I'm 34 and have been riding 5 years, but the past 2 years have been a little rough - first I hurt my back in the Spring of 09 and couldn't wiggle my toes, let alone ride, that killed one year. Last year I rode off and on, when I was home. It was a crazy busy year and I just never had the time to really get into shape.

So this year, things have been great, I have a good schedule and my back seems to be ok. However, you lose a lot in basically 2 years of not riding, so far this year my longest ride is 30 miles. I'm just south of Chattanooga, so I also have KILLER hills. Some days I just do a 17 mile very hilly loop - but I confess, on some of this looooong bad boys I stop in the middle, catch my breath, and then go on - it's much easier than pushing myself to the brink, and shows me just how far I still need to go conditioning-wise.

My goal this year: to do the 60-mile century in August and go up the mountain at least once.

You can't compare yourself to others. All you can do is your personal best. Besides - the point is to have FUN!

And in my case, part of the fun comes later, as gastronomy is one of my favorite indulgences, riding lets me pig out! Unfortunately, it means losing weight is a wee bit slower when you're eating fresh bread dipped in homemade pesto, a creamy pasta of whatever sounded good and a glass or two of red the night of a ride... and then top it off with chocolate mousse!