Well, Nigel, looks like you are ready for a quick start in 2005.
As for myself,I have done 2 good training rides (2-3 hours) this
year, plus maybe 5-6 1-hour rides.
We have had a good snow fall mid-january, then a cold spell so that
roads remained risky for 2 consecutive weeks. I have had to resort to
stair climbing during the week.

Conditions were good though for cross-country skiing, so far I have
gone up there
http://www.monts-jura.com/fr/hiver-etatpistes-3sites.html#VATTAYVALSERINE
7 times this year.

I don't know if you can access this site
http://club-ski.web.cern.ch/club-ski/fond/images/skate3-jan2005/index.html
from outside, I am the one wearing the red pants and a yellow top.
Our instructor that day is a very fast track cyclist, very powerful
legs, was french "universitary" champion for 1 km at one time.

Cheers
François


>We're all still here!
>
>I must have got in about... Hmmmm, 2.5 hours on an average workday, 5
>days a week = 12.5 + at least 4 hours at the weekend = 16.5 * 4 = ...errrm..
>
>66 hours of training in January. This month I've been ramping the
>training up to as much as 4 hours on a weekday with a 6 hour run at
>weekends. The time trial season over here is kicking off soon with some
>hard, cold, technical hilly events. Lovely!
>
>Nige