The new year approaches, and I’m excited again. During 2025, my focus was on my freelance career. It moved into its second year, and I wanted to dedicate most of my time to creating work I’m proud of. Of course, that meant that cycling needed to take a bit of a back seat.
With 2026 right around the corner, I’ve been reflecting again. Thankfully, my business is now working at a level that allows me to have some time here and there for new trips and adventures, something that was missing, especially at the end of 2025. I managed to pick up one minor illness after another for about 3 months straight, cutting all spare time on the bike entirely. It’s wrecked my fitness, so it’s back to the beginning there, but turbo training and regular rides should see me right.
I find sharing my intentions is a good way to put them into the universe. I’m not sure that I believe in any special power that will answer me, but it does help me to really set things in motion when my goals are actually recorded. So, for 2026, I’ve put together a bucket list.
It’s less of a traditional bucket list and more of a bucket list with intention. I mean, I’d love to set off and cycle around the world, but it’s not realistic for me at the moment. Instead, I wanted to put together something that I felt was both achievable and full of dreams. So, the 2026 bucket list was born.
You’ve got a bit of a look at what I’ll be aiming for, and many of you will have noticed the lack of mountain biking goals, no doubt. Put simply, I don’t have any. That’s not to say I won’t ride my mountain bike – I absolutely will – but rather that I don’t have any special targets in that area. It’s still reserved for fun days out and good times with friends. Bikepacking is where I want to focus my goals for the year ahead.
You may have also noticed that getting a group ride together is on the list. I’ll be documenting a new project over the course of 2026 – one where I’m hoping to help get a community built here in East Yorkshire, especially focused on slower gravel rides, and bikepacking. If that sounds like something you might be interested in following, make sure you’re following me on Instagram to get regular updates.