I started riding real bikes as a pre-teen and was always fairly serious rider.

I commuted to work for 25 years, retiring in 2011. After retiring I would take the road bike out three times a week for a fairly flat metric.

In '86 I tore my meniscus (not by cycling) and had arthroscopic surgery. Commuting helped with the post-surgical meniscus issue for a long time, but it caught up with me. I hung up the bike three years ago and started step aerobics. Mid-2019 I had to start wearing a heavy brace to do even that. Finally, in late December, I had the knee replaced. I was in PT for two months prior to the surgery and have been in PT ever since. I'm now stronger than I have been in a very long time.

I'm back on the bike and taking daily 25km rides. I will get back up to a couple of metrics a week. Damn it, I will! Today I did my first really substantial grade. The last time I did it, three years ago, I had to walk it. Well, hobble it.

I have even reworked my mountain bike and hope to get out on some trails.

The message is this: If you have something that is mechanically screwed up, it is not going to get better. Fix the damn thing. Don't put it off; you're wasting life. PT is hard, do it. It's going to knock a big hole in your life for six months or more, but the rewards are there.

My right knee issue was due to mechanical damage that resulted in an arthritic condition. It turns out that I also have RA and am taking methotrexate for it. My left knee makes noise when I walk, but it is still good. The day will come, though, and I won't hesitate to replace it and go through all this **** again.

Newton was right, a body in motion tends to stay in motion.