I wanted to do the Lake Constance tour with friends again this year. So on September 1st, 2018, we set off early in the morning towards Altenrhein. Like last year, the weather was again very cloudy this year and it was rain on the forecast. So lots of warm layers of kit was required and when the group had come together, there were more and less known faces, and then the ride started.
After a wet 40 kilometers, the tour was unfortunately over for me, this was when I and everyone else switched to a cycle path, another cyclist stayed on the road. He then tried to jump onto the bike path without having me in his view, he unfortunately did not succeed ... He fell. His actions unfortunately caused me to crash as well! Then everything happened very quickly and I can't remember much. It took many hours until I finally realized I was in the hospital and that the bruises and scratches were only my smallest problem, because my shoulder was really bad.
An operation could not be avoided and so I changed the hospital the next day to have my shoulder head operated by a specialist. Other minor corrections had to be made, such as the joint lip, which had to be fixed with an anchor.
I was very lucky and the operation went well. However, it was now time to be patient, because my shoulder and thus also my arm had to be completely immobilized for 6 weeks. It was a big emotional rollercoaster ride, which really started after the 6 weeks with the the required therapy and aids to assist in my recovery.. The progress was very slow, it was not clear for a long time when and if I could get back on the the bike again. The first sign of progress only came after 10 weeks when I could go for a short 15minute ride. That was probably the toughest 15 minutes I've ever sat on a racing bike, this was all I could do after my recovery thus far.
Afterwards I always went one step forward and two steps back, but that didn’t stop me from trying any more and riding the indoor trainer for a few minutes over and over again. With every pedal stroke, my passion was fully rekindled and I knew I would be back on the racing bike very soon. After I was riding more and more regularly and was able to do more shoulder exercises on my own, I decided to take a break and fly to South Africa for the warm summer. The cold made my shoulder increasingly more painful and the therapy didn't go as well as I imagined.
Once there, I was finally able to switch off and concentrate fully on the process of recovery. So I went to physiotherapy there, did regular breaststroke swimming and did my first few kilometers on a mountain bike. I can't put into words how nice it was to be able to ride outside again. After a successful break, I went back to Switzerland. The therapy would become a regular routine in my everyday life for a long time and until the shoulder is completely healthy again, I will need many months of patience and training.