This is not a New Year's resolution...

...it just happens to be early January and I've pledged to make a number of personal commitments as we head into 2012. One (and I stress the point that this is just one) such commitment is to take my cycling more seriously this year, actually it's not that I didn't take it seriously before it's just that I didn't do enough of it or regularly enough. Things get in the way don't they - work, family, holidays, going out, hangovers, magnetic beds - you know the kind of thing.  I've been regularly cycling for the last four years or so and while I've made improvements during that time it's fair to say that while Mr Cavendish had a blinding 2011, the past 12 months were a little less productive for me.

So as we start the Olympic year and I am now officially "late 30s" rather than "mid 30s" then I have decided that I should start the year as I mean to go on. Regular riding, building it up as we go, turbo sessions during the winter and bad weather and glorious summer evening rides through beautiful scenery.

Now, before we go any further there are a number of things we should clear up.

1. We're talking about road biking here, none of your mountain biking here thank you very much. Nothing against our off-road cousins just not for me.
2. I'm not a bad cyclist but I'm certainly not what you'd call good either.
3. I'm not aiming to be the best in the world, c'mon, I'm not aiming to be the best in my team (more of them later) but I would like to be better than I am at the moment and with that will come fitness and less of me (currently 6ft 1in and about 13st 7lb - not expecting to get shorter of course but lighter perhaps)
4. I hate climbing, I hate it with a passion. It's closely linked to being rubbish at it too so if I moan and whinge there's a good chance it'll be incline related
5. I'm not bad on the flat...not quite the Hampshire Missile but I like a sprint as much as the next man. The problem is that if that sprint comes after a climb then I'm doomed...doomed I tell you.

So with all that established, let me tell you how the first few days of 2012 have gone.  New Year's Day - Day off. Start with a rest was my theory, well it was New Year.  2nd and now we're up and running, 24 miles with Sean, good steady ride, decent pace, couple of climbs and a little sprint back into Petersfield - I'll settle for that.

Tuesday and today have both been turbo sessions, 25 and 45 minutes respectively. Ok, nothing special but as I said steady and progressive is the aim of the game. I don't plan to ride every day, couple of times a week will do me but it feels good to start with a bang and see where I go from there.

So that's my plan and I thought a regular little blog would help me along and see how I'm progressing. I track my rides on Map My Ride and upload them so aim to share them at some point and I'll let you know more about where I'm riding and the team I ride with, OCRT, and if I'm actually getting any better.

It's not been a bad start, let's see how the rest of the week goes.