Originally Posted by jimmat
Im wondering about how injuries effected others return to racing?
I broke my clavical 2 weeks ago, had surgery and am expected to have a full recovery. That is months away. By mid summer / fall I plan to have regained at least my base by riding the recombant bike in the gym until my shoulder can hold my weight on the trainer and then get back on the road. Im a cat 4 50+master with many years of racing w/o serious injury and consistant mid pack performance. I race for fun/fitness.
My non racing friends are saying maybe you should stop racing b/c you will get hurt again. I admitt that and am on the fence about returning to the crash prone crit scene. I usually point out that getting hurt is part of life whether you race, group ride, drive a car or walk down stairs. An option is to relegate myself to the local club group riding scene which is quite strong...but as you probably know it isn't the same as racing.
I guess that questioning is a natural part of recovery as well as doubt. Anyway sorry to ramble, just looking for how others have delt with the decision to return to racing after a serious injury.
Thanks
I broke my collar bone in august, and started doing slow rides on my mtn bike after 10 days. It was a clean break, but then again, I didn't need surgery.
Anyway, after I started riding seriously again in October, I regained a good portion of my fitness in about a month. Spent the winter pounding out the miles, and this season I'm much, much stronger than I ever have been before. Serious injuries do not mean you can't return stronger than you were before.
As to how I dealt with returning to racing, I just knew its what I wanted to do once I was able to again. That doesn't mean I wasn't scared as hell... After seriously riding again it took me a month to feel comfortable getting out of the saddle at all, and another month after that to feel safe sprinting with any sort of speed. It took me until early this year to feel comfortable taking corners quickly. But in the end, you just have to deal with it. You'll relearn everything, and you'll return to your comfort zone. After a few races, you won't be afraid anymore.
Heal quick.