Hi,

Thought I would introduce myself and give my history warning it may be long lol

I am 24, and well I started cycling offically this time last year, probably back in march/april time last year. First of I want to give a brief history on how I found the hobby. I had always exercised well I used to do a lot of walking usually arond 3 hours a day and I got bored, I had an old bike and started to use it just daily rides, and found I loved it, I then got a hybrid bike,a nd found the joys of getting a road bike and the cycling bug hit me. brief history here I also suffer with an eating disorder since the age of 14-15 so practically 10 years, I have been quite ill with it been hospitalised a number of occasions but been out of hospital for nearly 2 years and well on my way with recovery. Im still quite under weight, have osteperosis and have alot of body image issues and it has been a work in progress in terms of my mental health.

BUT cycling last year helped my ed so much, it was the first time I felt that I had something that I enjoyed it helped my eating alot I was able to eat nearly 3000 calories when I was doing my 60 mile rides I got my fitness up quite fast and joined a local cycling group and did their club runs, and got my weight up a bit too. However I stopped at the end of the summer went through a blip with anorexia couldnt eat enough to sustain it, looked in the mirror and saw myself as fat all the old thoughts came back and bam completely stopped cycling I was also started college and knew i woldnt have time. however....

now have started back at cycling but is still quite a battle to eat enough to keep my energy up and have lost a sense of urm normality around food. my course is nearly finished and for the first time in my life I have friends who dont have eds the last 10 years of my life have been a blur with my illness bt im getting my life back on track. have a place at university and going to train to be an occupational therapist.

So thats me and im looking forward to meeting people who share a similar interest of cycling, hoping to get my fitness up again and manage other things too.