Tour o' the Borders 2015

It will come as no surprise to you that I was slightly nervous of a 74 mile sportive, the Tour O' the Borders, on my road bike. Had it been last year I wouldn't have worried at all; this year though was a different proposition. For a start, I haven't been riding the road bike that much and I certainly haven't been doing the longer rides. And then there was the event itself. A closed-road sportive from Peebles on roads I'd never seen amassing something like 4500 feet of climbing over the distance. Maybe not the wisest of things to have signed up for but I'd got my place way back before my operation when I didn't expect to be out for so long.
With it being a closed-road event I had to sign up the day before, so it was a quick trip to Peebles to do that and then back to Edinburgh where I would stay the night. Sign on was very professional feeling. A big list of the entrants names and a box to sign my name. On receipt of the signature I was given my number plate with the timing chip on the back and a yellow band for identification, just in case I lost my bike on the road, I guess.

The start

With a 7:13 start in wave 11 it was an early start so I left Edinburgh around 5:20 the next morning. The roads were quiet, but the odd car with bikes attached seemed to be going in the same direction and by the time I was driving down the road into Peebles it was less of a sleepy Sunday morning and more of a motorised peleton. All slightly bizarre. I had decided to use the official car park even though it would cost me £4 for the day. There were those that had decided otherwise and they were parking on the roads and getting ready outside peoples houses; I wonder what they thought. As a resident of a town often taken over by large events I felt it was kinder to take my car a put it off road, but that's my choice.
I parked in the field and got myself sorted out; computers, saddle bag, tyre pressures, check the number, check the band, helmet, glasses, check the number, check the band, oh don't forget the water bottles and maybe I should just take the rain jacket, it looks a little grey. And then the first choice of the day, push the bike over the grass or ride it? I pushed it, deciding discretion was the order of the day. Then the little cycle along the road and into the town. Cyclists everywhere and only half past six on a Sunday morning.
It was here I was passed by two recumbents, David Gardiner of Laid Back Bikes and Dave Mcraw, proving the futility of the upright bike in the efficiency stakes. Sadly I didn't get the chance to introduce myself to Dave, I've read a lot of his opinion and would have like to say hello, but I did chat to David about stuff until it was my time to get into my wave.
With around 2200 riders organisation has to be slick and the 15 waves had bays to queue up in on the Green in the town. Just before the wave's start time an official with a pole and the wave's number on it took the participants up to the main street. As you do, or at least as I do, I got chatting to a fellow wave 11'er and quickly enough it was our turn to go to the start. We were held there for a minute or two while the enthusiastic starter tried to gee us up. To be honest I just wanted to be on my way. And then we were. Off over the timing mat and away.

Cademuir and Dreeva

 

The group thinned out quickly enough and although there were always cyclists about (more than I would usually see in an entire ride) it wasn't as crowded as I thought it might be. Maybe big chaingangs are the preserve of the faster groups. My conversation companion and I teamed up and rode together chatting and spinning.
The first climb at Dreeva came along after about 11 miles and it was here that the field bunched up a bit. A narrow road and the inevitable slowing down contributed to that I think. And, as usual I wasn't the fastest, but I certainly wasn't the slowest. I was, however, slower than my companion and I lost him for a while. The descent down to the A701 was lovely and here I found myself firmly in the faster category. From our conversation I expected to catch my buddy up and I did.

Talla

The next section down the A701 towards the Talla reservoir was the grim bit of the day. The greyness had descended and it even got a little wet but it was never too bad and we rode past the first feed stop (a little early in my opinion) as we didn't really need anything.
At some point during this section David Gardiner flew past us on his M5 CHR. His speed and obvious comfort has certainly got me thinking about recumbent bikes again!
The Talla reservoir was definitely the wettest part of the ride. It should have been lovely even with the impending climb at the end but the roads we very wet and the drizzle had turned into something more akin to rain. On this section you would have been almost forgiven for thinking we were out for a Sunday ride, just the two of us as it was very quiet. And then we got to the climb.
From the bottom it looked amazing. A steep climb up the hillside and an unbroken line of cyclists attempting to get up it. For the uninitiated there is a 20% sign right at the bottom of the climb which starts with a tight left hand bend to get on to the slopes proper. It's not encouraging. A sign from the organisers suggested the the slower among us should stay to the left. "That's me" I thought and got to the left. I had done my usual and had put my bike into it's lowest gear right at the bottom and was trying my best to get up this "wall". Again I found myself not the slowest, and definitely not the quickest. Sadly my attempt was cut short by the chap in front of me. I realised that he was slowing and went to overtake him (imagine one snail trying to go round another). Unfortunately he chose that moment to quit and in his panic to get unclipped he veered to the right. At the speed we were going I didn't have any chance and rather than put me and my bike off the road I also came to a halt. If we'd been on our own I might have been able to restart but there wasn't the room on the hill with the other riders still trying to get up. No being at my limit I did jog a little up the hill which must have looked odd but it helped my average a bit on the all important Strava segment. I'm not saying I would have got up but I would like to have tried. Once the very steep part was over I got restarted and headed off up the rest of the climb. Where, I think, this picture was taken.

This forward momentum was short lived. As I was crossing the bridge before the shallower part of the climb a marshal informed all of us we would be required to stop while an accident on the descent was dealt with. So, there we were, a compact line of cyclists standing about on the upper slopes of the Talla climb. This was where I was very glad of my waterproof jacket. It was still grey, windy and it got cold. Although I had almost reached my companion for the day so far we got a little separated as the line shuffled about but there was still plenty of chat to be had. And whilst we were cold and probably a little dispirited I think it says something for cyclists that I heard no grumbles aimed at the organisers, just concern for those in the accident. We knew it was bad when the helicopter flew overhead. And so we waited for about an hour.
Eventually they let us go. We walked to the very top and over the cattle grid before being very orderly on what was a pretty technical, and greasy descent. I think I would have loved it had the riders been spread out a little more but as it was we all took it easy. The position of the accident was clear. A narrow bridge, thankfully with hay bales on the ends, had obviously caused its problems. There was a bit too much rubbernecking from my fellow participants here for my liking and I was glad when we reached the easier downhill section.

St Marys Loch

I think it took us all a while to breathe some life back into our cold legs but the run down along St Mary's Loch towards the Gordon Arms was just the ticket. Especially with the breeze behind. My chatty friend and I had met up again and breezed along the road, looking forward to a break at the pub and the opportunity to fill up the water bottles and try one of the macaroni pies! The main problem with the crash, for us still upright, was the inevitable bunching of riders. It meant the feed stop was awash with cyclists. We managed to get through and get supplies. The macaroni pies are indeed legendary. Warm and cut into bite-sized quarters they were just what I needed. Probably not what a doctor would have ordered but hey.

Berrybush

As we left we got separated by an ambulance coming through the feed stop when I needed to stop to let it go. Although this was annoying it also gave me a bit of an impetus. As I settled into the long steady climb of Berrybush I decided to give it a little bit of effort to see if I could catch my pal. It took me a while before I even saw him in the distance. I was overtaken by a number of riders (including a group of three women who cut in way too close - more of them later) but I was also doing a fair amount of passing too. I got to the top without reaching my unknowing target and then the fun began.
This descent was lovely. Not too steep, nice flowing bends and just my cup of tea. I went past the ladies, hopefully at a very safe distance, and then I swept past the yellow jacket of my earlier companion. "Meet you at the bottom" I said. In the end he passed me as I took a comfort break. And another chase began. Now on the rolling flats this one was harder but I decided to give it a go. Disappointingly, I was just about to catch him when he decide it was time for his own comfort break. I wasn't going to stop and I knew that the climb of Witchyknowe was coming up so he would surely catch me then.
Between the pass and the climb there was some sticky road to traverse. I was ready to climb and found this section quite long and difficult to find a rhythm on. People passed, I passed people and then, eventually, I came to the turn off.

Witchyknowe

The climb didn't start for a little wile along the road but as it started to rise I came to a cattle grid and the timing mat for the KOM section. After that riders stretched up the winding road. It wasn't the hardest climb I've ever done nor the easiest. I'm not going to lie, I rode it in my granny gear, just spinning along.  I passed one rider sitting comfortably on the grass. Suggesting to him that his rest was a fine idea the reply "It's cramp, that's what is" came back to me. I should learn to keep my mouth shut.

Witchyknowe - I didn't feel as bad as I look!

The top arrived soon enough along with the timing mat, a cattle grid and the inevitable descent. Whilst I was firmly in the overtaking lane I can't say I enjoyed this one. It might have been fine on a quiet Sunday morning but on this day it was too crowded and I was made nervous by the obviously nervous riders around me. I spotted, and tried to disregard, a rider sitting by the road holding his arm in that broken collar bone way. He had a friend with him so I left them to it. Hopefully he was ok.
The next section was my low point of the day. A real up and down road back to the Gordon Arms and I was riding on my own. Because my chum from earlier had not caught me on the climb which really surprised me. I definitely felt slow as I headed along into the head wind and I felt envious of the little groups who went by me. I finally rolled into the Gordon Arms, needing a watter bottle top up and looking forward to a macaroni pie slice!

Paddy Slacks

As I parked my bike I was finally caught by my friend who decided not to stop as he was under time pressure to get back after the delay at Talla. I waved him off, wished him luck and went in search of water and legendary carb snacks. Relatively quickly I was back in the saddle and starting the final climb of Paddy Slacks. The trio of ladies overtook me again (we'd done a few switches) since the first overtake and I said I'd see them on the way down. This climb was the easiest of them all, never really steep just relentlessly uphill.
And then my favourite descent of the lot. All the way down, to the sweeping left hander onto the flat, I overtook riders that had gone past me on the way up. The route was well signed but I did object slightly to the sharp bend sign on this downhill section that turned out to be not very sharp at all! Still, if it kept riders safe, so be it.
Back down to relative flat near Traquair house, all that needed to be done was the 10 miles or so back to Peebles. For anyone riding them, they are not flat! Up down, up down and then a nasty little ramp near the end just to hurt the legs a little more. It was around here I ended up riding with a gent in a Kinross cycling club jersey. That gave us a little to talk about which helped me in towards our destination.

The finish line

Entering Peebles I was aware again of the organisation that goes into a closed road event. We were directed onto the right hand carriageway which was coned off so that the left hand side could still be used as a one way route for cars. Suddenly we were back in civilisation. We arrived back at the bridge and swung up and into the High Street. A burst for the finish line and then a sharp slow down so I could turn right down the close to the Green. I had forgotten to unclip so finding the way blocked wasn't useful. I came to a stop with my shoulder against the wall while I got my foot sorted out. A concerned marshal asked if I was ok. I assured them I was, climbed off and walked to the Green.

Crossing the line

It was here I picked up my medal  and then walked through the crowds and stalls before decking it was time to head home. Before I did though, I met my riding partner from the morning. As he had aimed just to finish he'd done really well and deserved his medal.
When I came to leave for the car park I realised I'd lost my sunglasses. I retraced my steps  to no avail.  Annoyed I cycled back to the car park where I packed up and headed back to Edinburgh. Despite the loss of my shades it had still been a great ride.

The ride

The one thing I haven't mentioned above is my complete delight at my time. Before I started I would have taken 6:15 as a total time. Perhaps that was overly cautious but with my lack of training and the amount of climbing I was more bothered about just finishing. So getting a time of 6:09 including the long wait above Talla I was more than happy.

Afterward

In hope more than expectation I emailed the organisers to see if my glasses had been found. They had! And they offered to post them back to me. They arrived wrapped in a buff in a bottle. What a perfect solution to posting them.

Different journeys

Sometimes cycling is not really about the cycling, it's about the bigger journey. The ride today had a purpose other than a trip out with The Stoker. We met up with a Strava pal Carole in Cupar and rode to our favourite cafe in Newburgh.

There we met up with Julie and Pete who I met on the Dunfermline sportive detailed in the last post. And all of us were met by the ever-there Vic and Mrs Groover! All of us were having different days, at different points in our cycling careers but, there we were, all enjoying coffee, tea and cakes. And, of course, the general bon honomie  of cycling chat.

And afterwards we all headed off in the same direction with the group reducing as people got home or needed to head off in different directions. And, then, at Rankeilour we were left on our own to ride home. It had been a very different day, with changes in pace, on road chat and a bigger cake stop. Another experience in our tandem journey. And one worth repeating. It might lead to a Sportive  on a tandem too. I do hope so.

The Ride

A sportive on the trike

The Day

It's generally understood that the middle of June in Britain (Scotland included) is the summer. So, it was with some disappointment that I packed the trike into the boot of my car on the 14th of June with the drizzly rain coming down in a temperature of around 6 degrees Celsius. This was the morning of my first sportive with the trike and I had hoped for better weather.
Still, I told myself as I drove along, the forecast says it's going to get better. I still had my arm and leg warmers rolled up in my helmet in the back. I might be optimistic but I'm not stupid and I've lived in Scotland for a long time now. Right enough, the rain got worse as I drove to Dunfermline and the roads got wetter. However, when I arrived, it wasn't actually raining. And there were Vic and Carole in the car park already raring to go. Actually, that's not quite true of Vic. He was freezing having believed the weather forecast as he set out to cycle his 28 miles to the start. He was heading for an epic.
We went into the building at Fife College to sign in and Vic took shelter and got some coffee down his neck as I went out to get the trike ready for the day. I've got the fold/store in boot/unfold procedure down to quite a quick time now, but getting the seat back on is still a bit of a pain. But it went on and we were ready to depart. We were joined by Carol, work colleague of Carole for the departure. A slight issue of concern by the chap sending us off that I was too low for the timing sensors, but it proved not to be the case. I did sit upright just in case.
Carol is the local so we let her lead us out of Dunfermline towards Dalgety Bay. I'm glad we did because I would have got lost without her. Once out on the open road though Vic and I left the Carol(e)s to their speed and settled into our ride. I feel sorry for anyone on a DF trying to ride with a trike. It's not so much the average speed but the rhythm of the ride that's very different. The trike is very slow up hills, very quick down hills and somewhere in between on the rolling roads. However, Vic is a very strong rider and he manages just fine. Somehow I think it must be painfully slow for him but he does a great job at keeping pace and we manage to chat just fine.
We suffered the inevitable overtakes as I ground my way up the first real hill of the day. All very cheery though and a great atmosphere between all the participants. A real feature of the day. A lot of people cheerfully complaining about the weather which was still rather damp, if not actually raining. We did see some rain, and we suffered wet roads for the first half of the ride especially near Porters Brae. That was still to come though.
I had a slight fail at the first split in the sportive routes when I went the wrong way. I was just showing off the trike's turning circle, honest! Back on the right track another wee hill led to a fantastic descent into Kirkaldy. Chasing the roadie that had overtaken us near the summit was fun, avoiding the cat less so. Kirkaldy and Dysart provided an urban landscape and a couple of nasty little ramps for the trike. They also provided some passer-by fun. From the steadfastly not looking to the full 180 turn around there was no doubt that the trike was attracting some attention. There's no point being shy and retiring when riding a trike.
On the way to Weymss we were overtaken by some of Carole's friends while taking a comfort break. Carole at this point had turned off to make here way round the shorter 28 mile loop leaving us and Carol to the 60. Carol just kept spotting us in the distance. Now it was mostly downhill for a while and with the trike wanting to roll we made the most of it to re-pass. Not that we knew who it was at this point. The road trucked on to Buckhaven where the longer 92 mile route left the 60 mile route and we turned up to Windygates and Kennoway. It was here we had one of the two stretches of roads I'd rather not ride. Luckily it was mainly downhill so I was able to wind the trike up to reasonable speeds. Just to get it done, you understand.
Unfortunately, Windygates and Kennoway signalled a long stretch of mostly uphill work. And those we had passed earlier were able to get their revenge. Coming out of Kennoway took us on to the biggest hill to date. 1.1 miles of around 5%. Tough enough for me on the trike and fairly unpleasant in the dampest conditions of the day. We felt we were climbing to meet the clouds. Of course, getting to the top brought the inevitable descent and, although it was short and wet, the trike handled it very well. I was delighted to see later that this was my 2nd fastest time down this little hill. Well worth the effort. The road, wet and puddly and making me wish for my mudguards, took us to Cadger's Brae which should be a blast of a descent but I don't have the bottle for the steep reverse camber turns and a 90 degree left at the bottom with an ominous looking wall. Disc brakes or no disc brakes I took it relatively easily. At the junction a little further on, all this descending meant we caught up with some of those who had overtaken us. This was helped by a slight confusion over the route.
This junction led to the second bit of road I'd rather not ride. Very much back on routes I have ridden relatively often the choice of riding up to the New Inn roundabout and then down to Falkland surprised me. I had assumed we would cross the road duck under the railway and reach Falkland by way of Freuchie. We did discuss this with one of the organisers at the end and apparently there had been some debate about the correct way to route this section, with the busier roads being favoured over the potentially dangerous crossings of two bigger roads. I'm still not sure, especially after experiencing the driving on the road down to Falkland. I've never gone this way before on my own rides, and I'm not persuaded by this trip. Still, it increases the roads on my heatmap, and I'm still alive to tell the tale.
The feed stop for the 60 mile route was at Falkland's community hall and we arrived with the little posse of riders we'd been swapping positions with since Weymss. “Are you the Clockwork Hamster?” said one of the women who proceeded to introduce herself as, Julie, one of Carole's friends who I recognised from Strava. Both Strava and local sportives are an excellent way to meet new cycling acquaintances. Carol arrived closely behind and we all chatted away as we partook of the lovely snacks and topped up our bottles.
Leaving Falkland I suffered a little downturn in energy that really didn't re-emerge until after Wester Balgedie, 8.5 miles away. This, and the long drag from Strathmiglo allowed our new chums to overtake us and we never saw them again. Carol, who left Falkland slightly after us, was on that bit of elastic again and she nearly caught us a number of times before finally overtaking us at Cleish. We had, however, had a change for the better in the weather. I'd taken the leg warmers off and the roads had dried out. The sun was even threatening on occasion to break through.
Before that we met up with another two blokes who traded road position with us a couple of times before Cleish where the big climb of the day loomed before us. The trike did go up it but very slowly indeed. It doesn't help that the road surface at the bottom where it is very steep is also the worst. Steep and gravelly doesn't suit the trike well but I managed to keep it going and didn't appear to suffer any significant wheel slip. Our two blokes overtook us, as did Carol, as I suffered onwards and upwards. Vic showed his strength by accelerating away to get far enough up the road to take this picture.

On the Cleish hill - with permission

I was very relieved to get to the top of the second steep section and even happier to get to the actual top. It was here we made a great tactical error. The road is single track and we had a car behind us. Being nice, polite cyclists we slowed and let them through. Forgetting of course, just how fast the trike (and a bike) can go downhill. Unfortunately the car driver was not so fast and our descent was slightly hampered. I had hoped the car would be just far enough in front to punch a hole in any oncoming traffic. They parked up a little before the descent finished; here we met traffic coming the other way that was definitely going too fast but luckily the road was wide enough here.
Turning down to Kelty we could see our “companions”. And we started to reel them in. The road into the centre of Kelty is a very steep straight road which is ideal for letting the trike roll. As long as a 4x4 doesn't pull out in front of you that is. They got up to speed ok in the end though and by the time we were turning south in Kelty we had almost caught Carol and one of the blokes, who appeared to have lost his mate.
From here to Kingseat saw more swapping of position as the tarmac rolled along. Vic and I had the ascendancy as we topped out in Kingseat only for me to miss the turn to the finish. As I turned Carol and our cycling chap took full advantage to finish in front of us. This small diversion may also have cost me a sub 5 hour finish in the event, which is a shame. All that remained was to drop back into Dunfermline and Fife College for welcome hot food and drink.
Regardless of results (sportives are not races) and goals it was a great day out. I was superbly supported, as ever, by my wingman Vic and we met lots of good company along the way. My thanks have to go also to Dunfermline Cycle Club who ran the event. The organisation was superb, the feed stop excellent. I would query the exact choice of route but that's something up for debate. I'm not forced to ride in these events so I can decide next year if I want to take part or not. The question is, which device will it be next year, bike or trike? And which route?

The Ride

Postscipt

Our friend Carole had her own epic on the 28 mile route which turned in to a 33 mile route and more climbing than she'd bargained for. A great effort though and I believe she had as much fun as we did!

The trike's first 500

Unbelievably I have ridden my trike over 500 miles now. So it seems appropriate to write up my thoughts it, and riding in the laid back position generally.

Speed

I'd like to start with the obvious. The trike is slow or, at least, I am slow on the trike. Uphill I can understand; the trike is heavier and on a trike it's not clever to mash. To protect my knees I've been very careful to feel I've been spinning, especially on the uphill sections. It's not just on the slopes that the trike is slow. Three wheels increases the rolling resistance and, to date, I've struggled to get it up to speed on the flat. Downhill is a different matter. It's actually not as quick, or quicker, than the upright bike but it feels very fast at anything over about 25mph. And bends on descents can be 'interesting" when the inside wheel lightens up.
It is this one issue that is my biggest disappointment with the trike. But there's more to the trike than raw speed.

Comfort

The trike is insanely comfortable to ride. I have it fitted with a hard shell seat which I'm sure does transfer more of the road surface to me than a mesh seat would but it also supports me better than the mesh seat I tried. A neck rest provides even more comfort and I'm sure if I stopped up somewhere, tipped my head back and shut my eyes I could quite happily sleep right there. As long as I remembered to set the parking brake that is!
The reclined nature of the riding position allows me to look down the road much more easily than when riding my road bike. My shoulders and back appreciate that. And as a last trick the seat also has two water bottle holders on it, making drinking on the move easy and efficient.
My hands rest nicely on the controls, with the added benefit that I can ride the trike with just one hand steering. This has been crucial to my recovery. With the right hand steering, braking and changing gear at the back my left hand has been able spend time resting on my chest. It's only needed for the occasional braking duty and changing the chainring being used if required (a carefully picked route can result in this not being needed). And all of this mucking about with hands and never a worry about falling off.
All of this physical support and comfort results in getting home feeling quite fresh. Certainly there's none of the sense of relief that sometimes comes with dismounting from an upright bike. I should sound a note of pessimism here. These observations are based on shorter rides, my longest ride to date is just over 40 miles, the usual ones are between 15 and 20. And the longest time I've spent on (in, I'm not quite sure) the trike at one time is probably about 1 hour 45 minutes. Perhaps I will change my mind if I ever do a century on it.

Practicality

One area where I think I need to make improvements to the trike is the area of practicality. Because I can't carry stuff in my back pockets, like I can on a road bike, it makes carrying snacks, a phone, arm warmers and the like that little bit more difficult. And I haven't really found a solution yet. I want to find some storage that I can reach easily for snacks as I ride and somewhere to put the tools, inner tubes etc along with a little space for clothes etc. So far it isn't too much of an issue but it might become one as I venture further from home and as I need to deal with different temperatures during a ride. Currently the back of the seat looks like a good bet, I'll keep you posted.
If you look at this picture you can see where an old saddle bag is strapped to the frame of the trike, right on the fold. There's a little bag for gels and phone at the front and another tiny bag you can't see at between the wheels. And my waterproof jacket is attached to the head rest at the back of the seat.

A photo posted by Clockwork Hamster (@clockworkhamster) on Apr 18, 2015 at 4:08am PDT

I've mentioned the fold. It makes it very easy to transport the trike in the back of my car although there isn't much room for anything else. Certainly no people! I'd get some bags for clothes and food etc in but not much else. Still, it makes it easy to transport which makes going places that little easier. Maybe one day I'll work out how to transport it on the roof like my other bikes.

Verdict

I love my trike. Enough said. I just have to remember that it's a different ball game to ripping up the tarmac on a road bike (as if I ever did) but that's the point; it's different. And what a comfortable difference it is. I suspect my next bike might be two-wheeled but it might very well still have a laid back seat....

Confession

I have a small apology to make. It's taken me so long to write this that I've now done 720 miles on the trike. Riding not writing, maybe I shouldn't be sorry for that.

Surgery and recovery

My, I've been quiet! In the first of what should be two closely spaced posts I'd like to take the opportunity to talk about the operation and recovery.

The procedure

The surgical solution is frighteningly simple. The symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome are caused by the median nerve being squeezed for space in the carpal tunnel. This tunnel has a roof formed by a ligament attached to the bones on either side of the hand. To give the nerve some more space the surgeon opens up the hand, cuts the ligament in two and sews the hand back up. As I said, frighteningly simple. For more details, including videos(!), just search for carpal tunnel release surgery.

My experience

I was very apprehensive on the day of the operation but I have to say that the hospital staff made the whole thing a lot easier. I was most amused during the pre-op checks when I set off the alarm by having a pulse rate that was too low! The benefits of cycling....
As the procedure was done under local anaesthetic I was aware of all that was going on. It's a very strange feeling when you know that the surgeon is working away on your hand but there is no associated pain. The theatre nurses were amused at my calming method, I spent time on the table imaging I was climbing the Inn Pin on Skye!
When the surgeon was finished I declined his invitation to "have a look". No thank you.... And then, very quickly, they had my hand all wrapped up in an enormous bandage with my fingers sticking out.

Not the best photo - but you get the idea...

Then, once I'd had a little time recovering (with toast and coffee), it was time to go home.

Initial recovery

I was instructed to keep my fingers mobile and take painkillers as required. Apparently you don't want it all seizing up. I was allowed to reduce the dressing after 3-4 days and I did this. Mostly so my hand would pass through my coat sleeve, allowing me to go out for a more comfortable walk than when I tried to with my coat wrapped around the spare arm. Reducing the dressing ended up with me getting a glimpse of the wound. Not pretty, and I was glad to have it wrapped up again. Given the way my hand felt over the next few days I did wonder if I should have left the bandages alone. In the end I think it was ok.
After 10 days I had the stitches out. To be honest this was probably the worst bit. The picking and pulling around the cut was not pleasant.

Onward recovery

With my stitches out I was back to work. At this stage I was somewhat wary and slightly concerned that the wound would split open. It's very disconcerting. By now I also had my exercises to do. I will admit that work was being done with one hand mostly. But it was good to be back at the desk.
Improvement, since then (9 weeks ago), has been steady if not as fast as I would like. The interesting bit has been the regular step-wise improvements. I would be worrying that no progress had been made for a week or so and then, overnight or over the course of an evening, a rapid change would take place.
It's not perfect yet but I've only had a couple of re-occurrances of my symptoms and they've not hung about. The surgeon did say it might take up to a year, even 18 months, for it to settle down properly. It's nice to be sleeping with one splint only. I haven't tried riding a road bike yet; the small amount of residual swelling is still putting me off. I've not tried golf either. But a lot of "normal" activities are exactly that now, normal. Every now and again I do something that reminds me all is not as it once was and feeling the tendons floating about a bit is strange.
So, for now, it's onward with the exercises and the trike riding. I will wait and see how it goes  before committing the right hand to the same treatment. With it being in better shape than the left one was it might be a while before it is even necessary.

Carpal Tunnel and the Trike

The medical bits

It all started with being woken up in the middle of the night with a numb hand. Night after night. And not a usual numb hand either. Before this all started if I woke up with a hand that had also gone to sleep then I would just move and the feeling would go away while I dropped off again. However this was different. The feeling wouldn't leave the hand, usually requiring me to get up and walk about for a while before it would let me get back to the land of nod. Sometimes it would wake me more than once.

As it went on I did some www research. The symptoms seemed to point to carpal tunnel syndrome. But last time I'd thought I'd got something similar I didn't and some physio sorted something out in my back relieving the symptoms. So I went back to my physio. But, while the manipulations and stretches helped, the symptoms didn't recede. So, off to the docs I went.

And one appointment with a specialist later and I was diagnosed with suspected Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. And sleeping with a splint on my right hand. It certainly helped with the night time symptoms but the odd numb hand on the bike, when typing at work and random other times didn't go away. It's a very odd feeling when your hand just goes all pins and needles for no apparent reason. The really odd thing is the feeling of pins and needles on one side of a finger and not the other. CTS is caused by an impingement of the median nerve and, as I know now, this serves the thumb, forefinger, middle finger and one side of the ring finger. The un-affected ulnar nerve serves the little finger and the other side of the ring finger.

The really odd thing for me was that it had always been my left hand that had gone numb on the bike but that hand appeared to be ok. Well, it was. Until one day on Skye, after a long tandem ride. And then the same thing started with it. I couldn't find a splint on Skye but I did manage to fashion one with a Buff and a teaspoon.  This amused the specialist!

Ah, yes, him again. This time he was convinced enough to send me for nerve conduction tests. Another specialist, another hospital and a diagnosis. CTS for sure. The tests were interesting though. Essentially a series of electric shock used to measure the speed of the nerve signals in my hands. And because the speed is slower from the thumbs than the pinkie CTS is a good call. Moderate in the left, slight to moderate in the right.

And then another trip to the first specialist. And a decision to go for surgery, carpal tunnel release. I'm going to have it done in the left hand first. If that goes well then we will consider doing it to the other hand too.

Riding

For the most part bike riding has been ok. Rough surfaces, routes with heavy braking and the tandem in general have given me problems. One or other hand going to sleep. Changing gear is a bit of a lottery when you can't really feel your fingers. Braking isn't quite so bad, but I'm not sure I'm able to modulate it well with dodgy hands. The odd sharp stop has been entertaining! Getting a drink or food has been fun on occasion too.

I'm sure cycling has had some part in the development of the problem but I'm also sure that 27 years of typing, loads of goal keeping and golf have played their part.

General

One of the strangest things is the display of symptoms. At night I realise is because a lot of us sleep with our hands and wrists curled up. That puts pressure on the nerve and makes the hand go to sleep. Fair enough. But it's the other times that surprise me. Holding a coffee cup, hand goes numb. Typing, hand goes numb. Holding a mobile phone, hand goes numb. Doing nothing, hand goes numb. It's just odd.

Although may be not as odd as one of the specialist's tests. He took my arm and tapped down the inside of the arm from the elbow to the hand. Bingo, the hand goes numb!

Then I found clapping also set it off. Hard to enjoy a pantomime if you can't clap along... :-(

Looking forward

I can't say I'm looking forward to the surgery even if it is only a 20 minute procedure. I'm also not looking forward to the recovery either. No work until the stitches are out (minimal typing), no riding obviously. I'm just hoping TV will be good.

Then, once the stithes are away, I need to be careful. Cycling will need to be introduced very slowly to build it up again. And, of course, the right hand is still affected.

And, now, one reason for the trike will be much clearer.  I'm hoping it will allow me to keep my legs strong while I keep the weight off my wrists. And that might keep the Stoker happy. I can do upright riding on the tandem.

Well, that's the plan. Hopefully it will all work out just fine.

The new trike

Well, I did it. Bought a trike that is. Another small test ride with a hard shell seat convinced me it was ok and I went ahead. A couple of weeks later I took possession of an ICE Sprint 26x. Lovely. Since then I have ridden it around here a little and it's still fun but it's also very different. Here it is suspended on a couple of garden walls. It's easier to clean like that.

The new trike

With it being winter the weather is not exactly perfect for getting used to a new pedal driven machine (I can't really call it a bike...) but I have taken a few opportunities. I've been out twice in the dark allowing me to see where lights can be mounted. Rear lights are simple enough, mounted on the neck rest. Front lights are easy enough to mount on the accessory mount beside the chain rings but they aren't very high and getting enough illumination from them isn't easy. I think I blinded a couple of drivers when I was out the first time. The other problem is that I can't adjust them easily on the move because they are along way from my hands.

The other issue is one of storage. I need two sizes of spare inner tube and tools as well as drinks and snacks. With no access to back pockets this is a bigger headache than normal. I now have 3 water bottle cages and a couple of small bags. That was enough space for me to carry some food last time I was out and I even managed a snack on the move. Progress!

Not that I'm able to go very far yet. Last time out I did about 23 miles including the distance to the start and finish and that was tiring. The laid back pedalling action is different. I'm trying to keep the pressure off my knees, the cadence high, and pull the horizon towards the bike. I might feel like I'm getting there but I suspect it will be a long journey.

Now I have a new machine issue, a rubbing front derailleur but I'm not used to a friction shift so that might also take a little time and effort to sort. It needs sorted for sure, I don't need it to be any less efficient.  Which brings me to the question of speed. I feel it's slow at the moment. I'm hoping that with time I will pick up a little but I'm sure I will never challenge the road bike. The tandem, maybe; that's my target for the time being.

Looking at what I've written here it almost seems like I don't like the trike. That's not true, but it's not an unreserved love affair yet. There are other reasons for the trike. But that's a post for another day.

Ride

This latest ride made me feel like I am progressing. It followed a loop I've done often on the bike so I felt I wasn't compromising my distance because of the trike. It also allowed me to enjoy the different view available from the recumbent position.  I saw more buzzards than I have in a while and a kestrel. The wide views were also great despite not being able to see over the hedgerows.