This turn of the New Year feels particularly welcome. With so much upheaval across a myriad of arenas last year I felt like I was constantly trying to keep my head above water and my wits on high. Hopefully you didn’t have the same feeling, but most I’ve talked to are very happy that 2025 is in the rearview. I wanted to fly into ’26 with some new energy, a bit more commitment to my own riding, and a stronger sense of joy and connection with the communities I circulate in. So here are a few wishes I have for 2026…

1. More Riding! 2025 was the lowest mileage, a modest 4,987 miles, in the last 15 years at least! I put on some pounds, lost some muscle mass, got a bit older and was generally less “myself.” That’s not to say it was a bad year – I spent most of the season working with some great juniors on a National level team AND a development academy I built from scratch over the past 3 years. Each was very rewarding and I got to travel, a lot! Even so, I’ve set some pretty ambitious goals for 2026 and at the top of the list is to hit 10,000 miles. Let’s Go For A Ride!
2. More Group Rides. I tend to ride A LOT by myself. Partly due to schedules and an aversion to driving to a ride start. Partly due to being a bit of a loner when left to my own devices, and partly due to some apprehension – which feels strange to write after so long, but when you get out of the habit it can be a bit intimidating to ride nose-to-tail and side-by-side with groups of mostly unknown riders. Well, I’m changing that so I’m hunting good group rides – road, gravel, and mountain – so if you know of a good one in your area, drop me the 411 and Let’s Go For A Ride!
3. Less Weight! Over the last 30+ years I’ve hovered around 165-170lbs without fail. Whoops. Looking at my intermittent scale excursions (who wants to look at their OVERMASS everyday?) I see that I spent pretty much all of 2025 above 170lbs…even hitting 183lbs a time or two. That’s an all time high and a HUGE red flag for my discipline. Riding isn’t the only way to drop weight, but it’s my favorite. Adding this to numbers 1 and 2…Let’s Go For A Ride!
4. More Community! My new online training studio is going live this month, it grew from a desire to ride with my athletes more, and to build a community of the like minded; hard training, good science and great music! From juniors to masters it’s a great way to get your training in a focused /fun group setting. It’s a pretty modest class schedule to start – just five per week, but here’s the cool part – you can opt to do them live with me or you can stream and replay existing workouts and classes to have the same quality workout and experience on your schedule. January is “beta test” month and I’d would love to have YOU take advantage of the FREE 2-Week Membership offered and join me online to experience the class, and have a great workout! Join Sonic Online HERE for your FREE 2-Week Membership and Let’s Go For A Ride!
5. Embrace Kindness. I try hard to do this everyday already, but I’ve really found that being continually conscious of kindness to others brings a tremendous feeling of CALM! It just feels good to give your best to those around you in kindness. I won’t always succeed, but touching that buzz generator a few more times each week sure can be addicting. And it really adds to ride quality when your mind isn’t consumed by all the detritus and anger that dominates so much of the World these days. Join me and share some of that reinforcing energy on the open road – Let’s Go For A Ride!

It’s not a long list…and hope is not a strategy. I have to engage with these regularly to make them a reality, but that’s the point! Plug into the life you want!