Happy Knee Year

06 Jan 2016

Optimism. That's what this post was supposed to be bursting with. Unashamed, untethered, disgusting OPTIMISM!

2015 was my strongest year on the bike. Given a couple of easy months to recover followed by the TrainerRoad Sweet-Spot base plan would see me have a guilt-less festive period. I'd be ready to hit some serious sufferfest action in a planned bid to increase my FTP to "loadsa watts", while being the leanest I've been since school. A decent 10-mile time trial time would be the target.

My power-to-weight ratio was going to be impressive and I'd have started longer efforts at sweet spot or even threshold in the aero bars. My bike would now be set up for me in a TT position and all my focus would be on building sustained power output. I'd be following my Core training plan as well, on rest days.

The CX bike that I recently purchased would be making light work of the active recovery-level commutes in the pissing rain as well as allowing me to stay sociable on club rides.

On top of that, I'd have my weekly game of fives. Great fun and a bit of weight-bearing cross training to keep the bones healthy right?

No. Instead, at the end of November, five-a-sides finally got my knee. Delicious Irony there as well.

After getting very fat at Uni, as well the salaried years of excess that followed, I started playing 5-a-sides again. My and the belly managed just fine, but my knees would complain at times. I read up on it. Basically after applying some rocket science, I concluded that I was overweight and my legs were underdeveloped. I decided to do something about that as I loved fives so much. I bought a bike - this would allow me to build the muscles around my knees and help me lose weight - it worked. It's also given me a thunderous right-peg!!!

Back to November 2015. It's Monday night at Soccerworld. I intercept a pass, the ball at my feet, back from goal, about to kick it back to my teammate. Standard play. My left leg is taking my weight but it starts to go behind me, it's not supposed to bend that way. A tackle comes in. PAIN!!

7 weeks later and here we are. Two ill-advised days of commuting and a sheepish half-hour easy spinning on the turbo trainer aside, my training plans and aspirations are in tatters. The 2.5kgs planned weight loss has turned into gain. My FTP has probably halved and I'm certain the knee is not a whole lot better.

Cycling was supposed to be for helping my football. It certainly has, but it's become the main thing, the one I can't do without. I'm not sure I really appreciated how much I rely on the bike, it's not just a leisure pursuit - it's a big chunk of my life as well as a form of transport and I am really missing it. I'm not sure I'll play football again now but I need my cycling back. And the sooner the better.

What now then? Patience. Get better. Then (gradually build up and) hit it hard. There you go, optimism (fingers crossed it's not misplaced).

All being well, what does Cranky's 2016 look like?

• TT position on the bike
• A decent TT time (I'm not going to set a target in stone as I have no idea where I will be now, but I'm hoping for at least a minute on my time on the COG course from last year, sub-26mins. Would have been sub-25 if my training was going to plan).
• Archies into Space or whatever crazy fundraiser COG run this year.
• Kinross Sportive. Only one I am currently signed up for. Improving on last year, which I was happy with
• Other sportives. I'm keen for Cairn O' Mount. Should do Tayside, Highland Perthshire as well. I'd like to go and do the Bealach Mor again, Ullapool would be fantastic if it fits in as well. Perhaps the Skye Sportive.
• Flights are booked to see some of this year's Tour. We'll be taking our bikes and staying around the Cévennes where there is loads of great routes. Ventoux looms also!
• One, tentative bonkers mental huge ride as yet unconfirmed.