Brief update: 20th July

So the aftermath of "Project Eds-Lon".

• Recovery week.
• Data/analysis still to come
• The most epic ride
• My gratitude
• Return to "normal."
• Mojito
• What next??

Recovery week.

A very strange week!  I'm so used to riding for training, fitness, active travel and enjoyment that to stop or being incapable is/was a little alien.  I took the Monday off and worked a 4 day week with all travel done by car.  Towards the end of the week, I think I was probably more than capable of riding but the time off the bike was probably a wise idea.

On the Tuesday back at work, I was certainly slower in movement and my legs co-ordination had gone.  By Wednesday, I was starting to feel free'er but no where near my usual pace and leg movements still felt unnatural when walking.  By Thursday, my legs were getting twitchy!  They wanted to do something and move with co-ordination improving but still clumsy.  By the Friday, I was back to around 90% of normal.

The rest of me hasn't been too bad.  I still have cyclists wrist and fuzzy feelings in my two smaller digits on each had and the skin in my groin has peeled after rubbing through the ride.

Writing this on the 20th July, I'm feeling pretty good.

Data/analysis still to come

A lot of data, analysis, discussion points, learning outcomes and so on can be found from this project.  Sitting in my drafts for this blog is a long and detailed post I'll get round to publishing soon!

The most epic ride

Over the weekend, yeah, epic ride time.   Not because of time, distance, elevation gain or location, more just because I got to ride with my wife and kids.   ~ 3 miles around the lake a Clumber Pack with just smiles, picnics, fun and laughter.  This was the only mileage I did for the whole week and well worth it.

My gratitude

I've mentioned this in previous blog posts, but my thanks to everyone who been involved!

Return to "normal."

10 days post ride, I'm coming back to "normal."   Or as normal as I am.   I've had a development in my employment, I've found trying to work out what and when to eat difficult knowing my weekly calorific burn is now going to be different.  

Monday was my first day back on the Genesis and the Brooks for the commute.  My God I appreciate a Brooks now!

Mojito

As the UK has been in a heatwave, we've been trying to keep cool.  On Tuesday night after the kids had gone to be, Anna and I caught up on the TdF highlights with a couple of Mojito's.  One side effect of being a skinny cyclist after all that training and a pint of Mojito = lightweight.  Never had alcohol and sugar hit my head so quick.

What next??

I had considered riding the 24hr TT this weekend, but clad I backed out.   It would have been fantastic to do, but the commitment and lingering ankle damage would have been good for the event.  Maybe another year.........

In 10 days time I'm riding the London Sportive with Anna on the tandem and this is going to be a new experience - I've never ridden tandem at speed on a closed road course before and this is going to be very different to previous years and will take a different mentality.  I'm looking forwards to the challenge!

Brief update time over, but I'll add images/edit when I can.