Quote Originally Posted by Pedal Wench View Post

BUT... if someone is unmotivated and discouraged about where they are, going out the first few times, without a blatant reminder of how far back they might have fallen, is a great way to just get back on the bike. Tracking fitness comes later, once you're back in love with the joy of just being on the bike.
The reason I disagree is because I went through it, the injuries and regaining the fitness. It is like someone is trying to lose weight, fell off the wagon, and the advice is to say, hey stop keeping a food diary. It makes no sense. Regaining the fitness is a time of joy. The bike computer is just a tool to track data like the food diary. The cyclist doesn't have to look at it. But the data is extremely helpful. Telling someone not to use the computer is like saying, hey something is really wrong with you, your data will be bad, and that is going to make you feel terrible. Now why should it? It is merely data, and shows how the first ride back on the saddle went. The fitness level decreased due to illness, therefore the data will be different, so why should that be a terrible thing that makes a person feel bad? And the first ride is awesome. So what if the speed is slow and the distance is low or the cadence is out of whack. Regaining the fitness brings back all of the joy of that first year on the bike, except now the cyclist has the knowledge and wisdom of experience. It is an exciting time, having a bike ride that is only 8-10 miles instead of 50 miles, and experiencing the joy of that first ride again, even if the average speed is only 10 mph. Regaining the fitness isn't a bad thing; it is awesome and exhilerating and incredibly fun. Take the bike computer, just like you record to the food diary, and then use the data or don't use it, but don't leave the bike computer at home. Getting back on the bike and regaining the fitness is a matter of the heart and has nothing to do with a tool that records the data of the ride.