Hey! Where did he go!?

hello again. I hope you all are well. it has been a while, for sure! well here is what's up:
I got my driver's license and stopped commuting daily. this happend right after the last post before that little 1200k. which, went pretty good, finishing in 75 hrs with Jerry & Ian after a splendid overnight ride in the mountains! 

I took some time off the bike. I was a bit burned out after living on them for 7 years. I got into bass guitar, which has been a long time love of mine. Of course that became another 'gear habit' I didn't need but, oh never mind..
It took no time at all for the fitness to fade-by winter I was up about 15 lbs. In january 2013 I rode a 300k. ugh. my endurance was 'ok', but speed and power were gone. it was a bit of a downer. when I showed up in the spring for the local series I was convinced I would ride back into form by the 600. not. even. close. I suffered thru all the rides, with the 400 taking nearly 5hrs more than the 2 previous years. I was not a happy camper, to say the least. One of my best buds, Tim, said I was "spending too much time playing in the dirt." He was referring to my renewed interest in mountainbiking. He was probably right..The rest of the year was a slog too. I did take some bass lessons, and saw some killer concerts. Music was good! I also sold some bikes and parts. They grew back..

I decided in 2014 I was going to turn it around. s l o w l y. I took a shot at an R finally and made sure to get a 200k in every month. with a car this is easier to accomplish. when spring came I was riding. often. still not commuting much though..from the series start 'til june I went every weekend for 13 straight weeks. results were coming gradually. july 4th was a hot as hell 300k out of salisbury,nc. spent most of it with Tim and we had fun but weren't fast. oh well. I had a weird drivetrain prob that took some time to figure out and missed the next couple longer rides. My redeaming ride of the year was the 'picnic ride' (200k) in August. I took my Bianchi Pista fixed gear and solo'd the course in 7:39. I probably spent the 39 min. off the bike and could have really done it close to 7hrs..I felt good about that day. I did keep the streak alive and got my first R in january!
This year has been an even better ride. I saw a post by a friend saying they were putting together a 1200k in Florida. since I am not going to France, this sounded cool. I signed up the minute it opened up. I needed a big goal. A target. Let's train. 
I rode one of Tony's 300k's in january. It was cold, and slow. I did another in February, and it was cold and slow too. the rest of Feb was a loss, it was just miserable weather this year. Things picked up in march and I managed a couple more perms. April was the big ramp up-100k, 200k, then a 300k in va, and a rainy 300k here. A week later on may 2 we returned to Va for a 400k. it went well, I rode the whole thing with Lynn, and other than finding out the rain had killed my garmin (i'll do separate post on that) it was a smooth ride. we love those roads up there! ya gotta go! after that, it was 9 days to Florida..
whew, that report is next, stay tuned...

marching on

hey everyone.

just a quick note to say hi and mention a couple of milestones..

it's now been a year and a half since giving up booze and I feel pretty good! time is flying and hopefully there is no looking back. being sober has not been a cure-all, but it has been huge factor in what has become an overall lifestyle change...

My weight loss now at 50 pounds! problem: none of my clothes fit. problem? let's go shopping! most of it was old and prob'ly stained with red wine anyway. I will miss a few of my trademark 'bright' shirts in the summer but not the fat I used to cover with 'em..
i'm shooting for 20-25 lbs. more off by spring. gonna be tough in winter but I'm determined. anyone for tennis? I'm looking for some variety to keep it interesting.

Thanks to everyone for the positive encouragement. Your support really is invaluable to me! Special thanks to the family and cycling bros. who push me up the road.

speaking of which; I just finished a new bike to coincide with the times: a Trek CarbonRace 2300. a vintage beauty acquired from Byron's archives to help him make room for a baby boy next month. I built it light to go climbing in the mountains.
i'll take pics tonite and tomorrow on the 100K ride. hopefully B- won't show up with that vintage Lemond, the bike loft is full!

finally, the state fair ends tomorrow and i'm going. stay tuned for pics...

peace and love,
G-