With two weeks off the bike there’s always a certain amount of anxiety getting back out again, a worry about how much fitness you’ve lost over the period of inactivity. With my week long back issue I was a bit more nervous getting on the bike this morning, in fact I was wondering if I’d even have the flexibility to throw my leg over the saddle!

I’m glad to report that I was worried about nothing and it all went well. I picked the perfect ride to go back, joining the Saturday morning Stabiliser Group. This is a slower paced ride aimed at beginners or anyone returning to cycling after a long break, suitable also for anyone returning from injury 😉

I cycled up to meet the group to see how I felt. It’s 11km so long enough to identity any problems. It was a cold but dry morning with fog rising from the river and quite thick in around Ballybofey. You can see it behind us in the group photo above.

The route took us into Raphoe via Liscooley which has a few punchy climbs to further test my back when putting down extra power and climbing out of the saddle. All still good 👌

The other reason I enjoy this group so much is that it’s very sociable. The emphasis is on getting out and enjoying the ride. A tea/coffee stop is mandatory and we have a usual now in Dolans of Raphoe. It’s a shop and service station but has a separate, heated sitting area with toilets. Luxury!

A final climb with the group up the Broadpath and then a final solo 10km home and the unavoidable climb to the house left me with a solid 56km and the confidence to push on next week and hopefully get my 100km ride in next weekend 🤞