I recently helped out a sports science student by being her guinea pig - she wrote me a training programme which I had to follow

I gave her a gift at the end of to say thanks and wrote in the card "you made me feel like an athelete, not just some 40 year old riding a bike".

Its great isn't it, Hirika? I've been riding for about 18 months now - and like you, the whole of last year I didnt lose weight - but I did change shape - I have dropped two dress sizes now... and these last couple of months am actually staring to lose weight (good for getting up those f***ing hills)... but its the fitness, the healthyness I feel. Its fabulous...

And I am pleased to have this forum because it is soooooo hard to not talk biking most of the time to my workmates - some of them think I'm a leetle bit weird now I think (well, weirder than they USED to think I was! )