I’m a commuter cyclist first and foremost, who would love to have the time to do more on his bike. Like, be able to fix it, maintain it, go on cycle tours, even cycle the world, dreams I hope for an active retirement. I restarted my love affair with cycling about seven years ago. My increasing waistline was eventually stemmed when my employer rolled out it’s Bike2Work scheme. That got me interested in getting a bike. I hadn’t ridden one for 37 years, but umming and aahing over what bike to get, saw me miss the application window. But, thankfully, I bought a bike anyway, a Raleigh Chiltern 3 speed. I started using it locally, round and about the Neath valley, where I live, mainly for leisure. Gradually, I started to use it on a part commute to and from work, parking my car and cycling from and back to it. Over a period of about a year I built up the ride from a mile or so, to the 40 mile round trip I do today. I started at 54 years of age, standing 5′ 7″ and weighing in at 17 stone 10 pounds, a very obese and very unfit chap i.e., if I fell down I would struggle to get back up again, not that I fell down often, it was too much hard work getting back up. Since then I’ve cycled 1000s of miles, been given a new lease of life and have this wonderful hobby of cycling. Sadly the Raleigh Chiltern has gone, I gave it to a friend, today I ride a Carrera Subway LTD, mainly for my commute.  I feel great, but have told myself, for far too long, that I look great. The truth is I’m still obese, because I’ve only lost 1 stone 10 pounds, despite those 1000s of miles.  The clock is ticking and I’ll be 60 far too soon. My problem is an unnatural love affair with food, which I seem unable to shake. I’ve kidded myself forever, that muscle (mine), even though these abs are well hidden, weighs more than fat, but lately I’ve been recognising what I actually see in the mirror, for what it truely is, a fat middle aged man. Perhaps it’s an age thing, but it’s harder now, to fool myself, because I am that grumpy old sod my wife, boys and everyone else has been calling me for so long. But the times they are a changing, because this WELSHCYCLIST is on a mission, to lose another two stone by the time I hit that milestone of 60. This blog will reveal my progress, or not, toward that goal.