2012 was a high water mark I still haven't matched in terms of cycling performance, but 2017 has been excellent in several measures. I've ridden regularly, with 2700 miles so far in this year and I've improved my limited climbing capacity. Most importantly, I lost more than 20 lbs. I also competed in Illinois Senior Olympics and won gold in the road race and silver in the time trial in my age group. I plan on attending this event next year and that will provide additional motivation for further improvements in fitness.

I completed the restoration of my De Rosa Professional and made some detail improvements on my other bikes in 2017. I'm really impressed with the De Rosa and I'm no longer looking for a grail bike to top off my collection. Finding a significantly better bike than this Italian exotic would be nearly impossible. Sure, there are arguably "better" bikes to hunt down, but it's unlikely I'd find a better bike in my size at a sane price unless it had some fatal flaws.

I'll start attending gravel events in Missouri soon and it's possible to ride outdoors almost continuously through the winter here. I'll use my smart trainer when icy weather interrupt my outdoor routine, but I should be able to ride outdoors often enough. I'd like to be able to complete a hilly imperial century next summer. I hope to lose another 20 lbs and improve my endurance in 2018.