First Post!

Hi. My name is Giles. I live in New Hampshire, and I am 25 years old. During 2007, I became interested in the prospect of bicycle racing. In 2008, I am going to do it, using this blog to document my progress.

Last year I was biking about 50-100 miles a week or so, for fitness, fun, and commuting, but after seeing the Portsmouth Criterium, I knew what I really wanted to do. I did some research and it turns out there's more to it than just showing up at the race, signing up, drafting the leaders, and then blasting by for the sprint finish. You have to have like an actual racing license, and be on a team and stuff. Well, okay, so I take a look at the USCF website, register, see what local teams there are, etc.. I'll handle that next month; it is still January. There's also the matter of my bike. At about 23 pounds, my 2006 Fuji Newest 2.0 isn't really that good -- it's more of a training bike. I have no idea how it will stack up against what I might expect to see from other entry-level racers.

So basically, for 2008, my long term goals are to win at least one race, and to do a full century ride, 100 miles. Short-term, I'll do 100 miles a week between commuting and the rollers, then next month get set up with a racing license and joining a club.