DOUBLE THE PAIN.

Today I had arranged to meet JD (that's the handsome looking cyclist in the photo) for a ride around our usual training loop.
This was the first time that JD and I have ridden together since the ACCR last June.This was also the first time this year that I have ridden my touring machine in fact it was only eighteen days ago that I got back on a bike after five months medical layoff.
It was a bright but cold start to the day and in parts of the route that don't see any sun there was a fair bit of ice around. Not wanting to repeat the falling off the bike routine that I managed last year I found that I didn't have JDs courage on the downhill sections. Seeing the ice around I rode with caution down these parts of the route and soon passed JD again on the uphill sections.
After doing the loop once JD suggested doing it all again. So we ended up doing the 'HOD' twice and the 'slope of cardiac arrest' (JDs name for it) twice.In a nutshell what we experienced was double the pain! But it was worth it-we had a good few hours ride and I managed to do the longest single ride since my diagnosis. At 45 miles this is not a huge distance but for me it was a major step forward and in line with my training programme. My weight loss plan is still going well and I feel that it is a major factor in giving me the edge on the uphill sections.