I’m keeping the legs ticking over, basically. It’s just tourist riding at the moment really, but it’s such a good feeling to get out on the road and be back on the bike – I’ve really missed it the last few months
At the same time, I’m just not on the level to be back in a peloton, accelerating out of corners in a criterium. That’s why tomorrow [Sunday], I’ll hopefully be with the guys at the start of the team time trial, but my recovery is not at the point yet where I can be back racing.
It’s pretty cool to be back in the cycling bubble again. I’ve missed it. Watching it from behind a screen is not the same. Even though this [the Saitama Criterium] is not a proper race, it’s cool to be around the riders again and back in the swing of things. I definitely needed it – I could just focus on my recovery, and that’s all I’ve been doing for the past few months. Now I’m happy to be back integrating into the cycling world.