I caught up with Simon Richardson last week to find out how he is getting on with his rehab. When I called Simon he was in the middle of an acupuncture session so I thought I'd call back at a later time but no, Simon insisted that we chat while he was having mutliple needles stuck into him! He told me it took his mind off the acupuncture, I'm not sure I'd be quite so calm in the same situation.
Simon told us: "I've finally had the all-clear from the pelvic specialist but still need to have an MRI scan and ultrasound to determine why my left leg is getting worse. I'm also still seeing a back specialist but now working full time with his physio, Angharad Mason, to help with his rehabilitation. I've also been in contact with Professor Alison McConnell who developed the Powerbreathe and I'm hoping to be able to benefit from the expertise of the University of Wales Institute in Cardiff." He's also partnered up with Lake Shoes which he says is increasing the enjoyment of his 10 minute Wattbike sessions. It's clear to see that Simon is surrounding himself with the best people and equipment available, all to make his recovery as speedy as possible.
I wanted to know how he was getting on with the Wattbike and he told me: "I'm using it daily, still doing 10 minutes easy spin just to keep the legs going. I can't do much more until I get the body brace off. What I'm really liking is when I link the Wattbike up to my computer, I can really see exactly what I'm doing." Simon had told me previously that he has to wear a tight body brace which prevents him from bending over to reach the bars and also restricts his breathing if he does lean forward at all.
On a more personal note, Simon told me he was being kept busy by a new puppy as sadly his dog died in October - I'm sure that the puppy will lighten the boredom of daytime TV as I've seen from his Twitter feed that he is quite sick of it!
It was really great to hear that Simon was as positive in this conversation as he was when I first spoke to him, the determination is there, the willingness is there and now he just needs to continue on his measured path back to fitness. I'm thinking we'll see some great steps forward in 2012.