Wednesday 10 October 2012

Bucket list

I have got Man Flu; feel as though I am on death's door and lo and behold Cycling Weekly publish 26 things to do on two wheels before you die. I need to recover and tick some off:

26. Learn to ride a unicycle - that's not going to happen. I was amazed when I saw a participant riding a large-wheeled unicycle on the Dragon Ride in 2008 but it didn't make me want to go out and buy one.

25. Buy a piece of cycling memorabilia - CHECK (or at least my son has)

24. Ride on tubs - combined with #2 perhaps

23. Ride with a pro - TO DO

22. Ride as many hills from the 100 Greatest Climbs book as you can - TO DO, possibly with the Chinook-O (Which one is next Rick?)

21. Ride 100 miles in a day - CHECK. See Fred Whitton 4 seasons. My next planned metric century is a pilgrimage to Peterborough.

20. Race - CHECK. Gentlemen style ;-)

19. Ride a long-distance trail - CHECK. I rode the South Downs Way

18. Go cycle touring - when I'm older :-)

17. Meet Eddy Merckx - combined with #23 perhaps

16. Go on a training camp - TO DO

15. Join a cycling club - CHECK, but I'd like to think a cycle shop sponsored team might consider signing me up. Then I could do #16 and #20 without wearing a jacket and tie.

14. Sprint down the Champs-Elysees - No WAY. I wouldn't even plan to drive it (again) in a car

13. Watch the Tour de France, French style - CHECK



12. Do a big cycling 'do' - TO DO.

11. Ride a tandem - CHECK

10. Watch a cobbled Classic - CHECK



9. Ride with your kids - CHECK

8. Get 50 people into cycling - Nope. I used to be able to buy family tickets to the velodrome for less than the cost of getting to a premiership football match. I hope cycling gets less popular although I might retract that if I ever fulfill my dream of opening my own cycling shop.

7. Grab a ride in a team car - TO DO

6. Win a sprint - CHECK, but would love to combine it with #15 and #20

5. Ride on a velodrome - CHECK and cannot wait to try London

4. Ride a big British sportive - CHECK

3. Ride on another continent - CHECK. Yawn. I ride on the continent every year and love it. For info, Spanish roads are the smoothest.

2. Find, buy and restore the bike you wanted as a kid - TO DO: 1. I have a dream to have built for me a bespoke fixed wheel bike so that I can... 2. Restore my 1982 Holdsworth Special with a retro pair of #24 tubular wheels to... 3. Ride l'Eroica

1. Ride up Alpe d'Huez and Mont Ventoux - CHECK-CHECK, but not in the same day - now that is a silly bet.

Others that they mention in the editorial:
* Descend at 100km - CHECK. Col d'Izoard :-)
* Tackle the white roads of Tuscany - TO DO - see plans for l'Eroica
* Ride in the snow - CHECK
* Climb Tenerife's Mount Teide - To DO - perhaps on a training camp

Mmm - I need to consider what else is on my personal bucket list?  What's on yours?

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