We are careering towards another New Years Eve. I hope this year brought you all you decided it would last year and let’s see if we can create enough challenges to lift our lives this year. I’ve already decided what my New Years Resolutions will be. What are yours?

I know this year mine changed as the year went on. I started off quite determined to loose the weight I’d amassed whilst the kids were young. Nothing dramatic, just a couple of stone. I had no end weight in mind, just to be much happier with myself and to be able to run around with the kids and not worry about future health problems I would have created for myself being overweight.

But as I got back into cycling, something I’d been so passionate about years ago well into my late 20’s I found I was riding for riding’s sake and any weight loss became a side-effect, a by-product. I passed personal bests like my first 120 mile ride, I rode two mountain ranges in one day and started a work commute of 40 miles per trip. Something I’d thought wasn’t possible when I started because my previous 16 mile work commute was hard to keep up. I guess it’s all in the mind because I’m loving it or maybe each commute is more like a proper ride to me. The usual distance I’d do for fun.

So this year I’m keeping up the challenges, without them I falter. More of that later, but I’m also focussing on helping to make things easier for others. I’m looking at getting involved in road cycling safety as today’s roads for cyclists in the UK are dire at best. The current publicised routes are peppered with poorly designed junctions and road surfaces ground to bits by road works and frost damage. The majority of car users have never even heard of primary and secondary road positions and that is inexcusable. Especially for those who teach others to drive. I’ve had more than one driver argue the toss with me, believing I should be riding the gutter.

So, we’ll see how that pans out.

In the meantime, to close the year. My belt would like to make an appearance. I made a point of keeping the same belt and once I’d gone down a belt size I refused to go back. The last two holes I made myself. Make progress measurable, but not at the cost of making it fun.

This blog: Tony Hemans and Glen Eccles cycled the Camino Frances from St jean Pied de Port in France to Santiago de Compostela covering 845km in 6 days in October 2012.  If you are trying to get fit, planning an adventure, long distance cyclist or just curious about my mid-life crisis then subscribe and share!