Radio silence … something to do with burnout, maybe. I am still riding, but I’m working on just riding for enjoyment – it all became a bit of a chore: “must ride, because …” rather than just wanting to ride.

So: no multi-day rides next year (a plan somewhat tested by the Ride Across Portugal being run again, but I have resisted). That doesn’t preclude some nutter one-day rides, such as C2C and LWL (each, again). But overall, it’s a year to do club rides (I have signed up as a ride leader), to work on overall strength (gym workouts have commenced), to do some structured cycle training (TrainerRoad will recommence once back from New Year stuff), and to just enjoy seeing the world on two wheels.

Bikes are being rationalised which, of course, starts with the acquisition of a new bike. N+1 (which will be N-1 in the end) is a CX bike to act as a go-more-or-less-anywhere winter/mucky bike. 1x gearing, hydraulic discs, alloy frame, takes 35c+ tyres with guards/rack mounts. That’ll work for winter and summer excursions on bridleways and canal paths etc, as well as for commutes. The carbon road bike and the flat bar road bike are going because they don’t really have a purpose. That leaves the summer road bike and the on-the-turbo bike (which is, really, somewhat too good for that duty but it has sentimental value and I don’t want to sell it).

This blog will continue – intermittently as usual – as I want somewhere to record thoughts about riding, training, that sort of thing.