So that was it. The break from riding is over and I’m back into ‘full’ training mode! I managed to pluck up the courage to pick out my stitches yesterday and, lucky for me, all of the incisions have healed really well. I started riding a little at a time early last week, just 1-2hrs a day. I was feeling pretty stiff and sore but I’m starting to feel a little better every day.
The majority of the swelling has gone down but there’s still a fair bit of pain in my left knee and hip. I guess this is another thing I’m just going to have to be patient with and keep working on. I’ve been given yet another little routine of exercises to do each morning before training that takes me around 20 minutes. Mostly it’s working on strengthening my hip and keeping all of the surrounding muscles activated and ‘switched on’. After this I’m normally already starting to feel pretty sore and this is even before I’ve touched the bike. At the moment it’s pretty obvious this stuff has to take priority and the bike has to take the back seat.
So apart from this, what have I been up too? I really feel like I haven’t sat down for weeks. I felt like I’d only just touched down in Girona and found my feet and already I was on the way back to the airport once again, laughing at the ‘speedy boarders’. I headed back for the Dave Rayner dinner in Bradford. It’s an event organised by a charity that’s pretty close to me and I have a lot of time for them. To put it bluntly, I wouldn’t be a bike rider right now without them. It just wouldn’t have been possible for me to have gotten to where I am now. As always we had a great time and raised a fair bit of money for our next up-and-coming riders, with a jersey from Cav topping out at 1700 quid!
Whoever bought that jersey, a; I think you’re crazy and b; thank you so much!
So a quick trip in and out of the UK and I was soon back in Girona, feeling like I really wanted to ride my bike. I managed to do a 4hr ride in the week which just about killed me. My heart rate was sky-high all day and my hip and knee were again pretty painful. I’m raring to go, all I want to do is go pedalling and I can’t! It’s really frustrating but there’s not much I can do but take it easy, listen to the doctor and be patient.
So after a slow week I’m again preparing to go back to the UK for another dinner event. The Liverpool Century is the club I started off riding my bike with. The club dinner is always an event I want to go back for but for some reason can never make it. This year, however, is an exception and for the first time in a few years I will be able to show my face and go spend the weekend with some old friends. Something I’m looking forward too.
Until next time,
Matt
