Some background...

Personal Background
Currently I work in the investment industry as an equity research analyst.  I am also working on my MBA, but took the current quarter off as I needed a break.  Yes, I know I am a little old for an MBA student, but I enjoy it.  I enjoy shooting guns and participate in NRA High Power Rifle competitive shooting events, though I can't say I am very competitive.  I have been married for 20 years and have three kids.  The oldest is off to college as a freshman at Montana Tech, studying petroleum engineering.

Bicycling background
I had and rode bikes as a kid (who didn't?), but I purchased my first real bicycle when I was in college (1990).  A friend of mine had been on the Jr. US Cycling team and was working at a bicycle shop, so we purchased the parts separately and he put it together.  Since he had been into bicycle racing, it had to be an Italian racing bike, so I purchased a Ciocc frame made out of Columbus Chromor, which was not the lightest weight tubing, but because I had a small frame it was still fairly light.  We outfitted it with Campagnolo Athena components.  At the time, I knew nothing about bikes or bike components, but quickly came to appreciate the better brands.  A year or two later, I purchased a Bridgestone MB-3 mountain bike, which I still have today.

My road bike and I saw many miles, which included the MS 150 bike ride in WA state, the Seattle to Portland (STP) ride sponsored by the Cascade Bicycle Club, The Chilly Hilly ride also sponsored by the Cascade Bicycle Club, and numerous other rides.  My mountain bike also saw many a trail around Western Washington.  Not sure which I liked better, though it seemed to change depending on my mood.

While in college, I worked for the Boy Scouts of America at the Puget Sound Scout Shop.  My dad worked for the Boy Scouts as a professional scouter for 40 years and I was considering that as a career.  When I turned 21, I combined two joys in my life, Boy Scouts and Bicycling by starting a bicycling Explorer Post.  I took small group of young men out on the weekends for some fun bicycling adventure both on the road and on the trail.  My then future wife would even drive support on occasion for longer rides.  It was a lot of fun.

I took the five year plan for college, but was married between my fourth and fifth years.  My oldest son was born a few months after I graduated.  Within a couple years I had gained some weight and rode less frequently.  The explorer post dwindled and died with membership.  We really had one core group of kids who eventually graduated and we never really added to the group.  The last year I rode more regularly, I sold my racing bike and bought a used Mercian Vincitore touring bicycle.  This was a much more comfortable bike to ride, without the aggressive handling which helped for a while.  I still have this classic bike,which I recently found out can be quite valuable.  I purchased a trailer to pull my son while I was on rides, but he DID NOT like that.  Only took a couple times of him screaming all the way to put and end to that experiment.  I have done a little riding since as I have gained weight and am fairly out of shape.

So, reiterating my first post, I plan to get back on the bike to lose weight and get in better shape.

Why blog?  I am hoping that sharing my adventures will help keep me on track and make me more accountable.  We'll see..

Carpe Diem!!

The Fine Print: I reserve the right to exaggerate and/or have selective memory regarding all past events. ;)