[Closed] Throwing in the towel? (Long rambling moan about quitting cycling altogether)

I've had 2.5 years out from a broken collarbone that never fixed until this Feb. Still not allowed on my bike till May and it's doing my nut. Got a knee injury that needs sorting as well. Lost my fitness and put on weight. Worse thing is, usually when I'm fed up I go ride my bike!

But, self pity never sorted anyone's problems. You love biking, you don't do century rides without a f*ck of a lot of determination.

Time now to remember how much you love riding and use some of that grit to dig in and go back to the doc and get sorted. You're a lucky man to have discovered how awesome riding a bike is. Don't waste it...

Good luck

Do you still love it? Let that be your answer. Wish the best for you.
peace K.

Unless someone on here happens to be a physiopherapist or doctor, youre in the wrong place for help on this.

If its cycling thats causing this problem, then you have to ask yourself how big cycling is in your life. Because obviously if cycling is causing you injury and pain thats stopping you walking, and therefore doing lots of other things, eg: work, family, running, whatever you get up to, then its just not worth it. But if cycling is all you live for (I feel like that sometimes) then you have to think pretty hard. You can cycle as you do, and get in the last good few rides before its injured beyond repair, or just cut back on it, restrain yourself, and hope it doesnt go back to where it was.

Also, how old are you? If youre young, then its definetly worth going to the doctors again. But if youre older, hitting 60+ or something, then maybe its not. Although you mentioned "skateparks on the BMX", so youre probably not...

Quitters never win. Dont give up.

Keep at it. Even with the pain it is better than vegging out doing **** all.

2 things (or is this the Spanish Inquisiton)-

1) The NHS may be failing you, go back for 2nd opinions off other consultants
2) sounds to me that you were going pretty mad for it and it could just be you're genetics aren't cut out for it
3) Keep up the biking, but cut it down and supplement with other things like walking, swimming, rock climbing...what is it that you get out of biking? the physical or edranaline buzz? there's loads of other things to do to 'mix it up' to get the same feelings but not put the same immense stress on your body
4) become a couch potato like the majority of the population

IMHO option 3 and 1 is best

I think you need to go for round 2 with the knee just for your own quality of life in general terms, never mind cycling. It doesn't sound like some escoteric injury that you never notice until you swing a leg over the bike - rather it's a problem that is going to intrude into general work / family stuff. Gird the loins and try to get it straightened out once and for all - good luck.

I'd keep with it.
One little worry though, because you remind me of a friend I had years ago. Are you over doing it when you've recovered? centuries and all that. My mate ended up having cortizone injections to keep on going.
I had to give up in 1993 after our first child was born, she was born premature and very ill and I was heavilly into road racing at the time. The combination of the two finally made me colapse unconcious wedged between the pan and toilet door. I went from a fit fast 10 stone racer to a 13 stone blagger.
Today after a four year lay off I'm a 12 stone bluffer still racing and riding.I'm loving my riding but that gap has cost me dear and I don't think I'll ever be back to what I was and it's something I struggle to come to terms with. However the health benefits and friends have all been worth it.
Stay but chill perhaps.

I'd say don't let it beat you, there's always a way....

Good luck

Having relegated my bikes to garage porn over the last two years simply due to kids and work commitments I feel for you, your situation is far worse.

I'd say, get it looked into pronto, get well, basic mobility is important primarily.

And maybe look into how you can compliment your condition better - not BMX if you're doing tricks (and falling off?), maybe a full sus bike so there's less impact. God forbid, road riding. Look into your pedals and how you're riding, in fact pay to get some pro advice on bike fitting.
That way at least you'll be addressing your need to be in the sport, and perhaps you'll come out the other side with something that will keep you riding or know that it's all over.

I'm considering selling the bikes and getting an enduro motorbike (an option for you?), where I am I can ride out and have a day's riding on something with an engine and no-one's going to care. Just love my bikes too much to part with them at the moment... (and living in hope that I'll get 2+ hours spare once in a while to get out).

Have a friend with major knee issues.. he went through allsorts before being sold on an operation in LA whereby they transplanted the meniscus of a cadaver into both his knees...

Spent somewhere in the region of £40k with that procedure trying to get himself back to skiing and biking.. although 18mnths later he's still a long way off 🙁 Needless to say, he's been through your blue stage too.

He had a second op last week to check on things after falling of a ladder but said if they have to do more surgery, then he's ready to scratch off this 'miracle cure' and get a state healthcare knee replacement as at least he knows where he is with that!

He is now set on taking recovery slowly as months of easing in through rehab before getting carried away is a good time investment in terms of longer term knee function.

I hope you get it figured.

p.s. Maybe head out to Whistler, both to cheer yourself up and as a bonus we've got DR McConkey a top notch knee specialist here who is available a day a week in the local clinic - no ridiculous waits to find out whats wrong with you in this town 🙂

If all else fails, get a motorbike! You don't need good knees and I can assure you it's just as much fun!
😀

Keep at it fella!

Give up!!!! What are you crazy of something?

Oi, soft bloke! Give up biking? Yeah? and what do you give up next already? Loser!

Get it sorted, and while you're at it lay of the cakes and booze, you're gettin' a bit chubby.

No really.
HTH SB 🙂

For anyone checking back in on this thread cheers for the motivation, very much apreciated.

I'm 90% sure its not the cycling thats doing it, whatever sports i take up to try and get round it seem to get the same responce.

Thanks once again for the encouragement, It amazing what a bowl of frosties, some encouraging words and the new dizze raskal tune will do for a bad mood 🙂

Whilst I'm here any other sports I could add to this list for the meantime?

Swiming (crawl)
Climbing (of the vertical variety, not the red sock type)
Hangliding

Any other sports that I can take up in the mean time? Haven't got the garrage/car for MX/motorbikes otherwise id be all over them again like a rash on a tennagers bits.

You're young, aren't you? There's no point in being fatalistic and saying that you're never going to do it again. If I were you I'd lay off the bike til it seems better, then wait some more, do some other stuff, then come back to it in a few years.

How about taking up downhilling, freeriding, dirt jumping etc? You'd be riding flats and not doing all that much pedalling compared to an all day XCer - might help. Wear kneepads tho 🙂

As for other sports, seems to me that only climbing has the same kind of lifestyle aspect as biking (and I mean being part of your life and general attitude, I don't mean lifestyle as in a fad). Swimming is in no way a replacement for biking as it's boring as f*ck.

yea swimming is boring, but i'm compettitive, just need to find someone in Reading who's equaly unfit and fancies swimming several times a week.

I'm 22, riding off road since before I knew mountainbiking was a sport! But didnt take it too seriously untill I was 15/16. Been riding flats off road since the operation, dont think they made much of a difference as far as I can tell.

22!!! Twenty bleedin' two!!!

You ain't hardly reached full strength yet young fella'.

Canoeing can be fun.
Guitar playing is good as a back up.

SB 🙂

Unless someone on here happens to be a physiopherapist or doctor, youre in the wrong place for help on this.

Maybe for medical diagnostic help, but for encouragement and motivation to not give up then I'd say he's in exactly the right place.

Don't give up!

Feel for you. I went through some realy bad neck problems about 10 years back. I was hospitallised for months on end and at one stage was facing up to the prospect of being paralysed from the neck down. Pretty desperate time really. The one thing that kept me going was the prospect of getting back on a bike. Spent my days reading bike mags,building dream bikes and trying to remember all the great trails I'd ridden and look forward to riding again. The consultant looking after me told me I'd have to find something other than mountain biking as it was going to be far too risky for my condition. Anyway 10 years on and I'm riding more miles than ever before. Granted I'm a lot more cautious and there have been a few scares along the way but the prospect of not cycling was never an option in my mind.

TWENTY-TWO ???

shit, I thought you'd be some embittered old bloke!

no SFB, thats you 😛

It may just be a case of getting through it again. But once you are recovered then maybe half the ammount of riding you do. At least you could still get out and enjoy it and maybe more recovery between rides and less intensity will really help. I can't see the point in doing spinning and such if you have dodgy knees. Knocking that off would maybe make you sightly less fit, but is it not better to build fitness on the proper bike, even if it takes longer.

I'm having some trouble with my knee, at the moment. Not really cycling induced though as I dont really do loads. I think Mine is to do with weight trainning over the years and doing lots of really heavy squats. I was walking on crutches for a week. Thankfully it seems to be better after resting. At the end of the day being able to walk in comfort has to take more importance than being the best cyclist, weight lifter, etc etc over your peers and riding clique.

Unless I've misread your post, it sounds like you're going from nowt to a lot in a short space of time and consequently doing yourself a nasty. Take it easy, build up slowly and keep doing the exercises the physios give you. You might however have to accept that you have a little niggling pain for the rest of your life, but that's the price you pay for using your body to it's fullest extent 🙂

no SFB, thats you

well, yes, I'm 2.5x older than you but with functional (though battered) knees :o)

Sorry to hear this especially as you are only 22.

I was chatting to my physio recently to find out how long it will take for an ankle injury to heal fully - she said that some injuries especially those involving tendons and ligaments can take up to a year to heal.

I'm wondering if this plus how much you have been doing ...

I was riding 100+mile road rides, big all day MTB rides, spinning classes, commuting to work, skateparks on the BMX.

has caused a relapse - perhaps have your position on the bike checked out, along with your physical alignment (I found problems I had with my left knee were due to a problem with my hip and now its sorted I have no more knee problems). Take it easy and slowly build up to doing the above - you're knee might just be like "PLease no more!!!"

could be, but the 100 mile rides felt fine (i could have done them back to back given enough flapjack!) I want exactly pushing it, 14.5mph on a road bike is a pretty slow pace.

The advice form the surgeon was it doesnt matter how hard you push it it wont get worse, you might just have to ice it and deal with some pain if you got too hard to fast. Unfortunaely it seems he was wrong 🙁

Broke my shoulder 12 years ago put up with pain until 2 years ago, had my A/C joint removed and took it easy on the recovery and now I'm riding more than ever before. Don't give up just give yourself a good recovery period and do what the doctor says!

BTW I'm 44 so I take longer to heal/recover but that's just life!
Good luck.

Just a suggestion and this might sound counter intuitive but how about rowing - the proper on the water type, not rowing machines - as an alternative until you, hopefully, are able to cycle properly again?

I rowed for a long time (cycling was originally just something to do for training) and on several occasions when I had knee problems with cycling, I was absolutely fine in a boat.

Like I said, a bit different but it's a great sport, good social scene and being in Reading you're well located for Reading Rowing Club or various clubs at Henley if you like it and want to get more serious.

could be, but the 100 mile rides felt fine (i could have done them back to back given enough flapjack!) I want exactly pushing it, 14.5mph on a road bike is a pretty slow pace.

Don't think speed is the issue - but 100miles of constantly turning the pedal might have an impact (I'm no expert mind you) - if there is even a micro tear or other problem, then 6 hours of even gentle riding is going to affect it. Bit like tapping the back of your hand with your finger - a few times softly won't hurt or leave a mark - but doing for a longer period even gently and it will start to hurt / bruise as the cells break down.

As I said I'm no expert but 100miles with a dicky knee 2 months after seems like you might be over doing it (unless I've misread the above).

If its any concelation - my physio is always telling me off for doing more than I should far too soon after an injury - but it keeps her in business.

The relapse would imply you did over-do it. I'd say heal again, wait a few months, hit the DH courses or bike parks. Wait til you think you're fine, then wait a bit more, then wait a bit more again before doing anything long. But I'm not a medical professional 🙂

You say you have seen medical professionals but do any of them have experience of dealing with sports injuries? It sounds as though you have a jigsaw going on here!

You have obviously been very active and bearing in mind your age, could it be that your body was still growing/bones fusing and became overloaded with too much activity?

Often "older" folk are better at endurance type exercise and "youngsters" more suited to short and fast-paced sports.

Go back to square one, write it all down with dates/amount of exercise/what level of pain experienced etc and present it to your GP. You have to get to the root of this to avoid long-term problems and not try to ride through it.

There's loads of people on here to motivate you but first you need to find out why all this is happening. Things reappear in later life and bite you on the bum, trust me I'm an old girl who's falling apart!

Good luck and let us know your progress (not sure whether you got my e-mail last week?).