I got to wear a Soldier On jersey at the CORC XC Round 2 Race at Sparrow Hill on Sunday 9 June 2013.
A nice and chilly Canberra morning meant for some fast XC Racing in my new kit and on my new bike Kate.
Tag: 266
Recovery Week In Review – Week 6
It has been two months and two days since I crashed at Mt Stromlo during Round 10 of the 2012/2013 CORC XC Series. During that time I’ve been trying to get back to my pre-injury fitness by slowly building my strength and endurance levels. Between 1 January 2013 and 14 April 2013, when I crashed, I was averaging 250km per week on the bike. I had ridden in the Mont 24 Hour, 100km Capital Punishment, some short course XC races and plenty of 70km+ rides on both the roadie and MTB. In total I had ridden 2’242.4km in just over four months.
It’s no secret that I ride bikes as a form of therapy and rehabilitation. Exercise is an amazing tool to soften the edge of anxiety and depression. Mountain biking is something I can fully immerse myself in; the riding, the technology, the competitiveness and the social scene. Canberra has an amazingly inclusive and tight-knit mountain biking community. One of the reasons why I have enjoyed riding so much these past nine months (the first time I ever road singletrack was on 9 September 2012 at Bruce Ridge) is because of the people I have met and ridden with from The Berm. It doesn’t matter if you are a novice or an elite rider, if you enjoy riding you are welcomed with open arms.
So this week was supposed to be the start of my new training regime. The plan was to restart my daily commuting on the roadie and get as much singletrack in between as the girly would tolerate. I have a lot of ground to make up and the weather in Canberra is not very accommodating; we have had a lot of rain and sub-zero temperatures. This past week I have woken up, checked the weather on my iPhone and walked onto the balcony to gauge my tolerance of the early morning temperature. Only once did I brave the cold and ride to work.
I did however use every opportunity before and after the heavy midweek rain to ride my new Giant XTC 29er 1 – Kate. I managed to get a couple of rides in at Mt Stromlo, two at Bruce Ridge and two at Sparrow Hill/Kowen Forest. For my sixth week of recovery riding I ended up having my second biggest week in the saddle since my crash. After today’s 66.6km road ride around Lake Burley Griffin I amassed 209.1km.
So after six weeks of Recovery Riding I am now transitioning in Training Riding.
Recovery Week In Review – Week 5
Recovery Week 5 started off with a 20.2km ride on Monday afternoon at Kowen Forest after a particularly ordinary day at work. The ride itself was cut short after I got chased by a sheep and then had a low speed collision with a small kangaroo. But I did have a lot of fun just riding on the Kowalski’s immaculate single track.
Wednesday saw the arrival of my long awaited Soldier On jerseys and a quick 22.6km ride home on the roadie.
Thursday was the day I picked up my new Giant Composite 29er 1 Kate, which I spent the next two days drooling over and swapping out components before her maiden ride at Mt Stromlo on Saturday morning.
Round 2 of the CORC XC Series was held on Sunday and after a sluggish start I was very happy with my finish and even managed to have an off on Kate without letting the new carbon frame bike hit the ground. How did I manage that you ask? Well I just made sure my body hit the ground first and I lifted the bike into the air and made sure she didn’t make contact with the ground.
After a big week in cycling, mostly off the bike, I was happy with my 74.1km in the saddle and left with a huge smile about a new bike and my Soldier On jerseys.
TGIF
I haven’t been on the bike for ten long days. I’ve been sick and nursing my injury; so getting better has been my priority. In the interim I have been aggressively fundraising for Soldier On and acquiring new parts for N+1 (which is a few weeks away at best).
Today didn’t start off too well; cycling-wise. While driving to work I heard a rattle on my windscreen which I assumed to be the missing plastic tyre lever I most likely placed on my bonnet while fitting my tubeless tyres the night before. Oh how I was wrong. When I turned on my wipers I saw a black object fly across my windscreen and onto the car next to me on Northbourne Ave.
It did not dawn on me until I was at Sparrow Hill this afternoon that the black object was in fact the 15mm thru-axle that secures my front wheel to my forks; Rookie_Error indeed! Three bike shops later and quite a few phone calls I tracked one down at Bike Culture at O’Conner.
Two hours after I left work, I finally arrived back at Sparrow Hill for my first ride in ten days. I intended to ride a couple of laps of the course for this Sunday’s CORC XC Race; but after one lap I headed across the highway into Kowen Forest. I was not disappointed. The free-flowing trails spoke to me as daylight quickly faded and night-time set in. I switched on my lights and had the entire forest to myself for a brief moment in time. Just me, my bike and the trails. All of my troubles disappeared into the pine trees.
Today I was reminded why I started riding mountain bikes… Because it’s fun to ride.
Riding GIF
I made a GIF
The Agony & The Ecstasy!
Every now and then you have a ride where nothing seems right.
You are off your game slightly; the legs just don’t seem to have enough for the climbs; your lines in and out of corners are terrible.
It’s during rides like these you have simple offs. A misjudged corner and you hit it with too much speed and end up in the trees or in the dirt. Other times you can’t get your shoes out in time and end up on your side with a large chunk of mountain bike using you as a pillow.
Then there are days when you are dialled in and everything feels good.
…And then you meet the ground…
Luge at Mt Stromlo did a number on me this day
I bruised my patella, tore some ligaments and got some nice gravel rash
An attempt at a “wicked” jump at the end of my first CORC XC race saw me come off at speed and smash into the ground. Lots of gravel rash from my feet to shoulder but the best was yet to come.
A Grade 2 tear in my pectorals major and a few weeks of sling and painkiller action to come.
Currently I’m off the bike for a few weeks while my chest and shoulder heals. It’s a huge let down considering the amount of training I’ve been doing in the past couple of months. I’m faster and fitter on the bike than I have been before and now I have no choice but to not ride or risk further injury and time off the bike.
I’m hoping I will be back on the bike in time for the next CORC XC race in early May, but only time will tell.
Blogged Down By Life 