Machka: lots of good advice given to this point.

I second the advice to see this as a new cycling adventure. Also realize that this is 2010 and not 2002: age changes things. Priorities in life change. Locations change (and with you, boy did they ever!). The things that drive you from day to day change.

I love that you went out on the 100K populaire just to have fun - and had fun! That's the way to build back into a new rhythm: bit by bit, enjoying things, and pulling back when things seem to be a boring chore.

I heartily concur with those who suggest cross-training and finding another sport to pique your interest. The idea of XC skiing and snowshoeing is perfect: it dovetails winter-centric sports with the warm-weather friendly sport of cycling. In may case, my first sporting love is alpine skiing (a bit more difficult to do in a quality setting where I live these days), and cycling was the off-season sport to keep the fires burning. These days, it's more the opposite, and that's OK. I also do a bit of yoga, swimming and work in the weight room to keep things mixed up.

As an aside: your notes about riding centuries were of great help to me when I started concentrating on road riding back in 2002. I still refer friends to your posts here, as well as on your website. And those posts all stemmed from sharing your passion for the sport with others. They also grew out of your own experience in making the transition from racing cyclist to randonneur. Now you're in another transition - even if it's from randonneur to.... randonneur!

Damn the torpedoes - full speed ahead! Chin up! And enjoy the winter (says the guy who lives in a city where we've had 6 straight days of 90+°F weather and misses the snow)!