March Update: Bike Shops and Short Rides

It's been a while since I posted. This is mostly because we've been spending our weekends visiting bike shops rather getting out on the bikes! I've been trying to find a new bike that will be suitable for touring and for using on the road. This turned out to be more difficult than I ever thought it woul be!

I had never planned to go for a bike with drop handlebars, so after my initial search on the internet, I thought I would want to go for the Dawes Karakum as this is a ladies specific touring bike and it comes with butterfly bars. Unfortunately after test riding it just once, I decided I didn't like it very much! Also, after having tried Ant's bike with its drop handlebars, I found I actually quite enjoyed it and decided not to rule this option out. This gave me more options, but still surprisingly few as it turned out. My main problem has been finding a suitable bike with a small enough frame for me to be able to reach the handlebars.

To begin with I was focusing on the Claud Butler Dalesman as I really liked Ant's bike and it was a good deal! Unfortunately despite lots of efforts from the guys in the Bike Shed to shorten stems and bring the handlebars within more manageable reach, we finally decided that the bike was just too big for me. So, it was back to the drawing board again and back to the Bike Shops again...

In the meantime, we had been trying to get out on small rides, but we didn't have a lot of day light hours left by the time I'd been touring the bike shops! One chilly evening after an unsuccessful day, we decided we'd go for a ride down to the Swing Bridge and back so that Ant could try his new bike and I could start building up my cycling a bit more. I was feeling really comfortable on my bike, so decided to carry on for a bit and we went all the way down to the Turf Locks. I was a bit worried the light might fade before we got back, but the trip rewarded us with beautifully lit scenes, a lovely sunset and some wonderful wildlife. This is why I love cycling...roll on some summer weather!

Coming back from the Turf Locks was much harder work as we were against the wind and after a short stop at Turf, my knee was starting to hurt again. However, back at the Swing Bridge, I swapped onto Ant's bike. Despite the bike being too big for me, it's just so much fun to ride! The lighter bike and easier peddalling helped me back towards the Quay, where we swapped bikes again so Ant could battle with the small children and dogs on the narrow bridges! I was glad to make it back home, but also glad to be out cycling again and getting on the mend and hopeful that once I finally decide on a new bike, the cycling will get much easier!

I am Back on my Bike!!!

Good news everyone, I am back on my bike! Ant picked up a new bike on Sunday and I decided I would be brave and have a go at getting out on my bike. I didn't go very far, just down to the Double Locks and back, but it's fantastic to have made a start. The journey to the Double Locks was pretty easy as the wind was behind us. I'd hoped to stop at the Double Locks for a celebratory drink, but it was freezing cold outside and neither of us had thought to take a bike lock. Oops!

Coming back was a bit trickier as the wind was against us and it was freezing! Even with my new super duper goretex gloves my fingers felt numb and I really wished I'd worn a hat under my helmet. On the whole it was a pretty positive experience. My knee was a bit sore, but I managed much better than I thought I would and I even managed to cycle up the drive when we got back. My knee was a very interesting shade of purple when we got back and it was a bit sore during the evening and the next day, but not too bad overall and I'm hoping to keep going regularly for short rides to get back into it again. Proper cycling was actually a bit easier than in the gym as you can stop and freewheel for a bit when you want a rest! The worst thing was actually stopping as it's my bad knee that's the one I always put down first, so I was always nervous of hurting it, particularly when trying to stop going down a hill! (Yes there is a bit of a hill down to the Double Locks!!) Ah well, luckily it's my good leg that I always push off on, so that's a bit easier.

For those of you that are interested, Ant has bought a Claud Butler Dalesman. I can't tell you much more about it, but it looks very new and shiny and nice! I'm sure many of you will see it at a CTC ride near you soon!

A small triumph

This week's visit to the physio went very well. With vast improvements to my knee, the physio pulled and poked me about more than normal and somehow seems to have done some magic! I felt like I was walking on air when I left! Not surprisingly my knee became very sore again afterwards, but since then it's been a lot better overall.

On Friday night we went to the gym so I could tackle the exercise bike again. I used a different bike this time and managed to get going straight away, so I set myself a target of 10 minutes. Although it was a bit uncomfortable, I managed to keep going on the lowest level, so that was fab! Just to compare my progress to last time, I also went back to the type of exercise bike I'd tried the first time, which are apparently harder to get started on. It took me a couple of attempts to keep cycling long enough to set the programme to a low level, but I got there and did another 5 minutes, just so I could appreciate the difference to last time. I wanted to keep going, but knew I was likely to be sore afterwards, so decided to leave it there. As predicted, my leg was very painful later, but amazingly seemed ok again by the next day, so I'm delighted! Ant has threated to start videoing me if I keep showing off my mobility and sqealing 'look at me!' every time I manage something new, so I'll have to try and contain my excitement! I'm determined to get out for a short ride on my bike this week....so watch this space!

Looking ahead, Ant and I have signed ourselves up for the Brittany trip at the end of May, so I have a new target to aim for! Kirby came over in the week and inspired us with tales of previous trips and the plans for this trip. I'm reassured to know that there are longer and shorter cycling routes for each day, with the chance for a rest day as well, so I can see how I'm doing by then and plan my trip accordingly. (There's also a train back from the furthest point, so even in the worst case scenario I should be able to get home again!) It's fantastic to be planning ahead and to have a trip to France to look forward to.

The hunt for new bikes is also well and truly on now. We took a trip out to Crediton yesterday to see the bikes they had in stock in Crediton. Ant will probably get a bike very soon and they had the bike I've been considering in stock out at Crediton, so once I'm back on the bike again, I will arrange to go out and try it. The rain and gales forecast for today don't seem to have materialised, so if it stays dry this afternoon I might even try and get out on my bike today...eeek!

Having fun with Physio!

Well I know I said at the end of my last blog that I was hoping for gold stars when I went to see the physio. What I didn't quite bank on was finding myself back at home massaging my knee with star shaped ice cubes! The good news is that my knee now has much more movement in it. The exercises are clearly working and I'm definitely making progress. I still have a very tender area around my knee cap, hence being advised to massage the area with ice cubes (they didn't have to be star shaped, ours just happen to be like that!). I've also been given some exercises to start building up my thigh muscles again, which is good.

Last night I had a major breakthrough with one of my exercises! Hoorah! I can now stand on one leg and get hold of my foot when I lift my poorly knee up behind me. I was extremely excited about this and possibly overdid it a bit, doing it several times over and then heading out to the kitchen to demonstrate my new found skill to Anthoney! Not surprisingly my knee has been rather sore today...but I'm delighted to see such good progress.

I've also seen a bike I rather like the look of and the Bike Shed have a men's version of it in stock, which I was very excited to stumble across on Saturday. Roll on being ready to get out and test ride a new bike...that's got to be a good incentive to get better!

Pedalling nowhere...fetching my bike & fixing my bike

I am doing my best to be as involved with cycling as possible without actually being able to get on my bike! Here's a quick summary of what I've been up to:

Last Thursday I went to the gym to follow the physio's advice to see how I get on using an exercise bike on a low resistance. The answer is it didn't really work! I did my best, but I just couldn't pedal hard enough to get the machine started! Luckily Ant was there with me, so we had a good giggle about it and I pedalled away very slowly and gently on a switched off bike. It was particularly embarrassing due to a lycra clad guy on the bike next to Ant's who was furiously pedalling and puffing away, but never mind! Despite not being able to do much or for very long, I was surprisingly pleased to be on the bike and I hope it won't be long before I can start building up the amount I can do.

After my semi-successful attempt at going to the gym (and after aborting my attempt at swimming too and sitting in the jacuzzi instead!) I went to collect my bike. I'm pleased to say it's all now fixed and I didn't need anything replacing, so it was a cheap job too.

Then on Saturday we did our bike maintenance course, which was excellent. Bernard and Andy were great and took us through the basics, beginning with cleaning the chain. I'm sad to say my bike was the only one in the group that had a chain in need of replacing! We then had a good look through a basic bike toolkit and unravelled the mysteries of several tools, most of which I'd never seen before! After punctures came my most eagerly anticipated bit of the day - sorting out the brakes! We can only get our bikes in the car if we take the wheels off first, which is fine. Stopping the brakes rubbing after putting the wheels back on again was never fine. I'm pleased to say we now know the secret and can adjust our brakes to our hearts content - yay! In the afternoon we looked at gears, which I have to confess still baffles me a bit. We also went through buckled wheels and how to fix them with spokeys, very clever stuff! Finally and most baffling of all was the task of taking off the axel and greasing the bearings. To be honest, I'd somewhat lost my concentration by then and decided that if I ever need that doing, I'll give Andy a call! All in all though it was a great day and very useful. I would highly recommend it to anyone who doesn't know how to do the above things, as it's really not as difficult as it looks (says she who spent most of the day watching other people fix her bike...the real test will come when I need to fix something out on the road...watch this space..!)

I'm sure not many people say this, but I'm looking forward to seeing the physio again on Wednesday. I know I've made progress in the last two weeks and I'm hoping for a big gold star for doing my exercises every day!

In the meantime, I'm going to look into signing up for the cycle scheme at work and do some research on touring bikes...as soon as I'm ready to get back on the road again, I want to be ready to go, go, go!

Doctors Orders

As my leg has still been giving me trouble, I finally gave in and booked a physio appointment. As previously thought, nothing seems to be broken or damaged but I do have a lot of scar tissue and liquid on the knee. I've been given some exercises to do and have been told to put an ice pack on my knee regularly to reduce the swelling, so hopefully we'll start to see some progress soon. Apparently it usually takes 6-8 weeks for scar tissue to go though, so it could be a while before I'm back on track again.

I did ask about when I could realistically expect to be cycling again and after doing my exercises this week I have permission to try an exercise bike on a very low resistance next week, so at least that will be a start! I will see the physio again in two weeks time and hope to have made good progress by then. For now though, my leg is hurting after my first set of exercises, so am heading back to the sofa with a nice cup of tea!

Boxing Day Bruises & New Years Resolutions

What better way to spend Boxing Day than to get out on your bike, work off the excess of your Christmas lunch and enjoy a nice half day ride to get you back into cycling before starting your training in earnest in the New Year? It sounded like a good plan at the time, but didn't turn out to be so idyllic on the day! After lots of cold and icy weather I was unsure about whether the ride would go ahead, but I was assured that we'd stick to main roads if it got icy.

As we headed off down the canal path, there were plenty of icy patches, causing us to get off our bikes and carefully find a route through. At the first opportunity we got up onto Topsham Road where the surface was much better. The ride to Exmouth went pretty well. Again, there were a few patches of ice on the way, but people were calling out warnings, taking it steadily and getting through ok. On the whole I was pleased I still seemed to have some fitness levels remaining - although I did as usual fall back from the group every time we came to a slight incline!

Arriving in Exmouth, we just managed beat the rush for tea and cakes (or a bacon buttie in my case - very delicious!) as the fun run set off. It was good to have time to sit and chat with people and not to be in too much of a hurry to move. Most of the group set off again at different times, taking different routes home. We joined a small group heading back via Woodbury and going to visit Sarah, who despite having her arm in a sling, entertained us wonderfully with coffee, biscuits and mince pies - thanks Sarah, it was lovely!

It wasn't until we set off back home on the last leg of our ride that disaster struck! As we turned off from one lane into another, we hit a patch of ice. Unfortunately as I'd been bumbling along at the back of the group as usual, I missed the call from ahead warning us of ice on the road. I saw Ant sliding around in front of me and to avoid crashing into him, instinctively (but not very cleverly!) pulled on the brakes. I remember an initial slide which caused me to let out a little yelp and the next thing I knew I was lying face down in the road, with my chin just inches from the tarmac. Ouch! I wasn't really aware of what had happened to Ant at the time - he had managed to stop on his bike, but then as he put his foot down had slipped on the ice and come off his bike too. Fortunately he didn't seem to incur much damage, so was quickly coming to my aid along with Kirby. I gradually got up and thanks to Kirby managed to avoid rolling into a stream of cold water! Luckily nothing was broken and we were soon back on our bikes cycling home. That seemed like the longest five miles in the world!

Just before we came into Clyst St Mary Kirby noticed my derailleur was bent and moments later, this was dedmonstrated when I changed gear and my bike ground to a halt! The chain was caught in the wheels, so I had to remember which gears I could stay in for the rest of the trip home! As we cycled down into Clyst St Mary the path was very wet and I was terrified of slipping again. Getting up Old Rydon Lane required a real push, then coming downt the road at Countess Wear I felt the bike slip again and started feeling nervous. Luckily it was all flat from there back home, but with lots of walkers out and about on the bridge, I finally gave up and walked the bike home from there.

It was a real relief to get home, but I was very nervous about looking at my knees! Luckily they didn't look too bad. They were badly grazed and bleeding, but nothing too horrendous, which is good, because I'm ridiculously hopeless when it comes to these things! After lots of wincing, I got myself cleaned up, put some plasters on and had a cup of tea. Much better!

At the time I thought it would just take a few days for the wounds to heal. Unfortunately since then the bruising has caused me more trouble and it seems like it will still be another three weeks or so before that sorts itself out. Fingers crossed I can get back on the bike again soon and get back into training...the six months from January have are rapidly becoming 5 with no training under my belt. Oh and I must get the bike fixed too...

Trying to stay positive, I've made some New Years Resolutions following my Boxing Day Adventure:

1. Re-stock the first aid kit
2. Go on a first aid course to learn what on earth half of the items in the first aid kit are!
3. Get some winter cycle leggings (have done that - and they have double layer knees!)
4. Go on a bike maintenance course (booked for Feb)
5. Sort out a training programme
6. Get a new (or second hand, but more suitable) bike
7. Cycle from London to Paris!

Happy New Year Everyone!!