One Month Off = One Miserable Ride

I finally got back on the bike after a month off, and I knew it was going to be rough… but I didn’t expect it to be this rough. From the start, everything felt harder than it should. The legs weren’t there, the rhythm wasn’t there, and the enjoyment sure wasn’t there.

The first downhill was great :) and it wasn’t the only good thing about the ride. No knee problems and best of all my heart (diagnosed with afib) handled the effort really well. After a month off, that’s a win I’ll take.

But once the road tilted back up, the suffering began. Every climb felt twice as steep as I remembered. Every flat section felt like I was dragging an anchor. And the discouraging part wasn’t just the physical struggle — it was realizing I couldn’t actually enjoy being on the bike. When the thing you love feels like a chore, it hits a little deeper.

Still, I showed up. I turned the pedals. And even though today humbled me, it reminded me that comebacks don’t start with glory — they start with ugly miles, slow speeds, and a whole lot of stubbornness.

Here are the Garmin stats — honest, unfiltered, and not hiding a thing:

• Distance: 10.1 miles

• Time: 56:07

• Average Speed: 10.8 mph

• Ascent: 371 ft

• Power: 106 watts

Not impressive. Not pretty. But it’s a starting point. And the only way forward is to keep getting back on the bike, even when it feels like this.

Tomorrow will be better. Or at least it’ll hurt in a different way.