So, I’ve had my wings clipped on doctor’s orders. The culprit? A bulging pair of inguinal hernias. Not especially huge, nor especially painful. But large enough and uncomfortable enough for my surgeon’s liking… and only getting worse. Alas, scalpel here I come.

The good news is I can still ride leading up to my op. But I have to take things easy. No racing. No big climbs. No hard efforts out of the saddle. Basically, I’m confined to flat roads, low watts and the small chainring. After the op? I’ve been warned to expect around 4-5 weeks with z-e-r-o riding. Then assuming all is well, another 2-3 weeks on the trainer. All up, that means roughly 8 weeks off the road. (Insert sad face here.)

I must confess, this news has been a little hard to digest – especially having started 2024 the fittest I’ve been for many years. I’m still two weeks away from the knife, but already finding it difficult to stay motivated. I mean, what’s the point? Forget the pain and discomfort of the impending surgery. Watching as your hard-earned Strava fitness score begins to steadily head south – now that really hurts.

I have been riding locally, gently, 20-25km, a couple of times a week – but it all feels decidedly uninspiring. Pacelines are out. In their place, I’ve taken to walking 5-7km a few mornings a week; better than nothing I figure, and also likely to be the extent of my post-operative exertions for the best part of two months. Might as well get used to it, right?

What has all this taught me? Never take any ride for granted. Enjoy every km, every training session, every race, every bead of sweat, every turn on the front, every post-ride coffee, every day. Because you never know what tomorrow holds.

Now, if you could just turn your head and cough for me…