Make Good in 2018 - Yawp! Cyclery's Ambition Tradition

I once thought of New Year's Resolutions as foolish; I believed that one should constantly strive for self-improvement, and that if one wanted to change something about one's life, the date on the calendar was superfluous. While I still agree with that, it's becoming more the case as I age that I'm often overwhelmed with the mundane and forget to ask myself important questions about self-improvement. New Year's is a fine reminder to do so. Additionally, with the way that time has accelerated these last few years, New Year's comes around about every four months, so trying to make resolutions in between New Years' Eves would tax a person unreasonably.

For most of us, our cycling goals are some of the least important goals we might have. You may want to make peace with a relative, change careers, or any number of really important things. Do those. But also make a cycling goal.

Last year we posted a blog called Cycling Goals are Trivial; Try Setting One Anyway. I can only speak for myself, but I suspect this holds true for some of the other people who participated in last year's Goal Program: my goal turned out to be more difficult than I imagined, took me to places I didn't necessarily want to be, and yet even if I hadn't completed my goal I'd be pretty glad I tried (if you're so inclined, there are blog posts about said efforts here and here). While my goal in itself was trivial, the experiences it produced meant a lot to me. I made some good friends because of an arbitrary goal--what a wonderful thing. (It wasn't all great--I also drank a lot of nasty water:)

Like me, you may find goal-setting to be exhausting and obnoxious. If you're thinking this Program is not for you, remember these two things: 1. Why make a bunch of spur-of-the-moment bad decisions when you could make your bad decisions in advance?

2. There will be prizes for anyone who meets their goal.

The folks who set goals for 2017 really blew me away. They aimed high, and if they did not hit their targets it wasn't for lack of effort. Thanks to all who participated, and congratulations to those of you who met your goals. 

If you aren't sure what kind of goal you want to set, here are a few examples:

-Commute to work by bike one day per week, every week.

-Ride 7,000 miles in a year.

-Thin out the stable and only ride one bike in 2018.

-Ride 1,000 miles on dirt.

-Bikepack for one weekend.

-Bikepack the Colorado Trail.

-Finish a 50-mile event.

-Ride a hundo every month.

-Clean everything at Dakota Ridge.

Guidelines

Challenge yourself. If commuting to work will not be a challenge, set a different goal.

Buying a new bike, getting your touring rig all situated, or finally getting your brakes dialed are all good goals, but they don't count toward this program. Your goal must have to do with riding.

Set as many goals as you like; only one prize per participant.

You have until January 31st to submit your goal.

To sign up, just fill out the form below. This year, we'll be sharing everyone's goals publicly in the beginning of February so that we as a community can support one another in the pursuit of these goals.