Being an athlete and sidelined with an injury is never fun. As a cyclist you spend most of the day outside on the bike battering yourself, or just cruising around taking in the scenery.
The day generally revolves around your training and the training generally revolves around the racing.
A couple weeks ago I took a flyer into a central reservation during a Dutch race and broke my collarbone and a few ribs. I say a couple weeks, it’s actually been 19 days, not that I’m counting or anything!
So with rest and recuperation being the only method of fixing myself, my days now revolve around drinking coffee, sitting on the sofa and watching the Giro. I’ve come to know the bus timetable pretty well, too, as driving isn’t the most pleasant experience at the moment.
I can deal with injury, it’s happened before and it’ll happen again, that’s just one of the side effects of racing. This isn’t a sob story, by any means but what I really struggle with is the cabin fever of being stuck in. And I especially miss riding in the sunshine with the wind on my face.
Talking of the Giro, we’ve seen another Welshman and a mate of mine struck with bad luck and injury. G, being one of the tough men in the world of cycling, saw his Giro hopes vanish within a second when a motorbike parked in a more annoying spot than a diagonal parker in Tesco.
It’s testament to his character that after one of the most gutting days he’ll have on the bike, he still had time to speak with the press just half an hour after popping his shoulder out of place!
Another race that has just finished – and one I should have been riding – is the Ras in Ireland. It would have been my 10th “craic” at it and it is one of my favourite races, too.
The Ras has friendly feel and the field is made up from half UCI Continental teams and the other half county squads.
It’s always point-to-point – there are hardly any transfers, it is raced on incredible roads and they love to see an underdog succeed. If an Irish rider wins a stage it’s such a big deal they’ll never have to pay for a pint of Guinness in their home town again.
My recovery is going well, though, and I’m actually able to train on the turbo now which will help me stay fit and ready to race as soon as I can get back on the road. All being well I’ll be back for the Beaumont Trophy on Sunday, June 18, then the nationals.
So thanks to everyone for all the messages and support over the past few weeks. Now if you don’t mind I’ve got a coffee to make, a sofa to sit on, and the Giro to watch!