I had a couple of average rides over the weekend. Sat was over Dyers, round the bays to Gebbies, up Gebbies & Bastard & back to SOK. Felt bloody average-piss poor to tell the truth which is disappointing as I thought I might have been coming into some form again.

Yesterday rode to Sumner in the 30 degree heat of the arvo, up Evans in over 9m30s , and then Evans to Mt Pleasant in 14m26s which was also bloody average.

Big ringed the rest of the summit road in an attempt to put some strength back into the legs which at the end had me feeling muntered.

Happy to put some km's into the legs, along with some hills. Will need to back it up with some good km's during the week.

Those times aren't bad at all Al B considering . About the same as my times after a decent stint off the bike. You'll be back in no time Hows that elbow healing up?

Cheers Ahad. They're okay times I suppose, just a far cry from previous times which is the frustrating part.

Deb Robinson from Sports Med is my Doc. She's also the Physician/ Doc for the AB's too so she knows what she's doing.

I saw her again on Friday and she recons I don't need surgery at this point. I asked when I could race again and she was evasive. To be safe she reconed 5-6 more months, and if I raced before then she didn't want to know about it She maintains that my injury was a "worst case senario" for the type of fall I had, and also cited my case as a 'stand out' case that she'd been thinking a lot about between my visits. Whilst I'm flattered that someone of this stature with way more important people to think about is spending this much time on my case, it makes me even more frustrated at my predicament.

On a positive she's extremely happy with the level of extention (5% off full)/ flexion (15% off full) the elbow is showing, but says that will probably be about it and I'll always have an element of pain in the elbow. Currently there's still quite a bit of pain and annoying 'clicking' when the arm rotates, but nothing another jab of cortizone won't fix in 4 weeks when the last one has worn off.

So mixed news for me. I've lost a huge amount of upper body/ core strength over the last 3 months with a noticeably smaller left arm/ bicep, which is the major setback, but I'm now well on the way to recovery and my fitness is slowly returning.

On that note - I'm off for an arvo ride.

Great! Sounds like you've made some really good progress considering the severity of the injury

I am a happy camper you are getting back on the bike Bushy

After finding I have osteoarthritis and degeneration of the hips have not been doing a lot but given the all clear to get riding so started yesterday and today with some nice easy rides to Sumner and back. Aim to to get some fitness (60 watts down on post comeback power) and a regular routine going. Great days for riding. Traffic even feels a little less mental at present.

That doesn't sound to Fergie. I assume that's something you just have to manage rather than ever getting treated for?

It's only going to get worse so later better than sooner I will be the Bionic Ferg.

Yeah Ferg, sorry to hear you have that diagnosis Not good

I rode with our little group that meets at 5.30 to go into the city.
It was very windy and I felt tired from lack of sleep and other riding but being in the group etc jollied me along.
We had words with 3 separate lots of idiot drivers who either weren't patient with us or in one case didn't move out of our way (which every other car was doing and we were keeping left).
Some long & hard laps by three of our riders meant that we were up at Parnell in good time. From there we cruised through town until we go to New North Road and back into the head wind
I found myself at the front of the bunch with no one wanting to take over so I made the most of it and led until after New Lyn.
We stopped for a chat back at the cars and I rode the 8 kms home.
63kms

I did my usual short, hilly after work ride out to the end of Amreins Road etc.
I had what I thought was someone on an MTB chasing me up Crows. I got further ahead of him, then he started catching me (on the flat) so I put my (little) hammer down and took off up the steep bit and left him struggling.
Along Amreins (ups and downs) I spied him gaining on me in my mirror. I took off and left him again At the turn around I found ‘he’ was a teenager on a Roadie.

I had a wasp (?) sting my neck as I went down Pooks road. Not nice

Going down Vineyard road (narrow and windy) some dick in a car passed me really closely on a blind corner at the intersection. He’ll get a letter.

Still, apart from the wind it is a nice, sunny night for it

32kms

I had no work yesterday so I thought I’d give myself a challenge and rode up Mountain Road
It all started off so well, riding the up and downs and then climbing up towards the Fairy Falls thinking (my memory is very dim of the last time I rode up there) maybe this is as steep as it gets…it wasn’t
I had to ride in my 25 (I never use it), get off my seat and start my chest heaving.
My rpms were down to mid 40s at times.
I had to stop…. x 3 (oh the shame )

I guess it’s a good tester for my hillclimbing fitness. I was fine racing up Patamahoe hill on Saturday with the bunch but this has shown me I can aim for much more.

Anyway, I was glad to see the light of day at Scenic Drive and head down to Te Henga (two riders grinding their way up past the Quarry), climb back up Bethels road, McEntee and down Crows and home.

Riding 2 of my bikes in 1 morning – that’s not something I do every week

I put the repaired tube in the rear of my SingleSpeed for the group ride.
After doing about 2kms down the road the front tyre/tube blew out!
Disappointing but at least it didn’t happen half way through a fast corner.

The sidewall had split – understandably as the tyre has probably done over 9000kms (the matching rear had done 8500) over 4 years.
I put another tube in it and started to ride home slowly. It blew out too!
I walked home, keeping to the grass to wear out my Look Delta cleats as little as poss.
3.2kms, Ave 9.7kph, mx 40kph

Would I go for a ride on 904 or not? It is a lovely morning for it.
I went my normal after work way up Crows, Amreins etc and down to Taupaki.
I met the group and rode with them then off the front back to Kay, up Christian etc and home.
It was worth going out again
37kms

Loved getting out with the near new Diamante Pro tires on compared to the well worn Armadillo's this morning. Went for a Jaunt to the top of the Aka's (Waikanae side) down a bit and then back up again. About 300m from the top ....

We had a good, hard ride today
The weather is still pleasant and this morning there was very little wind = Perfect
This time we reversed (basically) most of the long ride – which made the hills seem slightly tamer thankfully (apart from Rabbit hill).

So – out to Kumeu, along the Woodhill Forest Road, up Rabbit Hill (very steep, I was in my 39 x 25, off the seat and heaving but I got to the top first by a few metres ), Peak, through Waitoki, up and down to Dairy Flat, the old HW1 to the Coatesville turn off, Ridge, Riverhead/Coatesville Road, HW16 to Westgate (lots of traffic there as the Trolley Derby was on), Don Bucks and back to the shop.

We had a few re group stops – which if they were on the flat or after a down hill the tandem would be there first, if they were after an uphill – I would be there first (it’s doing great things for my ego ).

It was good to see so many other riders out making the most of the remaining Summer weather.

At the shop I made up another drink and rode in to Jervois road to meet the whanau.

98.5kms from home, shop and back to shop at 29.5kph

Total 109kms