This will be the year of the extension, almost certainly.
Cycling
Maintain A-Group Fitness - all year
I was bullied/forced into riding in the Nova A-Group this summer, which was a real step-up in pace and intensity. I'm surviving so far, and I need to keep the fitness levels up to maintain that. This will require consistency throughout the year....volume, structure and frequency as an overall. When I started, I was wrecked on the following day (Sunday)...now I can get a second longer ride in, so need to maintain that, and make sure I've got the resilience built up.
Time Trials - Q2 and Q3
We go again, with the aim of winning a trophy (something I managed to just avoid in every category this year). I'm now in the Coffin Dodgers 50+ age group, though honestly the competition is just as hard.
Bike-packing - Prep Q1, ride Q2
In April I'll be doing my first bike-packing trip, riding from Harrogate to Belgium via the Hull-Rotterdam ferry, and doing the Tour of Flanders sportive. I need to re-spec the gravel bike into a road-tourer (I have a pile of vouchers for Restrap), and need to change various things (tyres, gearing, handlebars etc). I have a slowly expanding document for planning. I set off on 1st April, and goal is full completion (approx. 750-800km), but I've got various options in case the distance gets too tough, or weather doesn't play ball.
If it all goes well, I might try an overnight trip to the west coast in Q3 (stretch goal).
Retire the PlanetX Commuter - Q1
I've not used it since I moved here, and it's been partially disassembled to cannibalize parts for other bikes. Strip off all parts, and bin the frame (clearing up space). I've drilled the frame to run cables internally, so it's unsellable. Should be done alongside the gravel-bike re-work.
Retire Wattbike - Q3/Q4
I'm not 100% on this yet. I bought my Wattbike second-hand from British Cycling in 2013, and it's done a lot, and is showing it. The CMOS battery in the head-unit is gone, so no longer remembers settings. I'm unable to get spares, and the cranks are rusted to all hell. It's noisy, and the bodywork has cracked (taped up). I have an option to retire it, buy a modern direct-drive turbo-trainer, and attach my old Canyon (the one I broke my pelvis on) as a trainer. This would effectively clear a second bike from the rack that is not being used (and is also partially disassembled). The Wattbike is, however, bullet-proof. It's been incredibly reliable, and still performs it's prime function.
Beekeeping - Q2 onwards
We should be getting one or two colonies this year. I need to;
- Build hive stands
- Complete the course (theory stage 2 in Q1)
- Get 1 or 2 colonies installed in the hives
- Harvest honey in ~September
Extension - Q1 and Q2
We have a provisional start date of mid-February. We need to complete requirements (kitchen design, electrical layout, floor spec).
We need to survive the 14-16 weeks of the house being torn apart while we work inside (and with no kitchen/washing machine)
We'll need to sort out the garden once complete (assuming lawn will be wrecked)
As a stretch goal I'd like to get the driveway redone (currently gravel, I want block-paving)
As a stretch goal sort out the dogs room (remove shelving, plaster wall, move radiator to opposite wall and fit dog crates under desk. Wall mount TV on opposite wall)
The solar panels and heat pump have had to be delayed, probably until I retire and have access to a lump sum.
Finances - all year
The "big" stuff is done, so now this is about finessing, as well as a bit of rationalisation.
- No big bike purchases - I've spent a lot on bikes in the last couple of years, getting the fleet adapted to Yorkshire. No big purchases this year
- I did a complete tech refresh in 2025. No big tech purchases this year
- Do a full review of 2025 spending in Q1, and identify areas where savings can be made. This is much easier than when I last did it, as 99% of spending is now on card/app
- From Q2 onwards implement a savings schedule for 9 months
Project-55 remains on-target.
Tech - all year
- Complete the migration to a FLAC music library. As a reward, once done get some LDAC compatible headphones (currently using SBC)
- Get Immich up and running on the in-house servers. THis is the last major self-hosting of media that I need to do.
- Look into basic PETG printing. This will mostly be looking into a moisture-proof spool system.
Health
A new category. In November I had a bit of a scare when a molar exploded, and then got infected. I ended up in A&E on a drip for a few hours, and for a week I was only able to eat via a straw...it all culminated in a weekend out of my face on Tramadol to keep me sane while the antibiotics did their thing. It's been fixed now (nerve killed, abscess drained, root canal done and filled...still need to get it crowned), but it's made me aware that many of my systems are reaching end-of-life. My teeth are atrocious...the period from uni to my 30's of abusing them and living off Red Bull has come back to bite me. My eyesight has gone...from perfect vision in 2020 to +2.5 now. My hearing is going (the partial cause of the tinnitus I got when I got taken of the bike). We are not evolved to live this long, and it's clear a lot of the organs that we rely on are starting to age and fail.
- Teeth still need a lot of work. Start getting it done
- Investigate what supplements work for me
To clarify that second one, I'm not talking about vitamins, or stuff you should be getting day-to-day in your diet. This is more about performance, and keeping systems running.
I've already started this, with Magnesium at night (to assist with sleep), Nitrates before exercise, and also Creatine (muscle repair, and some unproven stuff around cognitive performance).
Generally, a good diet will help the various systems work well, however I shall investigate (and navigate the snake-oil nonsense) where I can gain definitive benefits.