Thanks Guys - some interesting replies.

I've recently started to do longer slower rides and I have felt tired at the end. I guess it's just a different way of riding and a different way of getting tired. I'm trying to extend my rides out to about 3 hours so to do this I'll have to make sure I go slowly , otherwise I'll just end up in a messy heap on the road side

Terry - thanks for your comments. There's definitely no worries about me over training. I love to ride but at the end of the day it's the way I enjoy myself when I'm not working. I'm a firm believer in keeping balance in your life. If I feel I've been getting too bogged down in cycling/ cycle talk one week I'll take a break, spend time with non - cycling friend and generally try and add some variation.

I know what you mean about girls in the gym who look like they could do with a good meal, and carry on training regardless of how ill they look and feel. Thanks for raising the issue.

A guy in my club whose reasonably new to racing has lost a huge amount of weight over the winter to get to his ideal racing weight. I hadn't seen him for a few weeks and he looks like a rake! He certainly wasn't fat to start with, and in my opinion he doesn't need to loose any more - if he does I'm sure he'll start to loose power/strength and get ill more often so I'll be keeping a watchful eye on him. He's a good laugh and I certainly don't want him to waste into thin air!