It's been an odd couple of years for me, but basically I had 3 heart attacks resulting in a damaged heart and several aborted attempts to get back into cycling. I was back in hospital in January with more heart trouble (chest pain & high troponin) and tried, again, to get back into cycling from March. Things were going really well then with lots of progress then, about a month ago, I suddenly started feeling really fatigued with a vague discomfort in my chest and hit a bit of a downer with a real loss of mojo. I was convinced that it was my heart again but a trip to A&E and a full set of blood work with the GP shows nothing wrong - probably all in my head.
Anyway, I made an effort to get out on my bike (which is a rather portly Singular Swift at 29½ lbs) on Saturday and headed for an old climb I used to do years ago up into the Mendips (Deer Leap - Wookey Hole to Priddy if you know the area). It's fairly step so I figured that I'd get as far as I could and then go back down and have a pootle on the levels (I've only ever been a recreational pootler). Well to my delight and surprise I made it all the way up (although I'll be honest and admit that, for part of it, I was crawling along at sub-walking pace in my lowest gear (22/36), gasping like nobody's business and within seconds of bailing).
It's laughable by the standards of some of the superhumans on here but it cheered me up and seems to have enthused me a little more to carry on on the bike.
Anyway, there must be a few of us that aren't as spry as we used to be, so what little breakthroughs have you made (on or off the bike)?
some of the superhumans on here
Their ability to consume Greggs wares is superhuman I suppose.
Once made it from Battlefield in the southside to my weed dealer in Clarence drive in the west end in 22 minutes. Including a break to gulp down a pint of milk. This a was on a 34lb muddy fox.
OK, not up there with 'doing the west Highland way', or bagging every bothy in Scotland, but this is a cross city jaunt through traffic.
It’s laughable by the standards of some of the superhumans on here but it cheered me up and seems to have enthused me a little more to carry on on the bike.
Good on ya. I've got a bit unfit (kids, bikes broken, crisp addiction etc.) but got out my big bike lately and rode with a mate. Did 1/4 of what I used to but had so much fun. As the girl in the WCDH crowd advertised so well "Bikes Yay!".
Wookey Hole to Priddy is pretty impressive - well done!
I managed to get a mutter/grunt from my 13 year old daughter this morning after asking how she was. This is a success to me.
My main ridding buddy is much younger and fitter than me - but today she didn't leave me miles behind on the climbs. I nearly kept up - thats a huge success for me.
Well to my delight and surprise I made it all the way up
Awesome. Cycling up tricky hills is just the best.
(although I’ll be honest and admit that, for part of it, I was crawling along at sub-walking pace in my lowest gear (22/36), gasping like nobody’s business and within seconds of bailing).
Who cares. People on here often say " well at that speed you'd be quicker walking"
Bollocks, it's not about the speed, it's about the challenge.
I managed to clean the Greenlands Farm to Hollins Cross climb the other day for thd first time in 15 years. Was well chuffed.
Brilliant feeling that is...up hills play on your mind, keep concentrating and it's great*
Not been on a proper MTB climb for a while but I can remember;)
I drove away from Galloway activity centre yesterday, leaving two full SUP kits bagged up at the back of the van.
They were still sitting at half 9 this morning, when I realised and drove back up.
That's a small success!.
Well done PJay, that's great to hear.
My spine was badly broken almost 6 years ago commuting to work. Gave up road cycling and took up MTB. Did some road cycling in North Wales last year, then took it up (as well as MTB) from January having refurbished one of my bikes. So I'm now doing a mix of road and MTB - no rush hour stuff.
This month, I've started commuting again, but off road using the canal - 25 miles return - not every day as I'm hybrid working.
Then this weekend, rode 75 miles into North Wales to my caravan with two mates, beer and food in evening, then 75 miles back yesterday. We averaged 17 mph and 3,500 feet of climbing. Knackered.
Well done! Stayed there in the summer, proper hilly!
Hope you got a pint at the Queen Vic to celebrate.
I managed to get out and exercise for the first time since the birth of my first child. She is 6 weeks old today. Managed to just get a quick blast at Haldon, but paid for yearly membership. wife and little one can go for a quick walk, I can get a quick bit of exercise in. Then all meet for coffee and cake afterwards. Small win, but feels like a big one.
Yesterday I bled an Shimano XT brake successfully. Its the first time I've bled a brake.
Well done PJ!
Myself and a friend stayed for a holiday with families in Bristol a few weeks back, plotted a route out of Bristol to Cheddar Gorge and back using bridleways we could find on OS Maps, we live in Norfolk, so were a little surprised by some of those Mendip climbs, i think Cheddar Gorge was the easiest one we did!
Great news that you are back out on the bike and still enjoying it. Any time out on the bike is well spent in my book.
Hope your health allows for more off-road fun for years to come.
My small success's these days are seeing my kids enjoying cycling and challenging themselves with more difficult trails and features.
👍
@PJay - that's excellent. Years ago a GP hinted that I might need a pacemaker - the psychological impact of that was enough to impact the way I ran. After what you've been through riding as hard as that must be tough on the mind and the body.
I had a bit of a breakthrough at the weekend with my ten y/o. After nine months of gentle cajoling he agreed to do assist in some maintenance work on his frankly awful Suntour forks in the vague hope it would improve them. Not only did he work with me on the whole process, but when we struck a disaster (brake pad broke!) and had to swap out the front brake for another he got enthusiastic and even came back the next day to help me manage the internal routing of the rear brake so he'd have a matching set and upgrade the pedals!
Strava bragging I got a #8 cup on one of my favourite downhill segments yesterday on a hardtail (sad I know).
I've just managed to get full movement back in my shoulder after a nasty clavicle break 14 months ago.
Left me unable to ride for over 9 months which is the longest I've ever not ridden a bike in nearly 50 years.
Still hurts like **** and limits my riding but at least I'm still making progress with it.
My sympathies go out to anyone that been stopped from riding due to medical reasons.
It really is depressing.
Thanks for the good wishes and well done to everyone getting back out there, perhaps I'll be allowed to try Cheddar Gorge sometime soon (it was at the top of this that I had my first, and biggest heart attack).
I'd love a proper gravel bike (my Swift's lovely but rather too much for what I need) but I can't afford one at the moment - I'm more than happy pootling around and exploring. Getting places is what counts and I'm not too fussed about how quickly or impressively.
My cat was doing the "I'm about to vomit" dance on my bed yesterday. I managed to grab him and run into the bathroom and throw him in the shower just as the vomit started to fly.
Vomit washed away down the plug 'ole and all was well.
That's a success worthy of noting.
I managed to get both my 3 year olds to pedal their bikes in the same direction without any whinging (only been on pedal bikes for 2 weeks) on their birthday yesterday.
No one told me how much faster small pedal bikes are compared to balance bikes.
It’s like herding cats!
