travelerman

A combination of severe heat, vacation out-of-town, and now a crash over the weekend (road rash on both knees, an elbow, inside of the other arm, and a grapefruit-sized road/shorts rub on the hip) are going to keep me mostly sidelined for a total of nearly a month.

I had spent the past year working up from under-10 miles max-per-ride to 40-50 miles, and was looking at my first metric century. Now, I feel like I have lost a lot of momentum, and am wondering how long it's going to take to get back up to speed (and distance).

Carbonfiberboy 

Next time you crash, scrub the area clean. May need to use a brush and yes it hurts. Then coat with Povidone-Iodine (doesn't hurt) and cover with Tegaderm. Leave the Tegaderm on until the skin heals. You can shower wearing the Tegaderm. Really cuts down on the healing time and doesn't leave scars.

I have a set of rollers and a box fan. I never have to stop riding unless I have a leg cast or something.

CbadRider

+1 for using Tegaderm. I was amazed how fast some road rash on my arm healed with that stuff. It's not cheap, but it's well worth it.

Do you have access to a gym where you can ride a stationary bike?

gregf83 

I believe the rule of thumb is 3 to 1, i.e. 1 month off will take 3 months to get back. Road rash shouldn't stop you from riding although the shower when you get home might be a little uncomfortable. Try and get out at least once or twice a week on the bike if you can or do something aerobic and you'll limit your losses.

Spoonrobot 

When I first started riding I took about 2 months to go from being able to barely do 5 miles to being able to do 25 miles with great difficulty. Regular rides were 10-15 miles.

Then I took a month off.

Came back and rode easy for 2-3 days and then did a 25 mile ride pretty easily compared to earlier. Within a week or so I had gone to 30 and continued riding further and more regularly. My average speed went up and my perceived effort went down.

So, at least in my experience, I lost nothing with respect to fitness. I think you'll be fine. And to think it takes 3 months to recover from a month break sounds ridiculous, unless you're racing/tting regularly or something.

gregf83 

Once you've been riding for a while, power gains are more difficult to come by. Just reducing volume and intensity through the winter lowers my power and easily takes 3-4 months of hard work to reach a previous peak. It won't affect the distance you can ride, just the power you can put out.

chasm54

This. You tend to keep your endurance but lose your power/speed.

travelerman

Concerning using Tegederm as a dressing: I've been doing it the old-fashioned way - non-stick gauze pads with a layer of triple- antibiotic ointment on the wounds. It has not been working very well on knees and hip, especially at work, where I tend to sweat quite a bit (chef in a usually-hot kitchen)... Would it be advisable to switch to the Tegaderm dressings, after washing off the ointment and drying the areas? Or would it be too late, four days after the injury? I wouldn't want to impede the healing that has already begun, but I also don't want to stretch this out any longer than necessary ( and I am looking at spending more on the gauze pads and bandages than on the Tegaderm, as often as I am having to change them).

Carbonfiberboy 

I think it would be worthwhile to switch to the Tegaderm. I'd paint the areas with Povidone-Iodine, let it dry, apply the Tegaderm. I usually tape a big gauze pad over the Tegaderm to protect the area and change that when I shower, leaving the Tegaderm in place.

Sean T

if it's just road rash and not broken bones or sprains I don't see why you still can't ride.

charbucks

Yup. What are your goals? If you just want to complete a metric century and don't care if it takes five hours, I'd say you're probably fine. Just start out nice and slow, and if you've still got lots of energy by the 3/4 mark, then you can pick up the pace.

travelerman

Before the (now it's going to be about a) month lay-off, I was steadily increasing both speed and endurance, having completed my first half-century in early June, followed up by another one a couple of weeks later. I was riding a minimum of 5 days a week (6, when I could get them), and seeing my average speed go from only 13mph a year ago to over 17mph through most of June. My immediate goal was to work up to a metric century this summer, and possibly get in a 70+ mile by the Fall.

As long as I can get back on the bike by next week (it's in the shop right now, and the knees and hip look like they will be in good shape in a few more days), I think I can get back to where I want to be in time for a metric century ride a local bike club is sponsoring in September.

This sport/activity/enthusiasm is just so addictive, I not only miss the pure joy of it when I'm not riding, I also get impatient when I can't see that upward arc in performance. I'm learning patience, even in my late-40's...