Recovery Riders

Most cycling training programs include something called a ‘recovery ride’ about once a week This is a ride where you keep your intensity and distance at a really easy level. The theory is that this is better rest than just staying off the bike entirely.

Recovery rides are great fun. If you have been doing some hard days on the bike, it is very pleasant to go so much easier and enjoy the scenery. A couple of weeks ago I did 30 flat miles and my heart rate averaged all of 85 beats per minute. Kind of like sitting in a chair watching the news.

Except on that recovery ride, I was riding in front of a ‘recovery rider’, one of my friends who is dealing with cancer. I wrote about it here: https://freehtt.org/2022/03/04/real-life-intervenes/

My friend Steve had been off of his bike completely for 4 weeks while recovering from surgery. He said after the ride that I ‘trashed’ him. Before his layoff I had to work to keep up with him, but he had lost so much fitness that what was very easy for me was a challenge for him. I certainly didn’t ‘trash’ him on purpose. I kept him on my wheel and looked in my mirror and slowed down if I ever saw him drop back. But it was still hard for him. It is amazing how quickly we lose cycling fitness if we don’t ride regularly.

All three of my post surgery friends are back on their bikes as ‘recovery riders’. Yesterday two of them joined the Thursday club ride from Wallace. Steve is a Thursday regular, and he brought Joni along.

Joni has done something like 60 double century rides, 200 miles in one day! She and I have a long history. I was on her very first real road ride over 20 years ago. And on her first trip up Jesus Maria Road. She even rode my Sampson once when I was trying to convince her that she didn’t really need those triple chain rings. Once she started doing double centuries she pretty much eschewed the club rides, because they were way too short. But she will always be my BBPFDCG. Don’t ask…

Yesterday’s ride was the first time riding in the hills for either of them since they have been off the bike recovering from surgery. They both struggled but neither of them took my suggested shortcuts. So they covered 45 miles with 3300 feet of climbing, with gradients reaching 14%. I think Steve looked really tired at the finish, but Joni seemed fairly fresh.

She was off of the back of the group all day, but there was no chance I was going to leave her on her own. Joni is a strong rider but she can be navigationally and mechanically challenged. So I would ride at my own pace to hilltops or regroup spots, wait and let her get ahead, then chase her. Before surgery I wouldn’t have caught her. Or had to wait either.

It was great to see these two ‘recovery riders’ back on their bikes and doing what they love to do, even if it was much harder after such a long layoff. We don’t know what future treatments or surgeries might be needed, or how it will affect their cycling. One ride at a time, just keep pedaling…