Hi all

It’s been a full gas couple of weeks since the latest diagnosis of my problem, and really happy to finally see some progress.

After 10days of solid treatment with the physio and osteo, we packed the car and headed for Italy to under go a full biomechanical assesment at the Mapei Sport centre near Milan.  To make the trip a little less stressful we left a day early and I did a nice training ride from Gap to Briancon via the Col d’Izoard.  The next day it was onto Italy, where we were very kindly put up by Shayne Bannon and the AIS for the night.  Shayne had also organised for the session at the Mapei Centre for me, so can’t thank him enough.

A full afternoon was taken to do the assesment by Andrea Morelli who has been setting up pro’s for over 12years.  The assessment involved biomechanical analysis of movement and position on bike, muscle activation, force testing of each leg while under load, and finally adjustments of position with re-tests of movements.  It confirmed a lot of my earlier thoughts and also provided explanations for other issues.

There was no time to waste before testing the new position as after Sarah and I shared a long drive home from Italy on Tuesday night, I left for the start of Route du Sud in Pau the next day.

It may only be a UCI 2.1 level race but with the Col du Soulor, Tourmalet, Ares, Portet d’Aspet and Port de Bales in the the first three days it wasn’t the easiest race to come back to after 5months off racing.  Quietly I was sh*tting myself when I saw the race book, and thought it would all be over very quickly.  Though my condition was up to it, and it was just a question of keeping the left leg under control.  It wasn’t all easy travelling though, there were times when I found myself last man on the road huffing and puffing my way over the climbs, but 2 seasons of pro racing does do something to your body and mind.  I didn’t panic, ate and drank well and continued at my own limit and before I knew it I crossed the finish line in Castres not far from my old stomping ground in Albi.

Back to Aix this week for some easy recovery rides and I sure know I had a hard race in my legs, and really feel I am not 100% just yet.  We are now on the right track at least and hopefully with some serious work through July, I am looking to start the second half of the season full throttle.

Thanks for reading

Tim

I recently had some good and not so good news in my efforts to solve my neural problems that have been hampering me for over a year now.

The good news was that after more test we ruled out an entrapment of the pudendal nerve. This was good to hear as repairing these isn’t simple, and it was another option eliminated.

Though I was diagnosed with ‘myo-fascial piriformis syndrome’ doesn’t sound that nice either does it!  Well it’s not great but it’s not too complicated either.  For those who don’t know their muscles as well, the piriformis is a strong band like muscle that is deep in your glute going from your sacrum out to the top of your femur, and is used to externally rotate your leg.  Both the sciatic and pudendal nerves pass in front of the piriformis, and when it is contracted for long periods of time it can affect the nerves.

In  my case I had been getting both sciatic and pudendal nerve symptoms, so the diagnosis wasn’t simple.  After first trying sciatic related problems, then pudendal and now more muscular we hope we have covered our bases.  This does leave one problem as I have been riding with this pain for quite sometime now the nerves could have been scared while rubbing against the muscle, so the doctors be checking for this also.

Treatment can be done on a few different levels, starting with physio work like massage, ultra sound, infra-red and hot cold packs.  Though as it has been such a long that it has been plaguing me, we may well have to get into some heavier treatment in terms of injecting the muscle and nerves with anti inflammtories and relaxants.

I will be back in the doctor’s room this week so will keep you posted on the next steps towards a return to racing at full strength.

Cheers

Tim

It’s an annual date for FDJ to meet at Alpe d’Huez for a training camp with most of the team, as we prepare for June’s two big stage races le Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré and le Tour de Suisse and of course the following Tour de France.

I was a little hesitent of heading to this camp at first mainly due to my current problems though as it was only a 3 and a half hour drive from Aix, a nice change of scenery and a chance to catch up with the coach and team I decided why not?

The plan for the team was two days of team time trial training and two days in the high mountains.  So after a scenic drive up through the Alpes via Gap with my team mate Jussi, up to our base at the top of Alpe d’Huez we set off down the mountain for our first ride of the camp.  As the low time trial position aggravates my nerve more I sat out this one and had a really enjoyable ride around the valley.

The next two days were spent tackling some of the hardest and well know cols in the Alpes, such as the Croix de Fer, Col du Glandon, Col du Madelaine, and of course the Alpe d’Huez.  I took my time on the climbs as its been a long time since I had been in the mountains and also my physical condition isn’t so flash, though I did quietly surprise myself on some of the climbs keeping up with my team mates.

Happy to see that I can still ride my bike for 4-5hrs but still very frustrated with losing sensation in my left leg when climbing, or even pushing a little on the flat, I left the camp feeling even more motivated to sort this problem out after spending a good couple of days with my team mates.

I have more doctors appointments coming up, including one with a nerve specialist so hoping to start taking some steps forwards instead of sideways very soon.

Will be back with some news on next steps in this very very long rehab period soon.

Cheers

Tim

p.s Had some cool pics to post, though the ever so amazing iphone decided to crash this week and lost them all, will try find some from my team mates if possible though.

On any sunny Saturday afternoon in London, if you happen to pass by Richmond Park keep your eyes peeled for the no.1 tim gudsell fan club of london.  Lately they have been out in full force, and someone managed to capture a pic of the crew.

From right to left, you have Mr Tom Eaton (check out the size of those forearms! his shorts need a wash too), Mr Simon Lamason (going Magnum PI on it) and Mr Kyle Gudsell (still on the look out for that saffa w##ker that knocked him off last month)

Good on ya boys, keep up the good work.

Tim

boys out in full force

Today as I was out on my daily 2hr spin around the country side (as that seems to be my limit these days) I started to think about my problem and how I’ve probably sounded more upbeat on here than the actual reality of it.

Including the time spent on the couch after my crash in January, I have now been in France for four months without having really done what I’m here to do.  For a pro cyclist that sux!

So this is what I’m dealing with…….. a trapped nerve (though not the final diagnosis, but if so where?) that gives me a tearing sensation down my left leg when I begin to pedal hard, and if I continue I can tear the muscles down the back of my leg.

I would like to say a big thanks to all those people who have been helping me thus far.  Firstly Victor Popov, Australian physio/osteo/guru has been often a well needed ray of light.  Brad McGee, mate/gb/and could be a physio himself, helps keep me headed in the right direction.  Mattieu Nizau, french physio, always there for massage and help on the ground floor.  Corey Williams, manager/mate/gb keeps NZ under control for me.  Malcolm Stobie (Thompsons Nutrition) a super supportive sponsor, awesome.  And last but surely not least my girlfriend Sarah, as I know I’m not the brightest poppy to live with at the moment and it isn’t over yet (sorry hunny).

I have more doc visits lined up next week, and I will continue on the hunt for the solution.  I would like to say that’s all I have to focus on everyday but I’d be lying. Dealing with french bureaucracy, and random occurrences (which continue to stir things up) like our latest episode when our power went out and not even an electrician could find our power box, 48hrs later to be found hidden behind a plastered over plastic panel screwed into the wall behind the couch! Gotta love France, and its non existent building code.

Ok team time for me sign off, and hopefully next time for yours, Sarah’s and my own sake I’ll be in better mood.

Cheers

Tim

Hi all here’s a link to my latest interview with Pez Cycling News

FdJ’s Tim Gudsell Gets PEZ’d!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009  3:11:26 AM PT

“It was a windy day, but not your average windy day, a gum tree branch broke off and blew into my back wheel. I went down; it was like pulling on the hand brake – I went backwards through the bunch!” That was Tim Gudsell’s description of the Tour Down Under crash which has wrecked this season for him, so far. There’s a lot more to come though in 2009, and Gudsell is upbeat about the possibilities.

Cheers

Tim

Next Race

Route du Sud, June 18-21

As the weeks tick by, I have my fingers crossed that the next one is going to be the one where everything just clicks and I can ride my bike pain free.  After months of more scans, doctor and physio visits, jabs and prods, clinics and waiting rooms, I find myself sitting on my couch in my little apartment in southern France hoping my determination to solve this frustrating problem will pay off soon rather than later.

After being diagnosed with a disc protrusion in my lower back last year that was said to be causing the problems in my left leg, I went about doing everything I could to fix it.  Initially it did seem like we were onto something, though after another heavy knock to the body in Down Under it seemed like I was back to square one.  Further investigation started and we had to start looking  deeper this time.

The next diagnosis came to be an entrapment of the pudendal nerve, a branch of the sciatic.  So it was back into the doctors hands and under the scanner to try and hit the spot.  Though this diagnosis wasn’t 100% sure it has become a question of eliminating possibilities.

Along with a change of position on the bike, some deep stretching and whole lot of exercises I hope we are now on the right track.  It is still too early to say whether or not we have hit the spot.

I also had a brief return to the peloton a couple of week ago, and brief it was.  With the team struggling for numbers I lined up at Gent Wevelgem, between doctor visits in Paris.  So I signed on and signed off shortly after as the peloton split into pieces within kilometers, so I packed into the bus and took the dry road home.

Next time I hope to be back for good!

I hope you like the look of the new site, an keep an eye out for some new pages which should be added soon.

Thanks for reading

Tim

Hi everyone

Welcome to my new upgraded and more personalised site.  The DNA you see scrolling above is 100% Timothy Owen Gudsell with no additives!

The concept of this site has been in the pipeline for quite sometime now, actually two whole years.  After a lot discussion with my support crew and Dave and his fantastic team of designers at R+R Communications, we have come up with what we hope you the reader wants to see.

I’m sure you understand the need for transperancy these days in the world of professional cycling, and this is me giving my little part to the cause.

In terms of my current condition things have been a little up and down.  The elbow is starting to progress really well, and is feeling much stronger each ride.  On the other hand a frustrating sciatic problem keeps knocking me back in my efforts to get back to race form.  However I have recently made some positive progress after being put in touch with some experts in this field.

While all this carries on I am still a coureur for FDJ, so I will be lining up next Wednesday in Gent Wevelgem in Belgium.  With three important races on throughout Europe next week the team is already stretched.  While nobody is expecting results (least of all me), it will be refreshing for my head to be back in a race environment and pin a number on for the first time in over two months.

Will keep you posted on the progress of all of the above…

Tim

Rehab rehab rehab… Sometimes it can feel like a never ending battle, persisting problems and the eagerness to get back to top form seem to so often conflict with each other.

I am now over two months down the track from my crash in Australia and the road back to that top form we are all after has been a bumpy one.  My collarbone has settled well, as the surgeons sure did a great job putting all the pieces back together.  The elbow has been a little more problematic but now isn’t too painful and only missing a couple of degrees in extension and some muscle strength (not so easy when there wasn’t a lot to begin with).

I had been back on the road for three weeks quietly building my endurance back up to a manageable level, to only be knocked back by a recurring sciatic problem that effects my left glut and leg.  So back off the bike for another week and back to the physio and gym to try and relieve some pressure.

The race season is well underway here as you all know, but there is still a bigger chunk left.  I hope to get the body into shape for late May, June if possible and then we will see how things go from there.

For now the physio sessions continue along with any exercise that I can do pain free.

Here are some pics of the last couple of weeks, erg sessions, gym sessions, some mountain climbing up Sainte Victoire, Me and Sarah enjoying the sun and ocean air at Cassis, how to extend an elbow french style.