For those that are still following along.....thank you. Thank you for following along on my journey over the years.
2025 is already gone
Why does it seem like 2025 just started? Yet here we are in January yet again, in the midst of winter. More on that later, but I wanted to share a few things about my 2025. A lot happened this year. Some good, some bad.
Overall it was a good year. I got married. I continued to strive toward my goals. I had some podiums. I lived. I became a grandfather....with two granddaughters within 24 hours. All good things. As usual there were times of stress as well. Life continues to be the ocean and we are just boats floating on the surface.
Because I am a stat guy, I wanted to share some of what I did achieve in 2025. For those that have followed along, you know I was able to get on the podium a total of 3 times last year. I never reached the top step, but I did reach the 2nd step twice. I was also able to stick to 3rd in the M.O.R.C. series. These were the main points to the season.
I was also able to log the most miles I have ever logged in a season. My previous best was back in 2015 when I did LJ100. This year was much more consistent. Not only did I have more miles, but those miles were much faster. Dropping the weight surely helped. My total miles were just over 2300. This might not be a super impressive number, but one that I will take!
I mentioned my miles being faster because I believed it showed in the number of PR's that were tracked. Looking at Strava, I see a massive 494 personal records in only 150 activities. I averaged over 3 PR's every time I was on the bike.
As I have said before, it was a great year and I am looking forward to many more.
Thank you to my friends, new and old, that helped keep me moving and keeping me company!
2026 outlook
I am planning on doing the Michigan off-road championship series again this year. However, I will not be racing Clydesdale any longer. The qualifications are kind of in a grey area. Some events have a 200 lb weight limit, while others have a 2x your height qualifier. In order to just make it easier for me to navigate, I am moving to Sport Men 50-59 for the season. The main reason is my weight. I am working on getting to that 200 pound range and I know racing age group will give me some extra motivation to both lose the weight and to train right. I will have to be faster to compete. Not only are the guys in this group fast, there are a lot more of them. Last year for the Yankee Springs Time Trial there were 27 Clydes and 53 in age group. Instantly doubling the field. Getting a podium in the series will be a tall task, but the refreshed goal will help to keep me moving.
Right now I am planning on Dirty 30 (short course), Barry Roubaix (short course) and many of the events in the M.O.R.C. series. The idea behind the short course gravel races will be to test the fitness before the MTB season starts. I want to get into a group, hang on, and see what happens at the first two events of the season. My third event will be the Yankee time trial.
The future
Blogging as an art form is dead. While I appreciate those that follow along, I am not sure what I want to do with this moving forward. My posts last year were very chaotic and spread out, lacking a posting cadence that would engage most people. My last post was 2 months ago. Yes the holiday season has an impact, but the consistency was lacking throughout the year. I might continue to post, or I might come up with other ideas. I have been pondering shutting it all down. I have thought about a weekly video post. I have thought a lot of things. lol. Nothing seems to be a great idea that will sway a decision or direction. Its all up in the air at the moment. More on this in the future.
Happy New Year everyone! Thank you for reading and your support. Keep striving.
