My First Fifty-Klik Since December 2025!

If you follow this blog at all, there's a chance you know I survived a "Widowmaker", a severe blockage of the left anterior descending, main cardiac artery. I blacked out in prep for "cath lab" before any venipuncture was performed and woke up looking at a giant TV screen with my ticker front and center in grainy B&W, beating away. In the words of Maxwell Smart, "Missed me by that much."

Recovery has been a slog through 37% ejection fraction, overmedication for blood pressure, a different cardiologist at Victorian Heart Hospital every visit, all too overworked to have read that I was already on an antihypertensive, then 2 then 3 then 4... Then, finally, I gave up on Monash Medical and went to a private cardiologist, "Stop this one, this one and this one," and I haven't felt stronger in such a long time! Since just before Christmas, I've been getting more kliks in almost every ride, excepting the days I felt I needed to just stretch the legs rather than extend myself. Then, after the 50k, I had a recovery day, a 35, another recovery day and a 25, then a bunch of routine medical appointments that has dented opportunities to get out until yesterday, when 5k in, I relaised I had a dinner to go to, so that turned into a 13k after a short loop. Thinking of another short loop when the day cools a bit, later this afternoon.

I'm also thinking it's time to return to "commutes", maybe 5x 2 ride days each week. Two rides of 10 to 15km on each riding day, on a 3 rest 2 rest pattern, and see if I can extend them to an occasional 25 or even a 50. This kind of "commute" pattern used to serve me really well before retirement and during my car washing retirement business. I could do 100km and 200km brevets with only slightly extended but disciplined commutes and a few weeks lead time. That said, I'm 65 in September, I'm no spring chicken. The problem now for my ambitions is the logistics of touring with insulin and heart meds. I have done those Sydney and Great Ocean Rd rides, but nothing longer than a few to 10 days. Keeping insulin cold for 2 and a half months is another kettle of fish, but I feel I have the confidence now to investigate compact, lightweight chiller options, like a rechargable, peltier "fridge in a briefcase" kind of thing. Time to investigate.

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