Back in the saddle
Well .... I'm finally off road again !
After 11 months enforced recovery from my last outing ( http://nobmob.com/node/9627) I finally got out to do a couple of very tentative loops at cascades. After the first ten shaky minutes I was ready to sell the Yeti and buy a road bike but common sense prevailed and I kept going.
I was initially surprised at how alien the whole thing felt, like being on a mountain bike for the first time. After a while it started to feel a little more natural and by the second loop ( a week later...) I remembered why I loved riding off road again. I'm still a lot more tense than before and my previously limited handling skills don't look like coming back any time soon, but it's a start !
I hoped that the last month of commuting to work might have got some fitness back but I was brutally reminded of the different physiological demands of mountain biking compared to road riding as I watched Colin ( FieldofMars..) skip up the hills while I lagged behind trying to keep my legs turning and my breakfast on the inside. It's clear that what little base fitness I had is long gone ....
On the upside, my left leg felt pretty good, still pretty weak, and the left thigh is a very different shape to the right one but promising at least.
The shoulder is coming along and survived the experience relatively intact. It still hurts a fair bit but not as bad as I expected. As long as I don't fall off, it should keep getting better ( although the physio keeps reminding me that a basic torn rotator cuff takes a year to recover so if you tear it off completely, it's going to take a bit longer !...Could be another year before I can swing a golf club again...).
Anyway, the upshot of this is that although I probably shouldn't, I'm definitely going to have a go at the 100km Dirtworks at the weekend. Feeling a bit nervous and would have preferred a fair bit more time off road but much as I enjoy mashalling at these events, it's much better riding at them.
Hopefully the shoulder, leg and fitness will hold up and I'll get to the finish in one piece !
Hope to see some of you there.
CB
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fantastic to hear you are back on the bike and even better to hear that you're going to have a shot at 100km after only a couple of laps of Cascades.
Only down side is if you're not marshalling who is going to greet me with a smile and a chat at the last road junction after I emerge from the forest long after I know the event is finished?
I'll be looking for you come Sunday
Awesome effort if you are going to have a go at the 100km. Makes me sound like a big girl worrying about doing the 100 on Sunday as I've had the flu for the last 2 weeks
Great to hear you're back on the dirt!
I'm thinking of booking a slot in an AMB intermediate skills clinic some time in the next quarter to help bring my bike skills back up to speed - your company would be welcome if you're interested.
Keep the rubber side down, buddy.