For the 2012 season, I have two focuses: lose weight and improve my time trialing. That's it. Just two.
To start, I'm really sick of trying to lose weight, so I want to get the weight off and be done with it. I'm aiming for 170, and the only thing stopping me from getting there is my love of snack foods at the office. Since my weight tends to vary by a pound or two naturally during a week, I'm really aiming for an "average" of 170, with my weight fluctuating between 169 and 171.
To help motivate me, I bought some new clothes that I really like that are just a little too tight right now. Once I reach the new weight, they will fit (and look) great.
While my power profile suggests that I'm a more natural sprinter, I'm just not into crits and road races that much. They are fun and all, but the risk-reward ratio is just not there (potential crippling injury, dismemberment, or death for little bragging rights and up to $100 in prize money). The biggest risks during a time trials would be getting hit by a car and having a heart attack from the exertion (both of which I risk every time I get on the bike anyway).
So, I'm focusing on time trials for the next year. My primary goal is to do a 40K in less than an hour. That's 24.84 miles in 60 minutes, so I need to average 24.85 mph in order to be under an hour. By comparison, that's the rough equivalent of doing the West River Time Trial three times in a row with a time of 20:09 all three times.
That kind of speed requires strong fitness (functional threshold and flexibility), good aerodynamics (both the frontal profile and the slipperiness of that profile), and good technical skills (like turning around quickly and riding the shortest course possible by watching the curves in the road).
In the coming weeks, I'll write more about what I'm looking to improve in each of those areas and how I plan to do it.
