Mother nature got the better of us today... Beautiful day. Nelson, Kirsty and Wazzah picked me up and we headed out to Mountain Road. Kirsty and Wazza walking, Nelson and me on the bikes, intending on going up the front, over the ridge and down to Wharfdale, where the walkers would go for View Hill and Nelso and me back to car to drive round and pick them up. Hit the trail from Coopers Creek, cruising with the two walkers, but eventually I slowly loped off ahead. Drop down to creek, and the pushing up the switchies from that, riding a fair bit, walking the odd bit, and proceeding to ride and walk in equal measures for quite a while. Stopped and let Wazza catch me up a couple times, then eventually he caught me once it got steep and my pushing and carrying was slower than his walking. Various walkers and runners were coming down through.
At the treeline we hit some wind, which proceeded to get into horrendous galeforce once up in the alpine proper, at above about 900m... The other two had caught up by this stage, but Wazza and me were out front, and really struggling. No way could I lift my bike up or I'd blow over, and he could barely stand. Kirsty was scared enough to stop, and Nelson got up to where we were holding on to the hill where we all decided to give up. Further up where the trail gets steeper and narrower for the final push, there was going to be no way we could have maneuvered with the bikes. Foiled, we turned back down. Rode a couple of bits I wouldn't have expected to, back to Kirsty at the treeline, where we all ate our packed lunches.
Into the descent. Only a couple of walks on the really heinously steep stuff, and riding some surprisingly steep stuff. Quite fun, but hard work. Awesome descent lower down. We stopped a few times letting the two walkers catch up. Then after a particularly long jaunt, we stopped and Nelson tried to get his GoPro sorted. Meanwhile, I rested on the ground, and felt a sharp 'stick' in my arm, which got sorer and then as I turned my arm to look, there's a fucking wasp sticking out of it! OWCH!, gripped and squeezed it and biffed it onto the ground. Damn! (2 days later, my arm is twice it's normal size...). Walkers all through and past, and we bombed on down, over taking two girls that'd passed us while stopped. Catching Kirsty and Wazza out on the farmtrack, and rolling slowly with them back to the car.
Grand total of 9 kms, and 675 m climbed...
Addendum: This trip caused the worst back pain of my life. Sunday afternoon, Monday, and so far Tuesday - agony.
Addendum 2: 11 days later: Back pain continued, turning into not sciatica - shooting pains down both buttocks, spasming lower back, locked up hip flexors, some of the most painful days and nights I've ever experience. 2 half and one full day off work. Osteo treatment number 2 seemed to help more, finally Wednesday 18th woke up feeling a little better, with glute pain subsided greatly but hip flexor pain still in evidence.
Addendum 3: Nearly 6 weeks later and I'm still broken. Nortriptyline and Pregabalin with Brufen are my solace. It's been a very long and unpleasant time.
Addendum to end all Addendums: May 19th, 2020. MRI several weeks ago shows a prolapsed disc at L3 L4. Foot issues meant that on this day my first appointment with a neurosurgeon is pending at 9.15 (i'm writing this at 8.47)...
At the treeline we hit some wind, which proceeded to get into horrendous galeforce once up in the alpine proper, at above about 900m... The other two had caught up by this stage, but Wazza and me were out front, and really struggling. No way could I lift my bike up or I'd blow over, and he could barely stand. Kirsty was scared enough to stop, and Nelson got up to where we were holding on to the hill where we all decided to give up. Further up where the trail gets steeper and narrower for the final push, there was going to be no way we could have maneuvered with the bikes. Foiled, we turned back down. Rode a couple of bits I wouldn't have expected to, back to Kirsty at the treeline, where we all ate our packed lunches.
Into the descent. Only a couple of walks on the really heinously steep stuff, and riding some surprisingly steep stuff. Quite fun, but hard work. Awesome descent lower down. We stopped a few times letting the two walkers catch up. Then after a particularly long jaunt, we stopped and Nelson tried to get his GoPro sorted. Meanwhile, I rested on the ground, and felt a sharp 'stick' in my arm, which got sorer and then as I turned my arm to look, there's a fucking wasp sticking out of it! OWCH!, gripped and squeezed it and biffed it onto the ground. Damn! (2 days later, my arm is twice it's normal size...). Walkers all through and past, and we bombed on down, over taking two girls that'd passed us while stopped. Catching Kirsty and Wazza out on the farmtrack, and rolling slowly with them back to the car.
Grand total of 9 kms, and 675 m climbed...
Addendum: This trip caused the worst back pain of my life. Sunday afternoon, Monday, and so far Tuesday - agony.
Addendum 2: 11 days later: Back pain continued, turning into not sciatica - shooting pains down both buttocks, spasming lower back, locked up hip flexors, some of the most painful days and nights I've ever experience. 2 half and one full day off work. Osteo treatment number 2 seemed to help more, finally Wednesday 18th woke up feeling a little better, with glute pain subsided greatly but hip flexor pain still in evidence.
Addendum 3: Nearly 6 weeks later and I'm still broken. Nortriptyline and Pregabalin with Brufen are my solace. It's been a very long and unpleasant time.
Addendum to end all Addendums: May 19th, 2020. MRI several weeks ago shows a prolapsed disc at L3 L4. Foot issues meant that on this day my first appointment with a neurosurgeon is pending at 9.15 (i'm writing this at 8.47)...
No comments:
Post a Comment