It's been a long naff year, and I have been a disillusioned and lazy git.
Somehow along the way I have managed to accumulate over 3,000 miles to date, but I haven't been quick, and I haven't been light.
I think the main problem is not setting myself a single, big, stretching target, and coupled with a dodgy few work months at the start of the year this just left me feeling, well, a bit 'meh!' I just couldn't be arsed.
Consequently, when the Tour de Mercredi season started with the guys from work, I was seeing the rear view of people who were behind me most of last year. So I felt a bit worse.......and did even less.
In August, I dragged my lardy arse off to the Alps together with the bike and a few things happened:
1. I realised I did actually enjoy cycling still (even/especially the uphill bits)
2. The photograph my wife took of me was not flattering (and no you're NOT seeing it on here)
3. The Alpe d'Huez time trial was hellish and 15 minutes slower than last year
Returning from holiday, I finally had the "What the Hell have you done to yourself?" moment of clarity and have finally decided to do something about it.
I have (re)joined Weightwatchers, joined the gym and promised (with some of the guys from work) to have a 'proper' go at next year's Etape du Tour. I say a 'proper' go, because even last time I only slimmed down to 101kg, which was only good enough to comfortably finish in front of the Broom Wagon. Next year, I am hereby stating my objective to go balls-out (not literally of course) for a Silver Medal.
So far, I have gone from 16stone 28 pounds (OK, OK 18 stone) down to 16st 2lbs this week (102.4kg) in just 9 weeks, and I may just make this years most seemingly unattainable target of 95kg by Christmas. Beyond that, I don't know if I can attain their 73kg target (I haven't been 11 1/2 stone for 30 years) but the further I go, the faster I'll get.
The good news is that the Wednesday night climbing legs are back, and I'm fighting for position on the hills again (and sometimes succeeding). I can't wait to find out if the coach at Newport velodrome was right and I really am "a talented cyclist living in a fat man's body". The fat man can keep it and I'm taking mine back.
My name is Clive Handy, and because I'm 50 next year I'm in the next age group up for the Etape du Tour, and I'm going to get a Silver Medal.
