Hi Jo,

Really sorry to hear about your clash with the pedals. I bust my knee a few years back not getting out of the pedal straps quickly enough, so I can sympathise to some extent, but nothing to the drastic rib busting levels of your pedal stories. I've never quite braved swapping to the dual-sided pedals I bought so long ago, and reserve my cleat shoes for the spinning studio! (Hey, I've even managed to have an accident in there by making the mistake of wearing long trousers that somehow decided it was a good idea to wrap themselves around the pedal and secure me to the bike to the point where the whole class had to stop when the lights went back on, and the instructor rescued me!).

Hey ho.
My consultant is 'dissapointed with my very slow progress', but is loathed to go back in and prod it around any more, so it's physio for me.
In the half-term week I braved the bike for the first real time since Easter - 10.5 miles is hardly a great distance, but I was very chuffed. Lots of vibration and awkward angles (I still can't elevate it over 90 degrees), and I loved every nurofen fuelled minute. So since then I've been gently working my way back in the gym.
I went to Fit Fantastic at Camber Sands this weekend, and completed a Level 3 spin class without dying, which was superb - 70 minutes in the saddle, keeping up with a class full of instructors and enjoying it more than I remembered. It's so easy to forget how much of a buzz you can get when you're pedalling in a trance-like state to the music. The Schwinn team were showcasing their fantastic new bikes that overcame my new/old modesty gym wear - being out of action most of the year has meant I've turned somewhat gelataneous and sought solace in a somewhat baggy and embarrassing 1994 Level 42 Tour T-shirt and my PI croppies!
Anyway - a whole host of other classes were enjoyed, though trying to follow a flowing pilates routine one-armed was kinda kooky-looking - hardly the tai-chi imagery of the BBC adverts! Glad to say though that one-armed press-ups saved the day, and I stayed the course on lots of the classes. I think the return

I hope the ribs recover soon - have you thought about using a flex-bar? (I'll sound like a shopping channel in a mo), as they keep showing them at Fit Fantastic - apparently developed by a German physio and great for rehab of all things, I'm even thinking of getting one for my shoulder, but it's on my Christmas list at the mo!

Keep happy
Best wishes
Helen