At the beginning of the year, I laid out two new goals for myself.  In my first year of riding (2010), I rode 4,000 miles and did 4 century rides.  This year, I simply wanted to ride 6,000 miles and do 6 centuries.  To date, I have only 4,100 miles and it looks like the best I will do will be somewhere around 5,000. Besides that, I have only completed 2 of my 6 planned centuries. 

When I started to reflect on what has caused me to miss my goals, I soon began to realize that missing them has brought me to a closer realization of what is important in life and has helped foster stronger relationships with those I care about.  Some of my fonder memories that resulted from chasing and missing my goals include:

Helping bring a new cyclist into the sport and riding his first century with him on a cool Summer morning.  One week later, my friend and I rode alongside each other with tears in our eyes as he had just discovered the day before that he had cancer. 

Discussing faith with Dave Bond as we rode through the hills of the Elk River Valley metric route.

Viewing over 100 beatiful sunrises, mostly over Tims Ford Lake, 20 miles into a pre-workday ride. 

The excitement of seeing a new rider show up in my driveway at 5:00 in the morning to experience riding in the predawn hours. 

Long rides that end up at the Donut Palace and the taste of a well-deserved apple fritter. 

Helping my son train for his first duathlon and then watching him compete in, and win, the very first event he ever entered.

Summertime Wednesday night supper rides with my daughter and lunchtime rides with my wife. 

The continued camaraderie of a good friend who helped me develop my skills as a cyclist and the growth of our friendship that transcends the morning ride. 

I have seen beautiful landscapes and wildlife, discovered roads I never knew existed, and have been able to summon even more strength than I ever knew I had.  I love cycling and I plan to be doing it for many more years.  I will probably continue to pick goals and then do all I can to achieve them – that’s just my nature.  But I don’t think I will ever forget that the quality of the miles I ride should always exceed the quantity of those miles.