Setting Intentions for 2022

Setting Intentions for 2022

2021 is in the books and it’s in the month of January that I like to take some time to reflect on the past year and set some intentions for the new year ahead. Last year, my goal was to ride a century every month, do an Ironman, finish my yoga teacher training, and read 12 books. I hit most of them (I skipped the December century, I was a little too burnt out after Ironman training) but I learned a lot and was overall very happy with the way 2021 went. Next year, I plan to do a half ironman and an ultramarathon, learn to surf, and donate blood twice – and read 12 books. That is my goal every year.

I reached out to a few of our athlete ambassadors to learn about their resolution setting process.

Kerry Werner

This past year I had a big goal of working on weaknesses and getting out of my comfort zone. I did that a lot in my training, and it showed this year between the tape. This coming year I am looking to push myself even harder outside my normal “bounds”. On the bike that looks like different races and adventures. Off the bike that looks like more and better video projects as well as organizing/hosting events to share my town and riding experiences with people as keen on two wheels as me.

Whitney Allison

Although I typically set my major goals for the year at the end of the racing season, I love the air of a fresh start that a New Year brings. This year, I find myself yet again, setting the exact same one: Do Less, Better. In our internet age, comparison is such a plague!! It's easy to feel like you are missing out or aren't doing enough with your life...working full time, working out like a pro, maintaining all your personal relationships, having time for your family, and maintaining your hobbies...it's truly impossible and it's a fast train to burn out in my opinion. Each year, I like to think about what my central focuses are for the year, optional add-ons if I can (in actuality, it's rare), and what I can get rid of time and energy-wise. Enough sleep is always a top priority as it helps a body heal from training AND let's your brain function on high power, even if it means fewer working hours overall.

Jeremiah Bishop

My first New Year's resolution is to get to bed by 10 PM on New Year's Eve. I know that sounds like not a lot of fun but I figure if I can party on Greenwich meantime then I can still turn in to the fireworks in London. Joking aside getting to bed early instead of scrolling the interweb is one of my resolutions.

Another is riding mountain bikes more. The impossible routes for me have been amazing and mostly gravel this year but the prospect of hitting loamy rocky trails is too good not to make a core piece of the training.

I have some more family bike adventures planned. While I will be racing the Lifetime Gran Prix and all these "important races" nothing is more fun than a family bike ride in the mountains with ice cream goals at the end!

Lindsay Goldman

The only time I've ever done a New Year's resolution was years ago when I decided quit eating chocolate for the year. No idea why; it just seemed like an interesting conquest to try. I was ridiculously diligent - going so far as to pick M&Ms out of trail mix - until one day in June, I suddenly realized the whole thing was pointlessly stupid, started eating chocolate again, and never looked back. Life is too short to give up chocolate for no reason. Now I don't bother with resolutions but instead work to be better each day. That sounds so much deeper and more noble than the reality...it's more like realizing at the end of a day that I wasted a bunch of time on nonsense and thinking, "huh, maybe tomorrow I should not do that again." The things I'm working on now include trying to take a few minutes each day to meditate, learning about web3, figuring out how to modulate rear-wheel skidding on my gravel bike to take corners faster, and making a concerted effort to stretch and foam roll every day. My resolution for 2022 is to keep working on these things and adding new ones to the list...and to eat chocolate every day.

Starla Teddergreen

When I was a kid I thought making New Years resolutions was the best thing ever. On New Year’s Eve I would sit down with my diary and scribble down all the fun things I wanted to do in the exciting year ahead. I guess I still do this to some degree, but the scribbling starts a lot earlier and now consists of planning my race season, setting goals, and planning epic adventures with my husband.

Brian Scarbrough

For 2022 my New Years resolution is to give back more, from a sport that has given me so much in terms of happiness, and health, both mentally and physically. I look forward to giving back more to the sport as the years go on. As a professional cyclist also with a full-time job we tend to forget about it, my goal is to help mentor youth cycling and help give them a better path to reach their goals for future success!

Nikki Peterson

In 2022, I hope to continue working towards a better work-life balance. While I am fortunate enough to work remotely, which allows me to ride during the day, juggling multiple jobs means a lot of nighttime work and working seven days a week. My goal is to be able to take one day off of work a week. That way I can go for a ride if I want to, clean my house, prepare meals for the week, spend time with my animals, family, and friends, and most importantly, take a mental break. Also inline with work, I want to continue getting more kids on bikes through my work with NICA! A race season, clinics, my podcast, Girls Moving Mountains, and general networking are some of the ways I hope to do this.

On the bike, my goal is to continue riding in new places with new people and to have my best possible performances at my ‘A’ races, like the BWRs. Also, I really want to show up to Last Best Ride and get redemption over 2021. In 2021, I showed up over-biked and didn’t have great legs. This year, I want to change that! Lastly, I want to continue building new friendships and connections through cycling. I have met some of the most amazing people through cycling and I am stoked to see what 2022 has in store!

Joel Fletcher

1. More off-the-bike training including weights, bodyweight exercises, and stretching. Cyclists are notoriously bad at doing things outside the actual bike riding part of the sport. Off the bike exercises like stretching and bodyweight exercises can much improve on-the-bike strength over long races and days on the bike. Don't skip this.

2. Take time to explore on bike rides. So many of our rides are spent staring at a computer, doing intervals, and not looking around at the scenery you are riding around. Take time to stop and look around at the beautiful places you are riding through. Your intervals and your data screen on your computer are not going anywhere, but the places you are riding in might not be around forever.

Crystal Kovacs

Everyone wants to be a better version of themselves in a year. That’s so easy to talk about but hard to do. Let’s break it down into a plan that works.

My 2022 goal…Every day be one percent better. Not easy to see but at the end of the year we are 365% better!

I have goals that are written on my calendars. Some are achievable and some scare me. Honestly, I love the ones that frighten me. “Courage is just fear being harnessed.”

Let’s funnel our fear, get 1% better and make 2022 the year that we all remember! See you out on the trail!

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