Pretty much one year ago I had just secured my best placing at a major championships, taking 6th place at the European Middles Distance Aquabike Champs in Menin, Belgium. As is pretty much a standard response for me and my race debriefings I always could’ve done it better but looking back it was a major achievement for me and I should’ve celebrated it more than I did.
I had also just taken the Beccles Triathlon Club 50 Mile TT Championship and swam 13k at The Thames Marathon at Henley so it’s safe to say I was on a good run of form!
In a few weeks’ time in 2023 I was travelling with 5 other BTC competitors to Challenge Almere in The Netherlands near Amsterdam. I’d been there before several times, either competing in the Middle Distance Triathlon back in 2019, supporting Suzy in her Great Britain races in 2020 & 2021 so it was safe to say I knew the event and the area and things looked quite promising. I had decided to race The Big East Aquabike event in Maldon, Essex a week before the event, much to Suzy’s surprise as I felt it wouldn’t put a dent in my fitness a week out from Almere AND I won it last year so wanted to prove to myself (and others’) it wasn’t a fluke.
If you follow this Blog you know already what happened – I crashed just out of Transition and damaged my shoulder quite badly. So much so I needed an reconstruction operation in December ’23 to correct it.
I still went to Almere – but only to support the 5 others which was inspirational but also quite torturous. It fired me up to come back and do things right – so I bugged the race organiser – Richard Belderok of The Challenge Family, all weekend at the race asking for a deferral to this year (2024) and although it was quite clear he was rather busy organising that years’ race he was keen to try & appease my situation at the same time.
Roll on several months and I’m back on the start list for the Middle Distance Aquabike event at Almere for 2024!
Back in July I had a chance meeting with Richard Belderok at Challenge Roth. He was on the Challenge Family clothing stand at the Expo and he immediately recognised me and called me over – we chatted for a while and he said to me “remember your promise at Almere last year”.
I paused for a moment and then realised what I had said. I was so desperate to get back this year I promised blindly to win the event for him if he got me back on the start line! I said “ah yes, I remember” and he smiled and from that moment I knew I had to do the best I could to get fit for this race in a few weeks….
Coming back to the present day I’ve managed to regain the 50TT Championships for 2024, also going another two minutes faster than last year whilst still managing to drop a water bottle, stopping & retrieving it. If I hadn’t I would’ve got 3rd place in the Eastern District as 3rd & 4th were only 10 seconds in front of me. Nonetheless I still put in a good performance.
I’ve also managed to get a lifetime PB for my 10-mile TT – 20:35. Not as fast as some of the youngsters around this area but my previous best was 7 years ago (21:15) so I’m happy to have done it despite my injuries.
I revisited a 25-mile course that I’ve purposely avoided for years as it’s tough and killed my PB on that course too by 2 minutes so I think it’s safe to say I’m going well on the bike.
Suzy & I travelled to London to watch the T100 Triathlon Series and at the same time watch thousands of amateur athletes have a go at the same course. The racing season always books up most weekends throughout the summer time so it was nice to block-out a weekend and have some chill out time with Suzy and find some more inspiration from the Professionals and Amateurs alike doing their thing.
We also trekked across to South Wales to attend Suzy’s brother’ – Frank’s wedding to Donna. I think it’s safe to say it was one of the best weddings we have been to, not only because seeing Frank so happy was a wonderful thing itself, the company we kept on our table, the food, the celebration, the Oompa Band playing modern classics – it all added to an amazing day. We’ve been invited to come back and stay there with the newly weds anytime we wanted so it’s definitely an option as it’s an amazing place to go.
Adding into this cauldron of activity over the past few weeks, I’ve been cycle touring…
Not a massive distance to be fair but the touring bags have been purchased and the bike has been set up and I’ve embarked on a “test-ride” 2-day tour to Cambridge & back from where we live.
Suzy was called into her works Head Office, based in Cambridge for a couple of days so I thought I’d ride there one day, detouring a little further south to add some mileage and then to return a more northerly route to come back. 185km on day one and 200km on day two definitely made me realise that it’s not an easy thing and it’s safe to say I slept well the next couple of nights!
The test ride was really to test the bike, and my body, ahead of a small expedition into Holland next month (weather permitting) and eventually a possible tour to Roth, one week ahead of the others next year. These are all a bit “pie in the sky” ideas at the moment but it’s still idea and if I’m fit & able I might give it a proper go.
The knee….
If I’m being honest I’ve been procrastinating about this and I completely avoided the subject in my last blog so I guess it needs addressing.
The knee isn’t great, nor would it be when a van hits you side-on at 40mph and puts you 6ft up in the air. But the real issue is that it’s been fixed incorrectly. My knee turns inwards which means I’ve been putting direct pressure, when walking, on the outside of my right knee. This is the area that’s damaged and will never heal completely. Over the course of time, as most orthopaedic surgeons have told me over the past 3 years, the knee will fail and I will need a replacement knee sometime in the future. The issue is that if replaced in its current state the pressure will be (again) on the outside to the joint and ultimately fail again. This means a revision will be needed and for those that know this isn’t an easy procedure – to replace a replacement knee joint has many issues and complications.
So… after seeing a top orthopaedic surgeon in Oxford a couple of months ago, it’s clear to avoid all these potential surgeries, my knee needs to be re broken and reset so the direct pressure – when standing/walking, goes through the correct part of the knee.
Option #1 – to re break and use plate & pins, like last time but there is a margin of error that the outcome will be the same as it is now.
Option #2 – to re break and use a rod in the tibia, this has a slightly better outcome but there’s no way to correct it if it’s out of alignment.
Option #3 – The recommended option by the surgeon is to re break it and then use an exterior brace to allow progressive alignment and adjustment. Like tuning a piano wire I guess! My son’s cousin has had this procedure done on both her legs for different reasons and it’s quite a project to keep clean and rehab following the procedure so I’m not entirely prepared for it just yet.
I have been reassured by the surgeon, by leaving it for a while does not create more problems as the initial surgery is 3+ years old and there hasn’t been any major issues since. So it’s looking like I may take the option of surgery next year, perhaps after my cycle tour to Roth?
In the back of my mind I am keen to do as much as I can at the moment as post-operations there may be a long period of time where I won’t be able to do anything and if there’s complications I may not be able to ride a bike again – which is a scary thought. But saying that, I’ve been here before, lying on a hospital bed with doctors telling me my leg will never be the same again and I may never be able to ride a bike again back in May ’21 🙁
This brings me to the upsetting photos that Suzy showed me a few weeks back.
I posted a blog a few months ago thoughtful about how much I actually can do “despite my injuries” and how I should celebrate the fact I can still ride a bike – let alone ride it fast.
Below are two photographs – one before the crash and one from a few weeks ago. Although I am doing the best I can on the bike and in my life it is quite clear to see the vast difference between the two photos and the musculature on my right leg/thigh/calf. When Suzy showed it to me I broke down and cried, I’m not shamed to say I was very upset about how I looked. It’s made me realised how handicapped I have been made by a momentary lapse of concentration by a motorist and how this will affect me for the the rest of my life.
Human nature is that out of a thousand positive comments you’ll always look at the one or two negative ones. I’ve had a fair few negative ones recently and it’s eating away at me, from comments about my “fake injury”, my “self serving awards scheme” and various other snipes, I’m upset about what people really think of me.
I use this blog as a way of therapy and getting all these negative thoughts (and positive ones too) out of my head and onto a piece of paper/into a computer to allow me to process things. Inadvertently it has served as a source of inspiration for those who read it on a regular basis and I’m quite positive that talking about my injuries and “The Comeback” albeit limited has helped others.
But right now, I’m not feeling “inspirational”.
I’m not looking for words of wisdom or inspirational thoughts & prayers headed my way.
I’m just saying it how it is – the future isn’t great.
I don’t have crystal ball – but the next chapter of this injury isn’t going to be smooth.
I didn’t handle the crash well at all and I fear I’ll not handle it well again.
Suzy…
I have to mention her in each blog as she’s always been there for me. She’s on my side. She explains things when I completely misinterpret things (a common occurrence!) and she supports me in everything I do – however ridiculous.
