I am going to the neurosurgeon this week to get my neck checked out this week. He will say “…C3 seems to be healing well…you can start going about your normal activities..”

This will be the green light to get back on the road – both with my driving and my riding. It is the start of the long journey back to finding my lost fitness and form again. (I am not saying anything about the bike that I found yet…)

Losing something (or someone) is one half of the ‘lost and found’ game that can mesmerise us so much that we spend most of our time playing in the ‘lost’ segment. It so fascinates us that Robinson Crusoe is an all-time favourite book and Lost (the TV series) lasted 6 seasons. Even the bible is based around ‘lost souls’ who spend their lives being found.

The loss of a loved one, losing the house, losing a job, losing all the money, losing friends, losing time….all this seems to reside in the majority segment of our lives. It is so deeply etched in our minds that we now have a reflex of ‘anti-loss’. We now do everything possible to limit our losses and only pay partial attention to finding gains.

Lost has another side – and it is found. The only reason Robin Crusoe’s story resonates with all the readers is that he goes through a process of being found. The same with the TV series – If they had not crashed and survived on that remote island, there would be no story to keep TV audiences hooked.

It also reminds me of Sunday’s Paris Roubaix. Tom Boonen lost his opportunity to showcase his talent again in this race because of injury. Fabian Cancellara broke his collarbone last year and lost his chance. This year, he fell during a reconnaissance ride over the cobble stones – and struggled during the first segments of the race. Out of the dust, he found his form again and attacked. Finally, he wins the race for the third time in a close track sprint against his shadow! What a great story…

In life, lost and found share the same space, much like salt and pepper are never far from one another on the dinner table. The only reason that you ever lose something is that it lets you find it again…albeit in a different form.

So, when I had my accident at Lansdowne, losing things like my fitness, time at work, mobility or my bike was just one part of the story. I just know that I will find it all again. That is just the way that life works…