One of my new years resolutions was to endeavour to post more regularly on this site and in an effort not to disappoint myself by failing at the first hurdle I’ve made the momentous decision to try and post a monthly update on what’s been happening on the two wheeled front. Hopefully this may have the side benefit of encouraging me to ride more just so I’m not embarrassing myself by having to put into print my meagre mileage totals. Like all good intentions lets see how it goes over the course of the year.

So ……. January ……. Lets have the figures first:-

Total distance ridden – 290.3km (180.3 miles) with a total elevation gain of exactly 4000m (13,123ft)

If we break that figure down 204.9 km was inside on Zwift, 58.8km was on the Moulton around my local lanes and 26.5km was done on the MTB around Llandegla’s mountain bike trails. Unsurprisingly after the epically crap weather the UK has enjoyed this past month outside mileage has been a bit limited, but hey that’s exactly why I bought the Zwift Bike ! I’ve mixed it up a bit on Zwift this month to try and keep the interest levels up with a couple of races which ended in my usual solid mid pack finishing position and three stages of the Tour de Zwift when I’ve tried to test myself a bit more than usual by opting for the longest route option. Getting these indoor rides in is (hopefully) going to pay dividends outdoors when the sun and longer days return in the spring.

The outdoor miles I managed during a rare break in the rain when the sun came out and I looked out of the window and just thought it would be a crime to go nowhere by riding indoors that afternoon. These rides were both a quick spin around a local loop I know well on the Moulton during which I really appreciated both its full length mudguards and its suspensions ability to smooth out the fresh potholes that had appeared on the storm damaged and still semi-flooded in places UK roads.

January was supposed to see me getting out on the MTB more (another key new years resolution) but first the snow and then the torrential rain and flooding and finally a couple of major storms scuppered all but one of the days I’d had earmarked for off road fun, North Wales and all its mountain biking goodness was simply closed for business.

In conclusion I’m cautiously pleased with my start to 2025, the riding mileage is up compared to this time last year, and thanks to my enforced lifestyle changes I’m also lighter and fitter than I’ve been for absolutely ages – lets hope I can keep the momentum up in the coming months.