Triple Recovery

If you want to know how it feels to have the stuffing completely knocked out of you, ride the South Downs Triple.  It was an immense 300 mile ride, yet an awesome experience.

Simon Catmur's 50th Birthday ride on the South Downs
Pic by  Tim Burden

The nerve damage to my left hand kept me off the bike for a frustrating 3 months.  I’m now back out riding and loving every minute.  It is so refreshing to ride with no agenda or stringent training schedule.   There’s no requirement to get up at 5:30am to train before work, or pack my evenings with further training and event preparation.  My goal at present is to focus on the enjoyment of riding and see what takes my fancy for next year.

The journey of the Triple lasted about a year, from when I first had that crazy idea.  The friendships formed along the way and the adventure of riding the Triple was an amazing lifetime experience.  When it was all over and I’d recovered from the sleep deprivation and exhaustion, a huge chasm remained.  Compiling my thoughts, I began to write about the adventure.  The more I wrote, the more I realized what and adventure it had all been.  At present it’s around 16k words and could later be turned into a book.

After climbing a mountain, there can be a tricky descent.  I’m pleased to have safely descended the mountain and look forward to exploring the new land.