Our histories are remarkably similar, bob. In college, I was 6'5" weighing 170 lbs. Now, I'm 6'4" weighing 220 lbs. Yeppers, aging has its effects. I walked away from the corporate grind at age 50. I was a physical wreck. I became a gym rat and took up marathoning. After five years, I had grown far leaner and waaaay healthier. I had trained so much I eventually became a fitness instructor and taught spinning classes. Like you, I ran until I learned I had no cartilage left in my knees. That discovery put me in a tailspin. Running had become a way of life and, in a sense, losing that equated to a loss of identity. It also turned my muscles to mush and the weight came piling back on. It took me a coupla years before I began morphing into a cyclist. I had bicycled a lot during my college years, but gave it up when I moved into the city and took to running instead. This is now my 4th year as a cyclist. I've logged 2,200 miles this season, riding along rural roads. At my age, it's taken me a while to develop decent skills. This year marked an interesting turning point. I visited a friend in Toronto and spent a weekend cycling throughout the city. It was a bit of a freakout for me, given that I had heretofore limited myself to country roads. I had such a gas, though, that I added a weekly jaunt along Chicago's crowded Lakefront Trail (a 36-mile round-tripper) to my cycling regime. At long last, I had made a full transition from runner to cyclist.

I envy your diverse cycling experiences. Next on my agenda: joining a cycling club to learn about pace lines and drafting (indulging in group rides), and then embarking on cycling tours both in the US and in Europe. I'm hooked.