Poor man's Powercranks? (PPC)

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My 3 months is pretty much up - and they're still on my bike. I see results (bigger thighs, higher mph) and feel results. Here are my questions to you:
How many years away from cycling did you spend?
After you started up again, how long (weeks/months/whatever) had you been riding/racing again before you started your Power Cranks trial?

Here are my questions to you:
How many years away from cycling did you spend?
After you started up again, how long (weeks/months/whatever) had you been riding/racing again before you started your Power Cranks trial?
I stopped racing in 96 and got back on the bike in 2005, although not that seriously. The odd 30 mile here, 50 mile there....and then after a month or two 130miles in the mountains near Lake Tahoe. LOL

Just before I stopped racing I was tested at a college in England - my "1 hour" power output was 340watts at 190bpm, blood lactate of 5.5mmol.

... when I got back on the bike, well, lets just say that adding "the odd pound or a few dozen" due to the new American diet and no exercise in 10 years had it's effects. ;)

Since 2005 I'd say I'd been riding for about 24 of the 36 months, time off due to work, illness etc... I was still using the Polar Sports Tester (VantageXL in the US) to record heart rate data and a shortened program of what I was using when I was racing. Mostly during the winter/rainy months that was 1hr 30 to 2 hrs at 165 to 170bpm on the trainer with Master of Puppets in the headphones and during the summer I'd be out in the hills around Lake Berryessa to the east of Napa. The last 10 months I've been using a CS600 as my 1991 "vintage" Polar kicked the bucket following a battery change. I got the PowerCranks towards the end of last November (2007)