2009 Goal List

Last year's Goal List and Ride List provided me with a fun way to measure my mountain biking progress. My list of trails to ride and achievements to accomplish that year made for a neat checklist of MTB milestones, so I thought I'd do it again this year.

However, because I occasionally stressed out in 2008 about riding a particular trail or meeting a particular goal, and riding is supposed to be about recreation and fun for me, I'm toning down the list this year.

First of all, I'm combining the goal and ride list into one master list. Second, it will be shorter and simpler this year. If I do more fun and memorable stuff, great. If not, that's fine too. Its all about priorities for me this year, and I want to keep that in perspective.

So here's the list, in no particular order:

1. Ride the full Tour de Noble: For me, this means climbing from the bottom of the Noble trailhead, up the road to Indian Creek, then over Champagne Pass, down Noble, up and down Extra Credit and back to the car. I almost did this ride at the end of 2008, but it fell through. Its taxing, with a series of difficult climbs at the beginning that makes the downhill portions a survivialfest, but I want to check this one off the list. Conditioning will be a factor.

2. Ride the Spring Canyon to Sycamore Canyon Ride: I've heard this one is brutal, but a lot of fun. As I understand it, I'd ride Spring Canyon to near the end, then a cutover to Sycamore, up to Martha's and back. I've ridden everything but the cutover in separate rides already, so I just need to combine Spring and Sycamore on a day when I'm feeling strong.

3. Ride the Santa Ana River Trail (SART): Its one of the most talked-about trails in SoCal that I've never ridden, and I really want to ride SART this year. I've heard its tough, and because of its location in the San Bernardino mountains can only be ridden at certain times of year, but I want to make it out there in 2009 at least once.

4. Ride in Idyllwild: I'd like to ride the trails up in Idyllwild at some point this year. I'm shooting for Alvin Meadows, Hurkey Creek, or a combination of the two. They're only a couple hours away, and a ton of fun from what I've heard.

5. Ride Cowles Mountain and Pyles Peak: This is one of the few San Diego rides I haven't done yet, and I want to see what this trail is like. I've hiked Cowles from the south, but never ridden it on the bike-legal trails. For some reason this one didn't make my 2008 list, and I plan to remedy that this year.

6. Ride My Archipelago Route Backwards: I rode it clockwise in 2008, and in 2009 I want to ride the same route in the opposite direction. With the Tunnels being shut down, I'll have to make some minor changes to the LPQ section of the route, and the finish at Black Mountain will involve a climb to the peak that is much harder than the finish to the clockwise route was, but I think I can do it.

7. Do an Organized MTB Event or Race: I sort of did this one in 2008 with the Cycle Eastlake event and Cuyamaca Poker Ride, but I want to do another organized event or maybe even a race this year. Maybe it will be the Warrior's Society Toad Festival, or a Racers and Chasers event, or a 12 Hour race, or some other endurance event or race. I'm leaving this goal a little vague, because I'm not sure I have the time or dedication to train for a serious race or competitive event, but want to do something along those lines by the end of the year.

8. Join and Participate in a Mountain Bike Patrol: I've been interested in joining a Mountain Bike Patrol for a while now. IMBA has a NMBP that is akin to the Ski Patrol, but there is no San Diego chapter right now. As far as I know, none of the local city or county parks have patrols either. But I'm interested in volunteering and assisting on the trails, and hope to make that happen in 2009.

9. Ride Otay Mountain: I don't know what route exactly, but I've heard about some fun South Bay rides that include Otay mountain, and want to get out there at some point this year.

10. Do an Out-of-State Ride: Last year the goal was to do a ride outside of SoCal. I made that one, so this year I'm branching out a little. I want to do some out of state ride, whether its something relatively close like Arizona (Sedona or Phoenix) or Nevada (Bootleg or Red Rocks) or something more ambitious like Utah or Colorado. Considering financial limitations and time constraints, this one may be tough.

11. Control my MTB-Related Spending: I spent a ton of money on MTB-related items in 2008. Between multiple bikes, clothes, accessories, and nutrition, the amount of retail expenses I incurred to support my hobby was outrageous. In 2009, I'm making it a specific and important goal to reduce my MTB spending. I'm not buying another bike. I won't need shoes thanks to my Christmas present from my wonderful wife. I will resist the upgradeitis that afflicted me in 2008. I'll limit the amount of clothes and accessories I purchase to necessities, and will resist the siren call of Chainlove.

So there you have it, my 2009 Goal List. Hopefully I have as much success meeting these goals as I did in 2008 with that list.