It's simple..Fireroad, Up and Down
As many injured "athletes" know...you want to keep "training" without further aggravating your injury...in my case i want to keep riding my bike as it keeps me happy!
Following a bizarre workshop-accident involving an X-Type crankset (don't ask) I took a trip in the white taxi (ambulance) to Kingston Accident & Emergency to have my shoulder relocated in its socket
Thankfully, a copious volume of Entenox (Nitrous Oxide) and an inflatable splint meant my shoulder found its own way home into its socket, before i even got to the hospital, it actually took longer to get the bus back to Esher from Kingston....
Recovery from a dislocation takes a good month, with the first 2 weeks critical...you have to take it easy, and once its settled start on the rotator-cuff exercises to strengthen the joint and provide balance
So out goes any "freeride" and in comes FUD...Fireroad up and down...which is also my favourite quick winter ride to prevent the post-ride cleaning blues (as soon as you go off the fireroads in the winter its a mud bath, and cleaning muddy suspension bikes is not really fun)
Where i live in North-West London, we are lucky enough to have "Hampstead Heath" just a 10 minute road-ride north of my house - a huge area of ancient woodland with a couple of legal cycle routes up a long fireroad climb, and lots of off-road singletrack and various descents..its amazing to have this sitting on a hill above London city
Being injured, I don't want to stress my shoulder and so tighten my shoulder brace, and head up the fireroad for a good 15 minute climb to the top, ride across the top, do a couple of loops around the top and then back down the fireroad, the way i came
Riding a 34lb "slopestyle" bike up a hill gives a great aerobic workout
Do you think a sign is going to stop me??
Hammering up the fireroad to the top of the Heath, pro pedal on and the Lyric on 115mm
Bet Keith never thought people would ride the Wildcard up big hills? this bike is an awesome climber for sure, with the right setup ;)
"top of the world, ma" London city sits below the Heath...
Coming down the fireroad at a leisurely pace, so as to not run any nice folk over
Bottom of the Heath, you can see the whole of London from Parliament Hill, awesome view before dropping back into the urban backstreets of Kentish Town, where i live
cheers!
Rob C
