It\’s time to make blueprints for the 2021 cycling year!

As always, I want to improve my cruising speed. I rather envy cyclists who can routinely blaze along at 20+ mph. One morning last October, with a good tailwind, I touched 23.73 mph: an all-time record! When I can get me and the road bike up to such a velocity, it feels almost like I\’m not on the ground any more!

Just now I have no major ride plans for this year. Tour de Cure is tempting; but I always have great difficulty in finding enough donors to raise my minimum contribution. In fact, I have to put up most of it myself.

Perhaps another century? If I decide to do that, I\’ve got my work cut out for me! What do the blueprints for century training look like?

In the first place, when is a good time for a century ride? The trouble is, there isn\’t a \”good\” time. There\’s no telling what the weather will be months ahead of time. Will it rain on century day? Will I have to fight a horrific headwind all day? How soon will this year\’s heat and humidity set in?

After I\’ve decided on the day; or at least an approximate date; start working at short (one to three minutes) of riding a lot faster than usual during my weekday morning rides. This doesn\’t have to be force-building intervals at first; that can wait until later.

Increase the length of my weekly long ride by a mile or two per week. Experiment with ride food. Work at making parts of my long ride faster; don\’t worry so much about tiring myself out too far from home.

Or maybe it\’s all a pipe dream. But I can work to improve as a cyclist; century plans or no.