The Hurt Locker

I woke up Friday morning and the dull pain that has been with me on and off for over 15 years was back, yes my back had gone again. It's been like having a persistant bully working on you trying to beat the human spirit that lays within all of us. The root of my pain comes from a RTA I was involved in all those years ago. I was on a bicycle he was in a car (no license and uninsured!!), my right of way but he smashed into me. It really was a moment went I actually thought I would be dead, and when I woke up 20 feet down the road in one piece and (seemingly) Ok I counted my blessings.

There are lots of these dotted all over Flanders, I find them strangely calming.

I used to be a lot fitter then, rarely taking the tube in London and making most journeys by bike. So for many years after my accident I never had any issues. Then one day I had the worst spasm to date, which was also slightly embarassing. I was getting changed after my commute to work (around 15-17 miles) and I was taking my tights off, lifting my leg up my back went into a painful spasm and I hit the floor like a sack of spuds. I couldn't move for ages and must have been there for 15-20 minutes. I wife came and collected me, I was a grumpy mess.

 This has no cycling reference, I just like butterflies, amazing things.

So I needed to get fixed as I refused to let this beat me. Many times in my life I have been told you'll never do this or that again and I didn't want to walk down that corridor again, but that's a different story. I had been to the Osteopath before and had some great pain relief and made progress enough to actually not be in constant pain. This time I thought I'd try a Chiropractor and ended up going to see some good people on the recommendation of an Australian massage therapist friend of mine. X-rays where taken and a when they sat down with me they struggled to see how I should be able to ride at all. My spine was not straight! It resembled a piece of cooked spaghetti as both my lower and upper vertabrae had compressions on either side which was twisting and pulling on me.

I think the process took around 10 weeks in total, and cost me loads of money. I was off the bike for around six of those weeks, which as it was coming into Spring was a pain and thr frustration of missing one of my favourite seasons was hard. Since that period of getting fixed it has flared up again, but thankfully I know how to ease the pain. This involves some stretching, massage (with oils), core stability work, painkillers and riding the bike. Ironically one of the things that can set it off is lack of fitness. My body needs the pain and the hurt locker of exercise to stop the pain that can come by being unfit, it does seem perverse.

That's one of the things I love about PRO riders is that they go out to train in all weathers. They look like normal people but they seem to have an extra few ounces of grit & determination comapred to us meer mortals.

So why has it flared up again and so badly, well these where my thoughts at 5:30 this morning. I think it's a combination of things as if it was one or two they wouldn't bother me and I would continue in my normal world. Lack of riding and core work, this makes my body soft and doesn't give me the strong muscles I need to support the skeletal system. This leads onto the next one, I'm too heavy at the moment. I've found shifting the weight that Swine Flu added (post illness and no exercise, not during) to be tough, due in part to not training (it's a viscious circle) and this does not help. Finally the last contributing factor is 4 plane flights in 5 days in the last 10 days or so. Being 190cm of 6ft3" planes are cramped unless you can afford the expensive ticket, but normally it's not an issue.

So the recovery process needs to begin. Stretching, massage, core work and riding the bike. It'll take as long as it takes, and God willing, it might be only a few days. I don't want this piece to sound as a big downer as I am generally upbeat about it. Unlike many people when they are ill or in pain I am in the position to know what is wrong with me, and on a whole know how to deal with it. Having this issue has given me an extended reason to be happy as it makes me appreciate the days with no pain, and as a father of three boys I need my body to work as they are active and enjoy the outdoors. I suppose what I am trying to say is 'don't take for granted what you have got' as my fitness was robbed from me by somebody who should not have been driving at all. Maybe I need to do something crazy again soon, and I'm not a one for causes (another story) but maybe I need to raise some cash for victims of bicycle related car accidents, any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

So enjoy your ride today it's a great day out there, and in the words of Faithless 'This is my Church, this is where I heal my hurts' and I'll enjoy mine again once I can get back on a bike.

A Nod please, but no Wink

Sunday came and I said goodbye to the Wife and kids for 48 hours. Great I thought, I'll get out on the bike. I made one of two connected mistakes. Firstly I sat down with a cup of tea and turned the telly on (mistake #1). Then while flicking around I came across a Neil Diamond ITV Concert Special (mistake #2), bollocks transfixed by the smooth tones of the 'Jewish Elvis' (a nickname which I never knew he had till I got on Wiki) I watched the rest of the Show.

 a bit of Neil Daimond pre ride is a good thing

So, a bit later than planned, I eventually got out. I had planned to head to some hills where there are a series of climbs which could be straight out of the Flemish Ardennes, I like to think of it as Little Flanders. I thought it'd really help get my head and body in shape. The roads round here are pretty crap at the moment with whole sections of the road broken up and pot holed, I was getting more of a Flanders experience than I was expecting. A brief lack of concentration left me a cropper on one of these monster holes. Luckily I was fine, but it changed the course of my day. Instead of heading towards Little Flanders I turned left and went up a climb which could have left me swearing if I'd had any breath left in my lungs. A rude awakening for sure.



Before I made the left turn up the rude climb (think La Redroute, or at least in my head it is) I stopped to have that 5 minute paranoid post crash check over the bike. A group of mates (about to head up the climb) split into two and separated by 30 seconds both checked to see if I was okay while I was fiddling away. I was quite touched because having lived in London for over 16 years, most people couldn't care, or where too afraid to ask. Since moving down here the riders of West Sussex and Hampshire have been so friendly and welcome. The best part is that people couldn't give a shit what kind of bike you are on, that snobbery just doesn't exist.

 

Flanders can look alot like West Sussex in places

I've always taken the view that we are all on two wheels and for those moments we belong to a big, and generally friendly, family of two wheeled happy folk. I've always tried to give a hello, a raised hand or if I'm completely knackered a nod. Further into my ride I bumped into some of the South Down Velo guys on their way home, more nods and hellos. I like it, especially when I am riding solo as it makes you feel a little less alone while out there in the lanes.

So please lets be a better example of being a human to your fellow velo riders and acknowledge each other. The warmth and passion that you have is best passed on to as many people as possible, and maybe we are just making the world a better place one revolution at a time.