Regaining fitness after injury

bongobiggins

Hi guys

Not cycled for roughly six weeks due to injury(knee related). Done a couple of short rides this week and everything seems to be fine now.

From other peoples experience with injury how much fitness would I have lost? How long does it take to get back to full fitness and how should I plan to build it back?

I'm going to France in just over two weeks(staying near Bourg D'oisans) and was planning to do some climbs. Do we think this is realistic?

lemonenema

you wont have lost much in 6 weeks, especially not endurance, the main thing that will take a little time to recover is recovery time. I find that if ive had a few weeks off so long as the injury has fully resolved then I just dont ride quite as hard as I did before the injury, not necessarily slower, but I dont push myself as much on ascents etc.

imposter2.0

How much fitness you've lost will depend on how much fitness you had to start with, and what kind of fitness it was. Getting back to 'full' fitness, again, depends on what you mean by that term. Returning to whatever level of fitness you had previously will also depend on how much time you have available to ride/train.

Difficult to comment on the information given, really..

DeVlaeminck

Yes it's worth taking a bike there are some easier rides near BourgD'Oisans - not that many admittedly but some.

bongobiggins

Imposter wrote:

How much fitness you've lost will depend on how much fitness you had to start with, and what kind of fitness it was. Getting back to 'full' fitness, again, depends on what you mean by that term. Returning to whatever level of fitness you had previously will also depend on how much time you have available to ride/train.

Difficult to comment on the information given, really..

Have been riding for just over a year and doing 8-10 hours per week of riding. With about a 50/50 split of Zwift and outdoors being my longest ride. My last FTP test(January) was 230 watts.

I will be able to put the same hours in but my main concern was being fit enough to ride some Alpine climbs.

DeVlaeminck wrote:

Yes it's worth taking a bike there are some easier rides near BourgD'Oisans - not that many admittedly but some.

Do you have any links to any rides? Just in case I can't do the planned rides.

imposter2.0

BongoBiggins wrote:

I will be able to put the same hours in but my main concern was being fit enough to ride some Alpine climbs.

Anybody with a bicycle will be fit enough to ride alpine climbs, given the necessary gearing and the appropriate amount of time to get up them. Unless you are setting yourself some time or performance-related targets, then I don't see the issue. You may have lost some fitness, but that's not going to stop you having what should be (presumably) an enjoyable experience..

bongobiggins

Imposter wrote:

BongoBiggins wrote:

I will be able to put the same hours in but my main concern was being fit enough to ride some Alpine climbs.

Anybody with a bicycle will be fit enough to ride alpine climbs, given the necessary gearing and the appropriate amount of time to get up them. Unless you are setting yourself some time or performance-related targets, then I don't see the issue. You may have lost some fitness, but that's not going to stop you having what should be (presumably) an enjoyable experience..

Thanks. I just need someone to stroke my hair and tell me everything will be okay.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

It wasn't an injury "fitness" loss, but rather a bad cold that affected me above and more crucially below the neck, for ~7 weeks, reducing my 20min Maximum Average Power...

Early Nov 2018 my 20min MAP was ~285W, before I then began turbo sessions to try and improve this figure.

Reached a peak of 314W on 2nd March 2019.

Caught bad cold around mid March, had to stop power training at anything close to 300W. Didn't realise how bad things were until I climbed the cat4 hill on the Longleat Estate https://www.strava.com/segments/16290817 the following week!

By late April, while not completely over infection, the best 20mins I could manage was 262W.

Infection seemed to be clear by early May, best 20mins I've managed since is 276W.

So still ~14% down, but I'm a member of the MAMIL brigade (45) and that 29W improvement over winter involved a pretty brutal power training schedule (by my own standards).

When I did a South Downs ride last week with two cat4 hill climbs over 20min period, I was only 11W below my best on the first and 18W below my best on the second, which was bit more encouraging than I expected.

lemonenema

yep, like I said, dont give it as much power and enjoy the ride

jgsi

lemonenema wrote:

you wont have lost much in 6 weeks, especially not endurance, the main thing that will take a little time to recover is recovery time. I find that if ive had a few weeks off so long as the injury has fully resolved then I just dont ride quite as hard as I did before the injury, not necessarily slower, but I dont push myself as much on ascents etc.

He's trained on Zwift, he wont have any endurance.

mrb123

http://bourgdoisans.com/en/leisures/road-cycling

You can download a PDF cycling guide here which has a good selection of routes in it.

bongobiggins

MrB123 wrote:

http://bourgdoisans.com/en/leisures/road-cycling

You can download a PDF cycling guide here which has a good selection of routes in it.

Perfect thanks

JGSI wrote:

lemonenema wrote:

you wont have lost much in 6 weeks, especially not endurance, the main thing that will take a little time to recover is recovery time. I find that if ive had a few weeks off so long as the injury has fully resolved then I just dont ride quite as hard as I did before the injury, not necessarily slower, but I dont push myself as much on ascents etc.

He's trained on Zwift, he wont have any endurance.

Very presumptuous of you. You don't know how I ride. I could be doing a zone 2 for 4hrs on turbo for all you know. Not saying I have but you don't know that.

shirley_basso

You'll be fine. Honestly. If you are with the people you usually train with and you were about equal before, they may be a bit quicker than you.

If you are with someone whose fitness you don't know, it will make no difference as you don't know

If you are on your own, then who cares?

bongobiggins

Thanks all

Just going to go with my planned routes but take it a bit easier.

On a side note going to be going to lake Annecy for the day, planning on renting a bikes with child trailer.

Will be starting from Talloires and cycling around the lake. Are there any bike paths or is it all on road? If on road is it busy?

Also an lunch stop recommendations?

molteni_man

Hi Bongobiggins,

This is fantastic from the Annecy area! Quote below taken from this website- Enjoy! I’ll send you some info re easier routes from Bourg d’Oisans too shortly.
http://www.campinglaravoire.com/en/regi ... cycle-path

Between Annecy & Albertville

Stretching 50 kilometres, the popular cycle path of Lake Annecy follows the trail of an old railway track connecting Annecy to Albertville. This flat path is situated away from car traffic and offers the chance of a relaxing cycle ride into Annecy from the campsite which is located just 200 metres from the cycle path.

The track is composed of a major part of green track, over more than 30 km, then a supplement of cycle route to Albertville. The green lane along the lake on the west shore can be used by cyclists, but also by people with reduced mobility, by people on rollerblades, and by pedestrians on the shoulder. It is prohibited to motor vehicles. It is therefore ideal for a safe family walk. You will enjoy exceptional landscapes and magnificent views of the lake. The green lane is used as a route for daily travel, as a place for walking and tourist discovery, and as a privileged site for running or sports walking. The track is punctuated by very useful rest areas if you are on a long bike ride. The Doussard one, for example, built on the site of the former Brédannaz station, includes toilets, a picnic area and a drinking water fountain. Car parks allow you to easily reach the green lane for cycling or hiking by varying the starting points: you will find them at Sevrier beach, around Saint-Jorioz, at Duingt, at Doussard port, or at Vésonne and Faverges after having moved away from the lake.

molteni_man

Re Bourg d’Oisans,
Mr B sent you the fab guide to cycling in the Bourg d’Oisans area.
One of favourite ‘ easier’ routes is the one to La Berarde from Vénosc along the very quiet D530. This is very unspoilt route alongside the Veneon river and is pretty flat although there is one steep section half way along as you climb to Saint Christophe and you’ll climb out of Venosc too, but don’t let this put you off as they don’t last for very long. It’s 20km each way. There are some stunning views and it is very quiet. La Berarde has a couple of cafes and a small village shop. There is a beautiful fountain of fresh mountain water to refill your bidons. Highly recommended
(You can cycle from Bourg d’Oisans too very easily too, but you’ll need to follow the main road out of Bourg and you’ll ride that bit further.
Hope this helps !

bongobiggins

Thank Molteni.