Disaster strikes

[Brianmcauley]

Hey all, bit devastated at the moment, I've been planning my trip for 1 year due to leave on April 2nd anyho I've gone and injured my knee so much that I cannot walk up or down a hill without terrible pain.

I'm a cyclist by trade so if I can, I'll cycle my walking route instead, 30 odd days, it'll be an easy ride but that ain't the point for me, has anyone just cycled the stock walking stages or is it fairly lame?

I could put trip back one year but really don't want to

 

[wanderfrau]

I saw Quite a few cyclists When I walked last year. I believe the route for biking is Not Always the same than the walking camino.

 

[Brianmcauley]

Ye I know, I guess.. But likely just do it anyway, take my time, smell the roses you might say, still disappointed though

 

[Walli Walker]

Just go. You never know your, knee may come good. Spain has excellent ibuprofen! Buen Camino.

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Brian,
So sorry to hear about your injury. This is a curve ball, but you can find a way! Once when I walked the Via de la Plata, I met a cyclist in Puebla de Sanabria who had more or less fallen for a walking peregrina. So he found all sorts of detours and all sorts of reasons why he had cycled only 25 km in a day. I met up with him at several places along the way and he was having a grand time. So, if you want to do the walking stages, there are plenty of cycling detours you can take to fill the hours, lots of wonderful places to see just a few km off the Camino, and then you can just come back to the Camino for sleeping and eating! Or you may decide that you want to cycle the Camino Frances at the cyclist speed, and then move on to another camino in the time you have left. Whatever you decide to do, there are plenty of options for you. Have bike, will travel. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[Brianmcauley]

Just go. You never know your, knee may come good. Spain has excellent ibuprofen! Buen Camino.

Yeah I have thought of hobbling around on crutches, not the greatest idea hut not impossible

 

[Brianmcauley]

Hi, Brian,
So sorry to hear about your injury. This is a curve ball, but you can find a way! Once when I walked the Via de la Plata, I met a cyclist in Puebla de Sanabria who had more or less fallen for a walking peregrina. So he found all sorts of detours and all sorts of reasons why he had cycled only 25 km in a day. I met up with him at several places along the way and he was having a grand time. So, if you want to do the walking stages, there are plenty of cycling detours you can take to fill the hours, lots of wonderful places to see just a few km off the Camino, and then you can just come back to the Camino for sleeping and eating! Or you may decide that you want to cycle the Camino Frances at the cyclist speed, and then move on to another camino in the time you have left. Whatever you decide to do, there are plenty of options for you. Have bike, will travel. Buen camino, Laurie

Thanks for your kindness, I have to make a decision in 2 weeks, I am to see a specialist on Monday, likely x-ray on the day and Mri shortly after, hopefully have some answers before I set out.. But yeah was thinking just take it slow, enjoy and explore on the bike

 

[Former member 49149]

Hey all, bit devastated at the moment, I've been planning my trip for 1 year due to leave on April 2nd anyho I've gone and injured my knee so much that I cannot walk up or down a hill without terrible pain.

I'm a cyclist by trade so if I can, I'll cycle my walking route instead, 30 odd days, it'll be an easy ride but that ain't the point for me, has anyone just cycled the stock walking stages or is it fairly lame?

I could put trip back one year but really don't want to

Hi Brian. I was glad to see your post above saying you have specialist appointments made. If it is any consolation, I had similar appointments and was scheduled for a steroid injection, which I was given on last day of 2018. it worked like a dream. I do confess that now, I have the odd twinge. If you can get an injection, and it works, then you will be able to walk. I hope to get another injection before I go awalking in the summer.
Just make sure you watch videos on how to use walking poles properly.Aldi or Lidl have them in ireland at the moment, and they had them recently in Uk according to my spy over there! I think they look really good, about €15.99.
Whichever, do keep us all posted. buen camino.

 

[JabbaPapa]

Just go. You never know your, knee may come good. Spain has excellent ibuprofen! Buen Camino.

I'd never use ibuprofen for any long-term treatment -- there are other non-steroidal anti-inflammatories that are more fit for purpose, crikey even aspirin is.

Ibuprofen is great for short-term pain treatment.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

the stock walking stages or is it fairly lame?

I cannot conjure up an image of that, but there are roads in parallel for the entire route, and they have the same elevation change and views as the path. Parts of the path require a mountain bike. Walkers would prefer that cyclists use the roads as they present a danger and irritant to those on foot. Thirty days for cycling would be a long time! Normally it takes only about 1/3 that. I think you would enjoy cycling depending on what you consider lame!

 

[Maggie Y]

Hey all, bit devastated at the moment, I've been planning my trip for 1 year due to leave on April 2nd anyho I've gone and injured my knee so much that I cannot walk up or down a hill without terrible pain.

I'm a cyclist by trade so if I can, I'll cycle my walking route instead, 30 odd days, it'll be an easy ride but that ain't the point for me, has anyone just cycled the stock walking stages or is it fairly lame?

I could put trip back one year but really don't want to

Have you tried walking poles? They take quite a bit of strain off the knees?

 

[seashell]

Peregrino2000 has made an excellent suggestion. Much of the pleasure of the Camino lies in the interactions you have with your fellow travellers. Even more pleasure might be had if it were possible to dawdle en route, having time to visit the multitude of interesting architecture, small villages and churches that lie on the path. If you’ve allocated enough time to walk the Frances but you now have to cycle, why not take advantage of the situation and stay on track with your cohort whilst taking time away to see so much more. You’ll have a fantastic Camino I’m sure. Burn Camino.

 

[Brianmcauley]

Have you tried walking poles? They take quite a bit of strain off the knees?

Crutches could be the best idea

 

[Brianmcauley]

Peregrino2000 has made an excellent suggestion. Much of the pleasure of the Camino lies in the interactions you have with your fellow travellers. Even more pleasure might be had if it were possible to dawdle en route, having time to visit the multitude of interesting architecture, small villages and churches that lie on the path. If you’ve allocated enough time to walk the Frances but you now have to cycle, why not take advantage of the situation and stay on track with your cohort whilst taking time away to see so much more. You’ll have a fantastic Camino I’m sure. Burn Camino.

Yes it's a very good idea, take time and explore, I like the sound of it but desperately wanted to walk, going put maximum effort into recovery for the next 3 weeks hoping its some spain that will resolve, see what happens, I'll keep you posted thanks again

 

[Deleted member 56069]

I met a German pilgrim last year that had some congenital issue with his hips. He did the entire Primitivo on crutches and averaged over 20 Kilometers a day. He ended up in Santiago only two days after me!

 

[Brianmcauley]

I met a German pilgrim last year that had some congenital issue with his hips. He did the entire Primitivo on crutches and averaged over 20 Kilometers a day. He ended up in Santiago only two days after me!

Brilliant that is what I wanted to hear!

 

[Deleted member 56069]

Hey all, bit devastated at the moment, I've been planning my trip for 1 year due to leave on April 2nd anyho I've gone and injured my knee so much that I cannot walk up or down a hill without terrible pain.

I'm a cyclist by trade so if I can, I'll cycle my walking route instead, 30 odd days, it'll be an easy ride but that ain't the point for me, has anyone just cycled the stock walking stages or is it fairly lame?

I could put trip back one year but really don't want to

Just to add, there is nothing 'lame' about biking many of the walking stages. I should add the biking and walking stages are identical unless you plan to ride the highways, which means you miss a lot of the interesting part of the walk that comes from the trail.
I mountain bike at home and many of the walking stages represent more of a challenge then I would attempt on my own bike loaded with gear. I see a lot of bicycle pilgrims pushing their bikes over a lot of the terrain that is too technical for all but the elite level of mountain biker.
There are of course many relatively level stages where biking would be fairly easy in dry conditions.
If it rains, the soil in Spain is heavy clay in many areas which makes even pushing a bike a challenge as the mud quickly jams the wheels solid. I met a few bikers that literally were ready to chuck their bikes on the trail and walk away due to their level of frustration in wet conditions. I even saw some carrying their bikes in really wet areas.
Even though I ride a mountain bike at home, I personally have zero interest in ever biking any Camino route.

 

[Montana Bill]

Probably best not to start a long trip with a flat tire.

 

[naplesdon]

Even if you were to stick to paved surfaces the entire way, it is not a coaster bike ride. There are hills with many painful climbs. I tried it with a bike from Pamplona after walking there from SJPdP with a painful foot, I gave up with the idea of the bike in Burgos.

 

[Brianmcauley]

Yeah, biking seems okay and pain free which gives me a little hope that this injury will pass.... I'm sure I'm not the first that's had their hopes dashed before setting out on the way of St James eh, full on bummer when it happens to you though

 

[MaryLP]

Yeah, biking seems okay and pain free which gives me a little hope that this injury will pass.... I'm sure I'm not the first that's had their hopes dashed before setting out on the way of St James eh, full on bummer when it happens to you though

So. After four trips on the Camino and keeping in mind that everyone has their own Camino, I have to think that bicycling just doesn’t provide the access to fellow pilgrims and the time to reflect that walking does. If interested in bicycling in Spain there must be other options. If you cant walk comfortably I would wait until you can.

 

[freeflyer123]

As long as you don't do too much, there's no reason why you can't cycle. We rode from Bayonne to SJPdP then onto Santiago. Very hilly in parts, you might find yourself having to get off and walk occasionally - as I had to. I was never quite sure whether my husband got off to keep me company or because he wanted to walk as well . I suspect the former.

I had knee trouble as I have arthritis and I manage to keep the pain at bay by doing exercises given to me by a physiotherapist. If you're interested, see our website (www.cyclingsofties.blog) for how we did. And if I can do it, anybody can.

I do agree with MaryLP above who says that cycling isn't as immersive as walking. It's much quicker and you miss a lot that those walking wouldn't necessarily. But it's also a great way of doing the Camino because you can still spend what time you have immersed in the culture and camaraderie as those walking.

 

[freeflyer123]

Just go. You never know your, knee may come good. Spain has excellent ibuprofen! Buen Camino.

I can second that as I had to buy some Voltarol cream for my knees. Or, to be more exact, one thigh that suddenly developed a lot of pain. It was just a nasty memory by the following day but I still kept the Voltarol handy.

 

[Brianmcauley]

As long as you don't do too much, there's no reason why you can't cycle. We rode from Bayonne to SJPdP then onto Santiago. Very hilly in parts, you might find yourself having to get off and walk occasionally - as I had to. I was never quite sure whether my husband got off to keep me company or because he wanted to walk as well . I suspect the former.

I had knee trouble as I have arthritis and I manage to keep the pain at bay by doing exercises given to me by a physiotherapist. If you're interested, see our website (www.cyclingsofties.blog) for how we did. And if I can do it, anybody can.

I do agree with MaryLP above who says that cycling isn't as immersive as walking. It's much quicker and you miss a lot that those walking wouldn't necessarily. But it's also a great way of doing the Camino because you can still spend what time you have immersed in the culture and camaraderie as those walking.

I had been dealing with a bereavement last year and after things settled I was walking to work wondering what next, found my camino the podcast and pretty much listened to every episode... Weird but I feel I am being drawn there, so 30 odd days cycling the walking stages will give me so much time to reflect and still have the buddyupness' in the evenings... It's either that or cancel the trip and I don't see that happening, but then again it's all still up in the air x

 

[joecamino]

Ouch- sorry to hear about that. I can only speak to the stretch between Burgos and Leon-- I chose to cycle that part of a StPdP to Santiago walk in 2017. For the most part you'll find it a breeze-- a lot of road riding and minimal climbing.

The one exception I can recall was on my first afternoon out of Burgos-- the ~11 miles between Rabe de las Calzadas and Hontana-- where I shared a wide dirt track with walkers. Most of it was chill, but there was one semi-technical stretch where I wished I'd had more mountain biking experience under my belt. With a mountain bike or cyclocross bike, 30 days and plenty of ibuprofen you should be fine. Buen Camino!

 

[Brianmcauley]

Ouch- sorry to hear about that. I can only speak to the stretch between Burgos and Leon-- I chose to cycle that part of a StPdP to Santiago walk in 2017. For the most part you'll find it a breeze-- a lot of road riding and minimal climbing.

The one exception I can recall was on my first afternoon out of Burgos-- the ~11 miles between Rabe de las Calzadas and Hontana-- where I shared a wide dirt track with walkers. Most of it was chill, but there was one semi-technical stretch where I wished I'd had more mountain biking experience under my belt. With a mountain bike or cyclocross bike, 30 days and plenty of ibuprofen you should be fine. Buen Camino!View attachment 52998

 

[Brianmcauley]

Thanks alot for the tips, nice little rig you has there x

 

[joecamino]

Thanks alot for the tips, nice little rig you has there x

Of course! Yes, Honey Badger served me well. Rented her from Velobur in Burgos.

 

[Maggie Y]

Crutches could be the best idea

I'm on crutches at the moment with fractured patella. Leg in plaster of Paris pot. Been told cycling is good rehab. Take care

 

[Walton]

If you are thinking about poles, have a look at Pacer poles.
Pacers are a bit different to the traditional pole in that the handle is bent slightly and fits the hand.
Pacers might allow you to leverage your upper body weight as you walk thus reducing the amount of weight on your knees.
They have helped my dodgy right knee a lot and have added good gentle upper body exercise along the way as well.
That said, the end of anyone’s Camino is only a stumble or mis-step away so using poles, regardless of brand or type, is a no brainer anyway.
Good luck with your knee investigations Brian.
Cheers

 

[AlwynWellington]

if I can, I'll cycle my walking route

There has been a an extended discussion on this forum about trying to use a bicycle on a path not made for that purpose. I'll put up the link in another post.

But the short answer is, in my opinion, it is not possible to use a path made for walking (two feet) when on two wheels.

The basic rule in most civilised places is that cyclists give way to pedestrians. On training walks on both shared paths designed to be shared I see official signs that say "Pedestrian Priority" and "Cyclists must give way to pedestrians".

And much of the walks in Spain and France that I have trod are not designed as shared paths.

For a cycle route please look at Cycling.WayMarkedTrails.org and the rute labelled EV3. I have not followed end to end. My impresssion is when possible it coincides with, but not necessarily on, the walked trail. And for the most part passes through or close to most stopping points on the walked route. So you will have the same opportunity to interact with walking pilgrims as they do.

And, a real bonus, route EV3 most probably follows more closely the orginal pilgrims route than the current walkig route.

Kia kaha (take care, be strong, get going)

 

[Dorpie]

Hope your appointment today brings positive results. As someone who has had knee issues since a bad leg break in my teens I've found knee issues can fade as quickly as they appear so there is hope, fingers crossed.

Edit- You're misuse shame

 

[Brianmcauley]

Hope you're appointment today brings positive results. As someone who has had knee issues since a bad leg break in my teens I've found knee issues can fade as quickly as they appear so there is hope, fingers crossed.

Thanks alot, I am hopeful I can still do it but time is short for me now

 

[Brianmcauley]

Hope your appointment today brings positive results. As someone who has had knee issues since a bad leg break in my teens I've found knee issues can fade as quickly as they appear so there is hope, fingers crossed.

Edit- You're misuse shame

Thanks I really hope so

 

[Brianmcauley]

So knee Doctor thinks I have a problem/inflammation or pes anserine likely just caused by over use, knee joi t seems fine won't know for sure until Mri, due this Sunday.. Making plans now to cycly my route, gonna take the 35 days, explore and enjoy, thanks for the support, its not ideal for me but it'll hopefully get me there

 

[Former member 49149]

So knee Doctor thinks I have a problem/inflammation or pes anserine likely just caused by over use, knee joi t seems fine won't know for sure until Mri, due this Sunday.. Making plans now to cycly my route, gonna take the 35 days, explore and enjoy, thanks for the support, its not ideal for me but it'll hopefully get me there

all the best, and however it turns out, what is for you don't go bye you...