KEY TAKEAWAYS
A massive crash can fundamentally change your life and identity as an athlete. This episode explores the brutal reality of recovery, prosthetics, and learning to accept that your body—and your performance—may never return to what it once was. We hear a raw, honest account of trauma, hope, and the words that stick with you forever.
"You're living in the moment like a traveler where you don't really plan the future, you don't really plan what's for dinner, you just kind of make it through each moment"
"You'll never be as good as you were—that was the one that still resonates in my head"
"I had no concept of what my life might become and it wasn't until I got back to Chicago when they started fitting me with more prosthesis"
Meg Fisher's prosthetist told her directly during early fitting that she would never be as good as she was — a clinical statement she credits with reframing her entire recovery expectation set.
Source: Meg Fisher, Paralympic cyclist, on the Roadman Cycling Podcast
Acute post-trauma recovery induces a moment-to-moment survival mindset that suppresses long-term planning capacity — Fisher describes it as "living like a traveler" where future planning is replaced by immediate need response.
Source: Meg Fisher first-person account
Athletes recovering from multiple traumatic injuries can experience unpredictable recovery trajectories — Fisher recovered well from a head injury but found her foot injury substantially more limiting than she anticipated, despite the head injury being clinically more serious.
Source: Meg Fisher recovery experience
The terms "prosthesis" (noun, the device) and "prosthetic" (adjective, describing something related to the device) are frequently confused in consumer use, and the distinction matters when researching treatment options.
Source: Meg Fisher, citing prosthetist terminology guidance
“my prosthetist those are the people who make prosthetic limbs he said sweetheart you'll never be as good as you were and that was the one that still resonates in my my head it just kind of”
“I was only missing more or less half my foot so I figured that I'd be amazing like I'd be back on the tennis court um I really bounced back pretty darn well from my head injury um and all the other injuries I thought I I had some hope for the future”
Weekly insights from the podcast. The stuff that actually makes you faster.
The written companion to this episode.
Active Recovery Rides: How Easy Is Easy Enough?
The universal mistake with recovery rides is riding them too hard. If you've ever finished a "recovery spin" slightly sweaty, slightly breat…
Lower Back Pain on the Bike: Causes, Fixes, and Prevention
Lower back pain is the second most common cycling complaint after knee pain. The good news: in most cases, it's fixable without stopping rid…
Why Cyclists Get Cramps and How to Prevent Them
Cramping in the final hour of a long ride is the most demoralising experience in cycling. The causes are more complex than 'drink more elect…
USE THESE TOOLS
More episodes you might enjoy
Your heart rate is 10 beats higher than usual for the same power. I see this in training files every week and the forums will tell you to take a rest week or blame your HRM, but most of the time it's one of five fixable things that have nothing to do with fitness.
Dr Andrew Sellars has spent 35 years studying why cyclists blow up on hard efforts. His answer: it's not your legs, it's not your heart. It's your breathing. And the French study he references on this episode of the Roadman Cycling Podcast showed pro cyclists improving FTP by 6% over 48 weeks
with Dr Andrew Sellars
Most cyclists finish a hard ride, sit down, and call it done. The actual recovery hasn't started yet. On this episode of the Roadman Cycling podcast, we break down what Pogacar and the World Tour peloton do in the 60 minutes after the finish line, and why that window matters more than most training
Your legs feel fine but you can't hold the power. The breath gives out before the muscles do. Dr Andrew Sellars on the breathing limiter most amateurs don't know they have, and the protocol that fixes it.
Recovery isn't passive — it's the other half of training. The Pogacar first-hour routine, Dr Plews on HRV done properly, and why the same hard session at 50 needs more recovery than it did at 35.
The popular "30-minute anabolic window" was always overstated. The real recovery window is more like two hours, and for masters cyclists what you do inside it decides how the next ride feels — not the day after, but three days later.
WHERE TO NEXT
WHEN YOU'RE READY
Find out what's actually holding you back.
The Masters Plateau Diagnostic — six questions, a personalised breakdown of where your training is leaking watts. Free, two minutes.
Take the Diagnostic →Join the Clubhouse to discuss this episode, ask Anthony your questions, and connect with serious cyclists.