Resolutions: Cycling Goals don't HAVE to be Measured in Miles
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Tell me if this sounds familiar.
It’s the stretch between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. You look back on your year of cycling and think, “I guess I should set some goals for next year.” You check your total mileage. You fell short. Again.
But it should be attainable, right? So you set the same mileage goal for next year and hope for a different outcome.
Or maybe you just throw your hands up and say, “I don’t really have any goals.”
I’ve been riding for decades, and I’ve fallen into this exact trap more times than I can count.
Here’s the thing: we tend to assume that goals automatically mean chasing numbers—miles per year, FTP gains, weight loss, segment times. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with those goals. But if they don’t excite you—or don’t fit your life—it can feel easier to say you don’t have goals at all.
That’s a misunderstanding of what goals are actually for.
You don’t need an odometer, power meter, or scale to ride with purpose.
You don’t need to suffer to take cycling seriously.
You just need a little intention—and the right kind of goals.
Two Types of Cycling Goals
Most cycling goals fall into two broad categories: results-oriented and process-oriented.
Both matter. The key is knowing the difference—and knowing which one should lead.
Results-Oriented Goals: The Outcome
Results-oriented goals focus on what you want to achieve. They’re measurable, concrete, and easy to define.
Common examples:
-Ride 3,000 miles this year
-Increase FTP by 15–20 watts
-Complete your first 75- or 100-mile ride
-Improve time on a favorite segment
-Lose weight or improve fitness metrics
These goals can be motivating. They give you direction. They help define success.
The problem? Results goals don’t tell you how to ride day to day—and they don’t account for real life.
Progress isn’t linear. Work gets busy. Kids get sick. You get sick. Weather happens. Motivation dips. Numbers stall.
When results are the only goal, it’s easy to feel like you’re failing—even when you’re still riding consistently.
Results goals answer one important question:
What do I want to accomplish?
But they can’t answer the whole thing.
Process-Oriented Goals: The Experience
Process-oriented goals focus on how you ride—and how cycling fits into your life.
They’re less about outcomes and more about habits, experience, and sustainability.
Process goals can involve:
-Performance (without obsessing over numbers)
-Experience (how rides feel)
-Events (without racing)
-Lifestyle integration (balance, consistency, enjoyment)
Examples:
-Ride three days a week without burning out
-Finish most rides feeling strong, not wrecked
-Become comfortable riding in a group
-Use cycling to manage stress
-Prioritize recovery and rest days
-Ride with intention instead of obligation
These goals are powerful because they’re controllable. You can’t always control outcomes—but you can control how you show up.
Process goals answer a different question:
How do I want cycling to feel and function in my life?
For most Not-a-Racers, that’s the question that actually matters.
Why Process Should Lead (Especially If You’re Not Racing)
Results goals are motivating—but they’re fragile. Miss one number and the whole thing can feel like a loss.
Process goals are resilient.
You can miss a target and still win the process.
You can have a bad week and stay on track.
You can adapt without quitting.
This is where the Not a Racer philosophy lives.
Ride hard — with purpose and intention.
Live easy — with balance and flexibility.
When the process is solid, results often follow. And when they don’t? You’re still riding. Still enjoying it. Still improving in ways that matter.
A Simple Framework: Pair Results With Process
If you like results goals—and many riders do—don’t ditch them. Just don’t let them stand alone.
A simple rule that works for most riders:
One results goal, paired with two or three process goals.
Examples:
Result: Complete a century ride
Process: Ride three times a week, fuel properly, prioritize recovery
Result: Improve climbing strength
Process: One focused climbing ride per week, one strength session, adequate rest
Result: Feel fitter this season
Process: Consistent riding, avoid burnout, enjoy group rides
The result gives you direction.
The process tells you what to do when motivation fades.
Choosing the Right Goals (Without Overthinking It)
Start with why.
Why do you ride?
What do you want more of right now?
What feels missing?
Then match your goals to the season of life you’re in. A busy work stretch might call for consistency goals. A lighter schedule might open the door to a bigger challenge.
Keep goals flexible. Revisit them every couple of months. Adjust without guilt.
Progress beats perfection. Always.
Measuring Success Without Obsession
Success isn’t just watts, miles, weight, or times.
You’re probably doing it right if:
-You’re riding consistently
-You look forward to getting on the bike
-You recover well between rides
-Cycling makes your life better—not more stressful
Metrics are useful tools. They just shouldn’t be the judge and jury.
Sometimes the biggest win is finishing a ride and thinking, “Yeah… I want to do that again.”
When Goals Change (And Why That’s Healthy)
Goals evolve. Life changes. Bodies change. Priorities shift.
That’s not failure. That’s awareness.
If a goal starts to feel forced, it’s okay to rethink it. Ask what worked, what didn’t, and what would make riding better right now.
The goal isn’t to cling to a plan.
The goal is to keep riding.
Ride With Direction, Not Pressure
You don’t need a race.
You don’t need a podium.
You don’t need to suffer to ride with purpose.
Set a result if it inspires you.
Anchor yourself in the process.
Choose goals that support the kind of riding—and the kind of life—you actually want.
Because the best goal isn’t the one that looks good on paper.
It’s the one that keeps you riding.