Hi guys so this is my latest idea for a mini series. To be honest this could be my first and last diary if my symptoms flare up but I reckon that most people could take something away from it. I will just share a few thoughts on coming back to cycling and how it is different now compared to before. A lot has changed. So I was racing on the road since I was 11 and was with Trinity Racing for the 2021 and 2022 seasons when I came into the u23 ranks. In 2022 I had 2 pretty bad crashes and whacked my head hard both times - the second crash was 6 weeks after the first so they were fairly close together and although physically I was in the best place I had ever been, my brain was probably still not ready for another big impact. During this period after my concussions I rushed back and did as much as I could. Some days I could do a 6 hour ride at 4.5 w/kg cruising around for the day, and I did one ride where I broke my 5 min pb in the first hour and then broke it again in the 6th hour, and broke my 1 min power after that (465 for 5 I think it was - I was in good nick). But other days I couldn’t leave the bed. It was one extreme to the next. I got diagnosed with POTS finally last December 2025 which explains how I could be in such good shape one day and such bad shape the next. I was 19 at the time so I have forgiven myself for getting too carried away - but life would have gone more smoothly if I had known better. Fast forward a few years to now and I generally haven’t been able to exercise. But since Christmas time my symptoms have eased off and over the last week I have done a few rides on the rollers. My last outdoor ride was at the start of June which is the longest I’ve been off the bike since my accident. I probably could have done a few rides on the rollers before now - but to be honest the act of turning the pedals inside at 100 watts doesn’t particularly interest me. Going outside, clearing my head, riding up mountains, getting lost when miles from home, discovering new roads, and all that kind of thing is what I love about cycling. Pedalling in circles inside doesn’t really do it for me on its own.

Caoimhe started her first race day today at the tour of Valencia. Haven’t spoken to her yet but think she rode okay anyways. Demi Vollering soloed to the win so it’s a pretty hilly course for the 4 days. Anything you want me to ask/find out/let you guys know about from inside the race? Not too clear on what content to share yet but happy to ask whatever and share some bits for you guys! Caoimhe is using this week as the third week of her training block and she’s pretty tired already. She’s had tough 3-4 day blocks all of the time and been smashing efforts. She’s probably never began a race while so tired but if she can cope with it then she should be in good shape coming into the classics once she recovers and absorbs the load. She’s definitely on the line between overdoing it but hoping that she stays on the right side of things and gets through the week okay.

Did you ride today? I was meant to ride but had to move rest day to today. Was wiped after a blood test this morning.

Did you ride? I did threshold; 3x18min @ 94%. I also massively screwed up my breakfast afterwards! I forgot I added a double portion of Weetabix as a single serving in Hexis. Cue me being ravenously hungry come lunch short over 50g of carbs I should've refueled with! Audited my whole custom food library afterwards to avoid that in the future.

This is worth a listen and they mention most bike brands including the chinese brands. What Is The Best Race Bike Of 2026?