Light at the End of the Tunnel

As I rode up the final hill to my drive yesterday, the bike computer said that I had ridden 21.9 km. It certainly was not a marathon ride, but I was very excited nonetheless. After all, it was a lot longer than the 5.5 km I had achieved in my first comeback ride a couple of days ago.

After that first ride I had been a little apprehensive that the level of pain in my back might have grown worse. To my relief it actually seemed to get better. I had already read that long walks are good for back problems as the release of endorphins act like a natural anaesthetic. If long walks have a positive outcome, then I figured that modest bike rides could not do any harm after all.

Our eldest son had also joined us for the ride, so that added an extra layer of enjoyment to the afternoon. At the end of the day I was able to head to bed, without feeling the terrible sciatic pain that presages a restless night's sleep. It turned out to be the best night that I have had for at least the past week.

When today dawned cold and clear I decided that I would get back on the bike for another ride. After a delightful ride (with even a few more hills thrown in), the computer told me that we had ridden 25.9 km. I am beginning to feel that I am getting close to being able to rejoin regular rides.

The irony is that Victoria has just experienced a huge surge in COVID infections., so much so that it has become the epicentre for contagion in Australia. We have just heard that no less than 75 new infections were detected in the past 24 hours. This is clearly the worst result since the very height of the pandemic. It is now looking more and more likely that we will be returning to some form of lockdown. That means that any resumption in regular Ghostrider rides will be quite some time off. The toilet rolls have already disappeared from all the supermarkets once more !Read more