2022 Plans (to go with the 2021 Reflections thread)

[voodoo_simon]

Also built a shed/cabin out of mostly recycled/upcycled materials. It's something I've wanted to do for a while and is now habitable. It's taken 6 months and I'll be spending Christmas in it

Not a bad year to be fair

Clearly need to add some pictures

[slarge]

I pretty much achieved my aims and goals.
I took at 10 month sabbatical from work, did the Tour Divide, fitted a new kitchen, went to Italy for eldest's wedding, have New Zealand booked for Feb 23 (delayed from Oct 22). Today I started back at work on a 3 day week (in truth I was getting a bit fed up at home).

And I've almost completed my bivvy a month, have clocked over 9000 miles (more bike miles than car miles, but less than air miles).

[Bearbonesnorm]

started back at work

Oh no, you've let the side down now

[fatbikephil]

Bivvy a month again - Yup (well after this weekend)
A tour based on the Scottish bit of the great north trail. - no but did a nice tour up to Moray and few other good trips
A week in the Yorkshire dales camped at some suitable base in order to drink nice beer and do normal mountainbiking - yup and it was fab
BB300 - yup
Mebbes the Borders 350 but only if its nice weather. It was but I didn't.
Got a ski holiday in Austria planned for January but given the latest panic I suspect it will be canned. Relieved as I didn't fancy spending the whole week in a hazmat suit and it gives me another weeks holiday for biking. Well I went and got the dreaded lurgy. Never again as all the flight hassles finally got too much, I just can't be bothered with all the queuing, waiting and hoop jumping just to get somewhere quickly.

[whitestone]

I didn't actually make a target list which meant that I actually got two of them done!

I'd wanted to do the Lakeland 200 for several years, maybe six or seven, finally managed it on possibly the windiest weekend of the year. Then after two failed attempts I got the BB300 done.

[woodsmith]

A few routes I've got planned around the north of England in the spring then GDMBR northbound , Western Wildlands southbound and Baja Divide. Or another year stuck in the UK when Covid mutates yet again.....

Started BAM and failed by February, then have camped out every month since cos I've wanted to not cos I felt forced to do it.

I was determined to be more sociable this year. Mixed results there.....
Rode up to ride around the lakes and scratched at the start. Felt ill. Beginnings of health issues....
Scratched from the WRT before I'd even reached Wales when the chest problems which blighted this year flared up a second time.
Attended Jennride for the first time which was superb.
Did the Brother Cycles Big 'Un which was a bit of the UK I'd not ridden before.
Joined one of the Bikepacking Buds ( instagram thing) rides for the South Downs way. Good but only one other attendee.

Thought better of going to the US while health was suspect so stuck with the UK again and did a ton of riding on multiple trips to the dales and the routes previously planned round the North of England.

Over 6000 miles so while a bit disapointing not to have got to foreign parts not such a bad year on the bike.

[PaulB2]

Apparently I had really low expectations for this year but didn't quite meet them. I did get out for the WRT but that was the only ride of any real length. I didn't get to do a half marathon but I have been running regularly. I seem to have turned into a runner who identifies as a cyclist. Next year is shaping up to be much better though so looking forward to 2023.

[In Reverse]

Not a bad return

• A big overseas ride solo, maybe one of the Spanish routes. Managed 2 of these - Italy Divide in April and Haute Route in Sept
• A big overseas ride with other people would be nice too. Veneto Trail with Wotsits and rufus
• All the domestic stuff usually just seems to fall into place - Jenn Ride and a (failed) BB300 ticked off
• Big Bear might be something to aim for if there's a suitable weather and time window maybe next year

[maxap]

I try to do one, for me, long ride every year. In 2022 it was "La Gravel Tro Breizh" in Britanny. 1200km mixed riding in about 7 days. Early June with nice sunshine but pretty cold though.
In summer I finally managed to ride almost all of "La Grand Traversee de la Creuse". Once with Judith and once by myself. Well worth doing, though I would say that, as I live in the region and love riding here. Here is a link if anyone is interested: https://sitesvtt.ffc.fr/grandes-travers ... la-creuse/

For 2023 I have signed up for a mixed ride again. "Tour Massif Vosgien". In the east of France, 1200 km with 25000 meters climbing. Plenty of places left: https://tourmassifvosgien.fr/

[Johnallan]

Also built a shed/cabin out of mostly recycled/upcycled materials. It's something I've wanted to do for a while and is now habitable. It's taken 6 months and I'll be spending Christmas in it

Not a bad year to be fair

Clearly need to add some pictures

The exterior still needs flashings and some work around the porch. Interior is rough and unfinished, and also needs a log burner. I spent a very content few days there this weekend and it wasn't too cold.




I had to buy the exterior cladding and some of the carcase timbers from a timber yard, but everything else came from skips/pallets/FB marketplace or stuff I had lying around. All the dimensions were determined by the materials available (and limited by local planning regs). Pretty much built around the door (found on a roadside) and roofing sheets (barn find), then built on 4x4 euro pallets. Quite a satisfying project

[faustus]

I've got a severe case of cabin envy Wish I had the time, skills, and space to do something similar!

Thankfully I didn't make a list of plans because I think I was in a fairly bad mental place at the time of the thread, but all-in i'm not unhappy with the riding i've done this year. I've not been far from home on the bike, which is probably my only regret, but then riding from the door has been lovely again, and there's been tonnes of utility bike riding, ferrying kids around and popping in to town - and that's all been enjoyable and there's rarely a day when I don't get out on some kind of ride. I've only logged something like 750 miles this year (don't log utility bike miles), but that's fine as I can't think of a single ride that just included road only, all rides seem to consist of mixed terrain all year round, which is a blessing.

With the youngsters getting a bit older, I think it's time to be more ambitious with travel plans...

[In Reverse]

Getting strong Unabomber vibes off John's shed.

Be careful opening any christmas cards off him please everyone.

[voodoo_simon]

That is beautiful John, looks a great setting for the cabin and the cabin is absolutely brilliant Not envious in the slightest, not a tiny bit

Thanks for sharing

[ootini]

Soo then....

Changing job... in two days actually. Quitting what feels like a rather toxic work culture, for what I hope may be less stressful and consuming. - This happened and was a good thing.
In 2022 I hope to:
Finally get to a WRT. - Yes!
Lose 16kg in weight. - No. I lost 9kg, give or take.
Do the trans Cambrian Way. - No
Do the KAW. - No
Do the Hebridean Way. - No
Id like to do that Swedish event/route too, but not sure if I'd be biting off more than I can chew... - No
Be sociable and go on bikepacking trips with other people, potentially other boners. - Yes, quite a few times.
Take my son on more trips. - Yes!
Be a better human. - Not for me to say.

[ledburner]

{ī

Also built a shed/cabin out of mostly recycled/upcycled materials. It's something I've wanted to do for a while and is now habitable. It's taken 6 months and I'll be spending Christmas in it

Not a bad year to be fair

You may have guest, where's Reginald next week?

[jameso]

Love that cabin... Great work.

2022 - moving away from SE at last, back to SW. It's meant buying a car recently, we've not owned one in 12 years. Not too happy about car ownership but it doesn't need to be used too much. Has a big boot for bikes. Living close to the Severn Bridge with a car means main thing for 2022 will be to ride in Wales and FoD more, would be good to ride new places with others. Genuinely fired up to have a new playground on my doorstep. And will stick stubbornly to riding SS in the Stroud valleys for a while, hoping it works out.

Hoping to go up to the RSR in spring with a couple of others, a good social ride in Scotland with a few beers along the way would be so welcome these days.

A ride or train to Portsmouth and some touring in France would be too. Maybe head down to the Vercors then get a train back up north. I miss patisseries and 1 euro coffees and little villages one after another where nothing seems to happen until you ride through one that's having a hog roast party that you can stop at for dinner.

Given a bit more time I'd take a ferry to Spain and a ride from the NW corner across the Pyrenees. MTB. Ride or train back to the ferry home. If travel worked out, to ride the Montanas Vacias routes. That would be the dream trip.

Well.. a year later and a leg injury then covid stuffed the late spring period, then a change of jobs as a distraction and realising my fitness was dropping due to a weird hip/back issue .. Still, did some great local riding this year getting to know the 5 valleys, that's kept me entertained all year. Got into Wales from my front door twice, one road trip of 3 days / 2 nights and one longer ride of 6 or 7 days on the MTB - home to Knighton, TCW in a day and a half (been meaning to ride the TCW for a long time and it was ) then a BB520 inspired loop up to Snowdonia and home via the Berwyns/Wayfarer's. Great trip. And no driving to ride yet. That'll do... Seem to be getting reasonable fitness back now, enough to work on things over the winter. The France tour and/or MV aspiration rolls over into 2023.