Getting Back On The Bike – Turns Out It’s Not “Just Like Riding A Bicycle”

The first thing I asked as I was laying in the road after the crash was, “Is my bike okay?” Fortunately, she fared better than I did. Last week I posted about the excitement of my recent improvements. With those improvements in mind, I told Josh I wanted to try getting back on a bike. I have not tried since shortly after we returned home from Venice following the crash. Figuring that I had been doing so much better, I thought I would feel okay. A heavier, more upright and stable bike seemed like it would be easier, so I borrowed a friend’s mountain bike, rather than getting on my road bike. It was a beautiful sunny day, and we went for a 10 minute cruise around the neighborhood. Ten minutes might be generous. Maybe it was just five. It felt strange to be on a bike, I felt disconnected from my body. Maybe it would have been easier and felt more natural if it had been my own road bike. She and I used to spend a lot of quality time together.

My bike, hanging with the cows at the top of the Prebl climb and near the summit of Schulterkogel – Austria.   Even loaded down, she is still lovely.

This is going to be a short post, because there isn’t much to say other than I was wrong. I wasn’t okay. We made it back to the house without incident, but Josh took one look at me and suggested I go lay down. I was completely wrecked. Apparently I can run 100 miles, but I still can’t do 10 minutes on a bike. Then again, I didn’t get back into running by doing 10 minutes the first time. So I think I will need to approach this like everything else, with baby steps. Maybe next time I’ll try riding around the block. Josh and I have had some pretty incredible adventures on our bikes, and someday, I WILL be able to do those things again.

Col Du Tourmalet summit during our cycling trip through the Pyrenees in France – 2012.

About Kristin

Kristin is a veterinarian turned ultrarunner, blogger, and TBI mentor. Through sharing her experiences with brain injury recovery she hopes to make the path easier for others.

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