Hoping we will ride again - Munich to Paris the Long Way Round - CycleBlaze

October 11, 2019

Hoping we will ride again

As you may have gathered from our journal I was having difficulty on this years ride and we really thought it would be our last.  I was absolutely fine on the bike but after my fall just before Agen really could only walk about 50 to 100m so this really restricted what we could do off the bike.

However the news is great, I thought it was just because I was old.  However  I have been seeing doctors since I got home.  My right knee has a fractured knee cap - this is a fairly rare complication of a knee replacement  and the pain should gradually disappear in a year or so.  As far as my left leg is concerned (and this really what was stopping me walking)  I have a complete rupture of my Archilles Tendon which will require operation and some time in plaster.  So with just a bit of luck we will be off again in June or July next year and I will have a more satisfactory pair of legs

Unfortunately the two ends of my archilles had moved so far apart it was impossible to join them but 2 weeks ago I had a tendon transplant taking the tendon from my big toe and using it to replace the damaged one.  Today I visited the surgeon and the news is excellent  The new tendon is working well  I am in plaster and very strictly no weight bearing for another 5 weeks but getting much better using a knee scooter and wheel chair.  Simon says that my walking will be reasonably good but that cycling will be one of the best things I can do.  I expect to be back to normal in about 6 months so perhaps we should be beginning to plan our next tour.

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Comment on this entry Comment 13
Mike AylingA triumph of modern medicine!
Looking forward to your 2020 journal.

Mike
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4 years ago
Scott AndersonGreat news! Amazing that you were able to hobble around at all with a ruptured Achilles. I ruptured a quad tendon about a decade ago and it laid me flat completely. Good luck with rehab, and we’ll look forward to following along on your next journey.
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4 years ago
Tricia GrahamTo Mike AylingI am lucky that Simon is such skilled surgeon who delights in a challenge
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4 years ago
Tricia GrahamTo Scott AndersonIt wasn’t easy Scott but I could still ride the Bike OK if I just put my heel on the pedal and I rode another 1000k but it was probably that that made the two ends of the tendon move apart
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4 years ago
Scott AndersonTo Tricia GrahamOh, my gosh. It just hurts to imagine that, Tricia. You kiwis are tough!
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4 years ago
Suzanne GibsonYou are amazing! All those km's with those injuries! Once you are healed there will be no stopping you. Looking forward to your new plans.
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4 years ago
Tricia GrahamWe live in hope Suzanne
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4 years ago
Carolyn van HoeveHi Tricia, I have just stumbled upon your journals. I have been a keen follower of the Andersons wonderful adventures. Having caught up to date with their entries, searched around in the journals and found a number of kiwi tourers including yourselves.
I was already so inspired by the Andersons and then to read your account of cycle touring in your eighties has filled me with optimism that perhaps we won't need to resign ourselves to a lazy boy chair and television at that point. Amazing! and with those injuries!
My husband & I (Aucklanders) completed a cycle tour of Puglia and Andalucia in October. We absolutely loved it and are now bitten by the same bug that everyone else on here seems to have.
I have been trying to figure out for ages how we can complete ongoing tours in Europe with e-bikes. Renting would be too costly. I loved the idea of the Andersons packing up their bike Friday's in a suitcase and heading off. There is a version of e-bike that Bike Friday does but after researching, discovered it's all but impossible to to carry bike batteries on an aircraft. Then I read your post about purchasing a bike over there and leaving in a storage facility for a year. It was a eureka moment. I was under the impression that a battery couldn't be stored for that long. So thank you! And I certainly hope your injuries heal well enough to enable another tour next year. You have to give the rest of us hope!
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4 years ago
Tricia GrahamHi Carolyn
Thank you for your message Before ebikes we always took our bikes with us put them together at the luggage claim at the airport and rode off However now I am an electric bike that was no longer possible (NZ is the only country on the planet that does not accept professionally packed lithium batteries on planes!) Hiring was both expensive and inconvenient so we decided to buy bikes and store then. I fol lowed the instructions and discharged my battery to 80%- when we nervously returned to it about 10 months later it had not lost any charge and was in perfect condition. It all was very easy. However because we really thought that after my accident our riding days were over we gave away our bikes at the end of the 2019 trip.
I had my plaster off (after 8weeks in a wheelchair) last Thursday and my transplant is working perfectly though to be walking reasonably normally it is going to take quite a long time. Bouyed on with optimism we have started planning our next trip for about July this year starting in Gdansk.
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4 years ago
Tricia GrahamTo Carolyn van HoeveSecond half (I pushed the button too soon)
really interested in your trip in Pulugia and Andalucia - particularly the cycling in Andalucia as our son has a house there.
Like you we live near Auckland, in Pokeno, and really would like to be in touch our email is hitchen201@gmail.com
Good cycling
Tricia
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4 years ago
Steve Miller/GrampiesTo Carolyn van HoeveHi, we are in Bad Gastein right now, checking Trish's blog to see what is next. We converted our Bike Fridays with LiGo batteries, which can go on planes. Bike Friday now offers these too. We think a year's storage of a bike in Europe is too costly!
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2 years ago
Carolyn van HoeveHello Grampies! I have been following you on your 'search for the meaning of life and have read many of your journals. Nice to make your acquaintance. Would love to make contact as I have many things I would be keen to exchange with you if you have the time. My email is carolyn@unklefranc.com
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2 years ago
Carolyn van HoeveTo Tricia GrahamHi Trish, I have been reading your comments in the Andersons and Grampies journals. It's been ages since we've made contact. I keep hoping to see another journal from you! Have you made any plans to do another trip? We're thinking of France in September and following part of what the Anderson's have done down the Rhone.
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2 years ago