I'm certain no-one here recalls this but, after much hand ringing and a few sleepless nights I hung up my cleats last fall.

The decision was driven by the birth of my son, pressures at work and the dread of putting another team together for 2008. I just couldn't make the time commitment. I took the computer off my bike and started to enjoy the infrequent rides that I could squeeze in as they were all about fun and not about work.

Fast forward several months. My son is 15 months old, work has calmed down and my wife and I have settled into patterns that allow me to train again. I've started riding more frequently and have put together a new training schedule with the goal of racing in the fall. I've decided not to manage a team and just ride for someone else - basically who ever will give me a kit and cart me and my stuff to races. This shouldn't be a problem and I have a few options. I'm also trying to decide whether to race in my age category or go back to Elite (P/1/2).

The problem is that I'm 44 now and, although I didn't really have time to get fat or anything, I lost most of the fitness that I had when I stopped 7 or 8 months ago. I've done a few of the local wed. night training races and although I've improved in the last few weeks, it just feels like I'll never get back to the strength and level of fitness I once had.

I have also decided to officially train with a power meter (Ergomo). Previously, I had access to regular testing on a bike with an SRM so I have some idea of what I should be able to do but even when I was racing in 2007 I just figured I was so close to hanging them up that there was no point in making the investment. I'd raced for 20+ years without one and didn't feel like re-inventing the wheel in terms of my training. With semi-regular testing that seemed to be enough.

So, a few questions:

Has anyone else found themselves in a similar situation? If so, any suggestions?

Would anyone find it interesting to see the data as I go from untrained old guy to old guy who races again? I was thinking of starting some kind of blog. I know personally I am intrigued by hey, that could be just me.

I've attached a poll if you into that kind of thing.