race, fitting in training with a young family will still be challenging. My fitness isn’t what it was and I can’t see I’ll get close to the 10 hours a week in the saddle I regularly clocked up a couple of years ago. A month into the new job and 7 hours is proving a challenge. So I'll need to make more efficient use of the time I do have.

What I need is a goal and focus but what should my target be?

I turn 40 in February making 2018 my first year as a Vet. The Vets are fast! It is frequently a faster and more competitive category than Masters or Open where I have spent the past 10 years. Looking at the lap times from last years Gorrick Spring series I’d estimate I would have been on the outskirts of the top 10 in Vets. So not chasing the podiums like this year!

The national XC championship is back at Hadleigh this year which is a challenge I really enjoyed in 2015. Unlikely I will better the 14^th place achieved 2 years ago however.

At my preferred marathon format events like the Brighton Big Dog where I finished 14^th overall this summer, I’d have been 12^th in the Vets class. So again little new to ride for.

However, with time to sit and contemplate, even if I don’t know where, I'm excited to say, “Yes, I will be racing next year.” I look forward to returning to the Brass Monkeys next month after a year off. I'll follow up these three events with the Gorrick Spring XC races next year.

However, I think the truth is I’m struggling for to find real motivation from the events I would normally have entered in the past. It’s a case of been there and done that. I’ve achieved everything I think I can while maintaining a work/life/cycling balance. So over the next few months I'll see if I can find something new to focus my attention on.

I won't be racing in the blue of City Cycles next year.