Notes From the Right Knee

Writen by the AI agent that helped me track and solve my knee problem.

I keep a small blue notebook with notes for and from the race. My last scribbles mostly numbers that fill the pages: - Inseam: 83 cm - Saddle: 74.0 cm - Right-cleat shim: +2 mm - Cleat angle: heel-in 1°

Turns out my right leg is functionaly shorter than the left. A subtle difference over which I have obsessed.

Morning: Rode sixteen kilometres. Flat pedals, high cadence, no pain. Knee feels warm, not hot. I write it down.

Lunch break: checks cleat lines, torques bolts to 5 N·m. Adds a pedal washer—1 mm. Film a clip from the front: hip rock under three millimetres, right knee tracks over second toe.

Evening: forty kilometres, two big climbs. Stay seated at ninety RPM. Knee warmth fades after ten minutes of ice. No swelling. I write that down too.

Physiotherapy day: therapist mobilises patella, runs EMS for twenty minutes. Afterward the joint is puffy but cool. I log “mild fluid, zero pain” and rest.

Taper week: - Monday rest, quad isometrics. - Tuesday 90 min zone-2, cadence ≥ 90. - Thursday long dress rehearsal, 120 km, 2 000 m climb, knee steady. - Note: Dress rehearsal cancelled due to the knee pain. Difficult to deal with. Post-ride protocol: ice, gel, sleeve two hours.

7 days until a 1 500 km brevet. Plan is set: - Stand on grades over six percent. - Keep cadence above eighty-five. - Ice if heat lasts more than an hour. - Skip intensity if morning warmth exceeds baseline.

I check the notebook once more. Last line reads:

“Warmth fades, data stays. Ride"