Older, fitter, happier.

It's been a long time since I posted anything here. Life has been busy and complicated, but I guess that's why it's called "life" and not "easy". I'll try and get the energy up to post more about the last year in particular soon, but for now I have bike stuff to write about and frankly it's a lot more fun for me.
So Giant, wow. In particular Giant Brisbane. It's been nearly eight years of amazing support and great bikes to ride. The support from Cyc'd for Bikes, QBC and now Giant Brisbane is nothing short of brilliant and I can't explain how much it has meant to me over the past 7 years. This year and for 2018 I have the honor of being an ambassador for Giant Brisbane and continuing my friendship and support from Jaron and Fiona. As context, Jaron and Cyc'd for Bikes were the first sponsors I ever had and were the main reason my 2010 Terra Australis and fund raising efforts were so successful. I'm still a pest at QBC though and will continue to help out with events and the like as often as I can. So for a bloke who doesn't win races, finishes mid pack at best but LOVES bikes, I am seriously blessed. A huge thanks to you all.
Obviously I have kept riding. I have raced a couple of Epics, a couple of marathons, a bunch of shorter XCO type stuff, a stage race and a 24 hour race. I have been in essence pretty happy with my efforts and if nothing else the training is THE best medicine for my state of mind. I am still using the "Today's Plan" online system and it works pretty well for me. The flexibility to change around the sessions is critical for me as sometimes life just gets in the way! The structure does keep me motivated though and I love seeing the analytics as I progress through the program. Thumbs up.
Gear wise I am riding a 2018 Anthem Advanced 1 29er currently with some exciting upgrades due in the new year. I haven't had the chance to get enough miles in to do a review of the bike yet but my intention is to do one in the next week or so. My initial thoughts though are after coming of the 27.5 version of this same bike it feels more stable through trail chatter and the feeling of sitting in the bike rather than on the bike makes climbing very comfortable. More to follow here.
All in all, the title says it all. I'm definitely older, definitely fitter and working on staying happier than I have been for a long time. Life should be about a journey and not a destination. My goal is to enjoy that journey and live and feel the experiences along the way.