I bloody hate being injured.

I’m normally pretty robust when it comes to colds and the usual aches and pains. Most of the little cycling injuries we all get from time to time, I can ride through. But this one’s been different.

It started with a dull ache in my shoulder during a mid-week ride. I shuffled around, tried a few positional tweaks, and carried on — as you do. Thursday was a rest day. On Friday, I headed out again, this time to test a gravel bike, and it didn’t feel good. But hey ho, teeth are for gritting. I went to bed that night convincing myself I’d be fine in the morning.

I wasn’t. The minute I jumped on the bike, I knew it was game over.

I’ve tried everything since: stretching, massage, ibuprofen, ice, heat — the works. A perfectly targeted sports massage from Hannah Jackson brought some welcome relief, persuading my tightly knotted muscles to let go, but it didn’t last. The root cause — a nerve compression in my neck — is only going to respond to one thing: rest.

And so, I’ve gone from riding six days a week and feeling pretty fit after the London–Paris trip two weeks ago, to nothing, almost overnight. Cycling cold turkey.

At best, I can do some gentle mobility work and keep popping the anti-inflammatories. It’s driving me mad and I know it’s making me hard to live with, too.

What I’ve learnt about cycling injuries

Sometimes, we just have to concede to what our bodies are telling us. My head knows that trying to carry on as normal will only turn a short-term issue into a long-term one — even if my heart is constantly arguing otherwise.

So, for once, I’m doing what I’m told. My personal challenge now is not to let “rest” turn into “rest and red wine”. I’m trying not to graze through the day either, but it’s not easy. I’m already dreading my Monday morning weigh-in.

My hope is that I’ll be able to get back on the turbo soon. At least there, I can stop the moment things start to feel uncomfortable. If that goes well, I can keep things ticking over. My aim is to be back on the road by the end of next week — a full 14 days off the bike.

If there’s no improvement by then, I’ll be seeking medical advice. I’ve also heard good things about acupuncture as part of a recovery plan, so that might be on the list as an adjunct.

Big thanks to Hannah and my coach, Michael Renardson, for regularly checking in on me, keeping me sane and stopping me from doing too much, too soon.

Over to you

What about you — how do you cope when injury strikes? How do you keep yourself from going stir-crazy? Do you stress about losing hard-earned fitness like I do? And when you come back, how long does it take to feel like your back to form again?

Share your story — I’d love to hear how others have handled the dreaded forced rest.