Musings from the day before departure!

Well today is the day before I leave and perhaps a good time for some reflection. Some numbers first:

• Training program duration - just over 8 1/2 months
• Number of sessions completed - 273
• Number sessions missed - 13
• Kilometres ridden - just shy of 11,000
• Meters climbed on the road - 65,000 (and about half again on the trainer!)
• Ave speed- 28.4 km/h
• Ave HR - 117 bpm

It has certainly been a learning journey and has gone almost without a hitch - at least until last weekend!

So, I was racing in the Rob Vernon Memorial Open in Bendigo (108 km Handicap race). I had been handicapped 2 groups back from my Melbourne - Ballarat mark, and was expecting to really struggle. However, it was very rewarding; I raced strongly all day with no problems staying on through the many climbs in the first half of the race. Interestingly, they were similar gradient and frequency to the climbs in South Africa, although shorter. from the high point of the race it was very fast for the last 60 km, with an overall average of 41.1 km/h - a speed I would never have had a hope of riding 9 months ago!

Anyway, we had just past the 1 km to go sign in a group with about 16 or 18 remaining in it, with no hope of getting to the limit group, and with the finish nowhere in sight, when a bozo rode past me on the inside and then cut across to grab a wheel and took my front wheel out from under me! I went down hard, as did three riders behind me. Acres of skin loss, plenty of blood and lots of bike damage. More than hurt, I was both angry at the idiot, but also offended that after all those kms, I had gone down with 800m remaining of 108 km in the last race 6 days before I left! I drove home feeling sore and angry and pretty sorry for myself.

The next day, other than the weeping road rash, I actually felt OK until I took my bike to get serviced/put right. Cracked frame, broken shift lever, broken pedal, knackered rear wheel, broken seat - the list just got bigger and bigger! In the end, it is an insurance claim and I am taking my training bike overseas - super disappointing! I have had the bike for three months and ridden it 9 or 10 times!

Since then, to some degree, it has just got worse and worse. I rode gently Monday night on the trainer to see if I could do Tuesday's session. As that was OK, I went out on Tuesday am and did sprint intervals. Still tired from Sunday so not super fast but went OK. Then my leg and hip swelled up, the grazes got sorer, I haven't really slept much and I haven't ridden since!

So what went so well for so, so long has been really impacted upon by one careless act. I now that 9 months of work will not be harmed by two extra days off but I must confess to some concerns about my ability to ride well in 8 days time given how I feel and the slow repair rate of some of the injuries - it will be interesting!

Anyway, I will post again pretty much daily from now and also include some photos as we go!