...and on the 12th day, he rode again...

It's been a couple of weeks since my last blog post, so I thought I'd pen a quick update on how things are travelling in CGradeCyclist land.

I had a great start to the month mileage-wise, culminating in my longest ride since returning from my big shoulder injury (and my first metric century since then too) - a solid 103km from home to Redcliffe & return, as part of the Balmoral club Good Friday ride.  The legs were very tired at the end, and I felt sore - but needless to say I also felt terrific after knocking out such a long ride.

After that though - I had a full 12 days off the bike.  *eeek!*

A round of Easter family celebrations, and then taking off for a week of camping with my wife and daughters filled my days instead.  We did do plenty of mountainous hikes though as part of the camping trip (in Girraween National Park, just south of Stanthorpe, Queensland), which helped maintain my fitness to some extent.

It was with some trepidation then that I threw my leg back over my bike after a full 12 days out of the saddle, for my 23km commute to work earlier this week.  I had my fingers crossed that my legs would be OK, and that my 'rear end' hadn't softened up and was still saddle-ready!!

I was pleasantly surprised.  My legs felt really good!!  I took it pretty easy both ways on the first day. The next day after an easy morning commute, I pushed hard on the commute home, testing myself on the few climbs (including a very hard interval up the Gateway Bridge). My legs responded every time, which was both unexpected and pleasing...

Only one bit of bad news this month - I'm not racing the Anzac 25 kermesse on Anzac Day. Unfortunately, work commitments mean I'll be travelling down to Canberra instead and shivering in the cooler climate there for a couple of days.  I'm a little disappointed, but I'll channel that into my training for the next open race in May - the Metropolitan Championships, run by my own Balmoral Cycling Club.

Now, just need to focus on some consistent riding for the rest of the month...