I fell in love with the sport of Cycling as a Junior racer in Northern California in the mid 90s. Although I would not consider myself to have been an "elite" racer at any time that I was on the bike, I was competetive and had varying degrees of success that was probably highlighted by a short stay at the Olympic Training Center for a Winter Cycling camp in 1993. Although I don't have stories of winning big stage races in Europe, I do have many fond memories of the people I met and the racing atmosphere I grew to love as a young man.
Like many others though, as life became more complicated, cycling became less possible. And after some time, I looked around and all my bikes where gone, replaced by the toys of small children, all my time I used to spend in the saddle was replaced with the time I was on the clock at work, and all the entry fees and club memberships where paying grocery bills and putting gas in the tank of the family car.
Although I missed the bike... my kids were healthy, my job was good, and my life was, despite the bumps in the road everyone experiences, fairly normal and rewarding. But through the years I have always noticed that I've gotten a nagging "itch" right around the month of July, as I watch the Tour de France and yern for the "Good 'ole days."
Over the last couple of years I have gotten back in touch with some of my friends from "back in the day" and the itch has gotten stronger. I envy the fact that they have stayed with the bike, but don't regret the reasons why I left it. But recently I have decided the the itch is just too strong, and I've decided to scratch it again and get back in touch with the sport I've always loved. This blog is basically an album of my return to Cycling, and a place for me to gather some of my thoughts, results, and information. Follow along if you think you'll get a kick out of tracking a fat guy, that's let his body get in to various states of apathy over the last 15 years, get back on the bike.
