Weekend Rides :: 29th April, 2012

I fronted up to the Saturday morning shop ride not entirely sure which group I should be going with so I allowed myself time to see who else would show up and which groups they would be riding in. Given how well the knees had responded to Thursday morning's ride and the rest day on Friday, I was keen to give the legs a bit more of a work out so Group 1 was not out of the question and when AP arrived we kind of convinced each other to ride Group 1 without going out for a smash fest.

Rehabilitation Update :: 27th April, 2012

It's now been three and a half weeks since the crash and while it feels like it's been taking an eon to get over the injuries I count myself very lucky to even be back on the bike at all let alone to have gotten back to a point where I can apply a decent amount of strength and power in such a short amount of time. At this point of the rehabilitation, I am able to maintain a steady pace and HR however the left knee still doesn't like the hills and I experience discomfort on even the slightest of hills - but even this is improving.

Back On The Bike At Last :: 21st April, 2012

Two and a half weeks since the accident and I finally managed to get back into the saddle. I'm sure the Venge missed being taken out for a run and I don't think she was too impressed with the manner in which she was returned to duty. However, I'm sure she is happy to at least still be in one piece and unblemished. As for me, I still have a lot of work to do as the ride this morning put the sting into both knees so I still expect to suffer for another one or two weeks before I can begin to rebuild the form I will have lost.

Rehabilitation Update :: 19th April, 2012

I arrived home from London this morning after a 24 hour long haul flight via Singapore. The altitude and cabin pressure during the flight flared up the swelling in the knees again but this time more in the right knee than the left so that is a little odd. My week in London was hectic to say the least however I was able to rise early in the mornings to get a lap around Hyde Park or Battersea Park and the knees responded well to these activities until disembarking the plane in Singapore to realise that a good part of that work had been undone.

Never Fly With Knee Trauma :: 11th April, 2012

As the post topic suggests, never, ever, ever fly with damaged knees. The pain is insufferable. Normally I can tolerate pain in the legs (especially on the bike) but knee trauma does not bode well at 30,000 feet. I've just arrived at Hong Kong International and I couldn't get off the plane quick enough - actually I would have liked to have been able to get off the plane quicker but I had to hobble off so not the fastest disembarking of an aircraft I've ever performed.

The worst part is I now have to endure the long haul flight from here to London, Heathrow! Thankfully I have another couple of hours before boarding the plane so I'm hoping to walk around the terminal as much as I can to help reduce the swelling again. It seems the swelling in the knees does not agree with the reduced air pressure in the aircraft cabin and the resulting pain was not pleasant.

As an experiment for anyone taking a flight in the near future (I actually did this today), take a bottle of water on the plane, drink it and screw the lid back on while at 30,000 feet and then watch what happens to the empty bottle when you descend. Then consider that the same thing is happening to the body and you should be able to tell why I recommend never flying with knee trauma. So much for maintaining reasonable cabin pressure!

I think the only thing that kept me sane throughout the flight were a couple of cycling magazines I picked up at Perth International - if you can't ride bikes to keep your wits you can at least read about them.

Hopefully I will survive the next leg and try and recover in time over the four days I have in London so that I am able to endure it all over again. Oh, and if you ever have a long enough stop over in Hong Kong, I recommend the Spaghetti House at the other end of level 7 (assuming you're not a stickler for local cuisine).

Rehabilitation Update :: 10th April, 2012

Rehabilitation is coming along well enough with a noticeable improvement in the left knee this morning. It had taken a while to notice anything getting better with this troublesome knee so it was nice to wake this morning (after a very restless night) with an almost immediate feeling of improvement in my ability to bend the knee and to put it to work getting on my feet. Today was also my last chance to get some level of comfort in the knee before flying out to London on Wednesday morning - a trip that my knees are probably not going to enjoy.

Easter Kudos :: 10th April, 2012

Easter (Weekend) Kudos is my way of recognising those who have put in significant efforts over the weekend in their respective race disciplines. It's not so much about the placings or results, it is more for the effort that has been put in. As a rider, I appreciate the encouragement I receive when I put in the effort to do my best so it is only fitting that I repay the favours.

Rehabilitation Update :: 7th April, 2012

I must begin this post by once again extending my thanks to all those who have offered their support and extended best wishes for a speedy recovery since my accident on Tuesday morning. It's not been an easy week to say the least and I have been attempting to do what I can to minimise my time off the bike. I hope to be able to track my rehabilitation through my blog so, as with my recovery from over-reaching, it might serve as a means of reference should a similar recovery be required by me or anyone else.

Many Thanks :: 3rd April, 2012

Many, many thanks to everyone who checked in and/or sent messages of concern regarding my cycling accident this morning. As you can tell from that fact that I am able to write this post so soon, I am all in one piece (apart from some bark left on the road) with a pair of very sore knees, a banged up cheek bone and a few bruises, cuts and scratches.

The only thing that is broken is my poor Giant TCR bike. I am yet to see the aftermath other than a photo that Chris Singleton sent to AP but it looks like a shattered top tube and apparently the forks and front wheel (both taking the full force of the impact) were all but demolished. It's a real shame because that bike was an incredible asset and was responsible for getting me to where I am form-wise. I will miss not riding it anymore.

While it was an experience I would have preferred not to have gone through, I will not let it deter me and I will be back to training as soon as the knees will possibly let me. I trust that we can all let the incident act as a good reminder to ensure that we all remain as safe as possible on the roads and as my father always told me when growing up, "expect the unexpected".

Finally, thanks to everyone who was there at the scene and were quick to do everthing they could to ensure I was properly looked after. A big thanks also to AP for contacting Kathy and letting her know and for riding over to CGH and instructing the nurses how best to treat cycling accident wounds. I honestly thought you were joking about the scrubbing brushes!!! Oh, and thanks to the CGH emergency ward staff for treating yet another cyclist with great care and attentiveness and for putting AP to work.

Weekend Kudos :: 1st April, 2012

Weekend Kudos is my way of recognising those who have put in significant efforts over the weekend in their respective race disciplines. It's not so much about the placings or results, it is more for the effort that has been put in. As a rider, I appreciate the encouragement I receive when I put in the effort to do my best so it is only fitting that I repay the favours.