Friday 22 June 2012

I should be in the Western Isles of Scotland

I should be in the Western Isles of Scotland
I should be a few kilos lighter
I should be midge bitten
I should have a lean physique with bulging quad muscles
I should have grown used to passing many hours with only my self for company (yikes!!!)
I should be sporting a fantastic cycling tan

I shouldn't be feeling sorry for myself, but I AM!

I was just reading about a friend Ben Allen's awesome touring trip from from Canada into Mexico. Read here. He has recently ditched the bike to set off hitchhiking down Mexico. Seems as though he is enjoying the freedom of experience as I had intended, while I am sitting here, day by day on a sofa watching TV, jealous.

Add to that the annoyance at having been this very evening deceived by yet another person's feigned interest in buying the car I NEED to sell to be able to survive this summer, it is safe to say that things aren't going to plan!

Initially I was able to keep my touring hopes alive. But after 5 weeks of physio, the physio and I agreed that it would be worth testing the waters, injury wise. So I sensibly chose the short blast to Brighton - 45 miles as a good testing ground. To make it even easier, (whilst also testing the back to back riding that is required in touring), I split the 45 miles into two days - 20 and 25 miles respectively. Considering I was happy doing 60-80 mile days, back to back before injuring, you will see that a puny 25 miles, even in a weak state shouldn't have presented a problem. However, after weeks of rest and physiotherapy and constraint, my injury manifested itself similarly just before arriving in Brighton.


Oh the frustration, I cannot tell you - The kind of morbid acceptance which seemingly allowed an odd satisfaction in cycling one legged into a city, enjoying the odd looks of car drivers and pedestrians. Very weird!

So, referral back to the doctors. This now means an acceptance of the fact that I am going to have to call off my circumnavigation trip, at least for the near future. I imagine it to be unlikely that I will see a knee specialist before the end of the summer and I don't expect there to be a miraculous cure. In fact I am wondering whether this is going to hinder my potential for an active life...well, for life. I suppose we'll just wait and see.

Either way it does not fill one with optimism when the doctor says, "yes... well...normally with knee injurys, cycling is the one thing we CAN recommend because it is a low impact controlled movement".

SUPER!!!

So - new plan - learn to sail. More on that and the reasons why, later.

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