It’s a great relief to be properly back on the bike this week after over a year of not really cycling.
Following my injury last July, I felt able to cycle again about February but had problems with the bike and I didn’t feel confident about cycling anywhere other than the greenway, where it’s relatively flat.
That problem fixed (it was a setting on the motor, nothing mechanical), our lives became so busy that I was rarely free before evening, by which time I was knackered, so the summer has gone by with barely a ride.
I decided to change all that this week. I’ve shunted an ongoing project into the evenings, freed up my mornings, sorted out the freezer so it’s full of things I can cook quickly for lunch, and I’ve been out on the bike every day this week, putting in between 25km and 40km each day.
The feeling of wellbeing is immense. I knew I was developing back problems from the lack of cycling, but I hadn’t realised how much my sleep has been affected. Cycling 2-3 hours each day and I’m back to sleeping like a log, including right through the alarm. My whole body feel loose and floppy and I’m smiling again instead of fretting about how Brexit could destroy our lives.
It all goes to show that cycling, for me, is as much about my mental health as my physical health.