10 months & 3 days

Finally - after 10 months & 3 days after the SMIDSY (sorry mate, I didn't see you) from the old lady in the white Corolla, I have once again cycle-commuted back in to work...


Yesterday was another day of beautiful cycling weather in Brisbane. I was pretty nervous getting ready, but excited as well. The ride in was terrific, very relaxed and calm (apart from being chased by a duck!). 


The hills were, as I expected, a little painful, but I sat in the 39x25 and just spun up as relaxed & steadily as I could.  All up, I covered 23km at an average of 20.1km/h. My butt was already feeling pretty sore, having lost all its hard-earned callouses long ago! My legs though weren't too bad, which is encouraging...


After some deliberation over the course of the afternoon, I decided I'd ride home as well. My main concern was my sore butt!! Could it handle another hour on the bike?


I decided to take a 'short-cut' back to the Gateway Bridge bike path, which cut 1.5km off the commute, in the hope it would save some time and some pain. There was definitely some discomfort, but I managed to soldier on... The hills heading home were much harder though, I could feel the legs really struggling, especially in the last 1/4 of the commute home.


When I finally got home, the stats told the story. 21.5km at an average of just 18.7km/h. Yes, it really was a struggle! But of course, a bad day on the bike is still a million times better than a good day on the bus! 


I am so pleased with my ride yesterday. Both that I made it - a 45km first day back is pretty good - and that I also immediately got back that sense of enjoyment for the bike. I'm looking forward now to slowly rebuilding my form and fitness over the next couple of months.