2010 - The year it all began

So, after ordering a new bike on 1st March 2010, courtesy of my employer's cycle to work scheme, my life changed. The bike arrived on 8th March and I started my diet the same day. My first ride of 3 miles was on 13th March and rest, as they say, is history!

I started at 20st 10lb (131.8kg) which for my height (1.70m) made me super morbidly obese. I'm now 14st 9lb (93.1kg) and now considered just obese!

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank some people. Firstly I'd like to thank Clive Chapman. If I hadn't found his blog whilst waiting to get my bike then I probably wouldn't have started this blog. Secondly, I'd like to thank all the people that have taken time to read this blog and comment on my posts. Many of you have connected with me on Facebook, Twitter and other platforms and made a great support network for me. Some of you, I've even met in person (Les and Adrian) and I hope to ride with some of you in 2011.

I've also been lucky to meet one of my cycling heroes. Mark Beaumont has been a real inspiration to me since I became interested in cycling. Although my journey so far has been nothing in comparison to what he has endured on a bike, he has shown me that the human mind and body are more capable than I had ever imagined. Thank you Mark.

Before I leave you with what I've achieved in 2010, I'd like to let you know my plans for 2011. I plan to ride more miles than I have in 2010 but I also intend to take part in three charity rides for the British Heart Foundation. the London to Brighton in June, the Goodwood Cycle Ride in July and the London to Hastings in August. I'm pretty sure I'll ride some others too but my these are the ones I will definitely enter. I also plan to complete my first century ride early in 2011.

Here's my stats for 2010:

Total miles: 3,257.51
Commuting miles: 2,232.25
Recreational miles: 1,025.26
Car miles reduced: 2,481.90
CO2 Saved (kg): 944.57
Total riding time: 280h 29m 55s
Average speed: 12.0 mph
Weight lost: 38.7 kg
Fat burned: 298,620 kcal
Punctures: 4
Bikes owned: 2
Unique blog visitors: 1,637
Total visits: 5,405
Total pageviews: 11,551
Most popular post: The London to Hastings Bike Ride 2010
Most referring website: http://www.massivemtber.co.uk/

Before

After

Look at the size of me in this photo

Here's to a great 2011