The post-race aches were all too familiar and didn’t cause me any major concern. But I was in an unfamiliar place, New York City, and about to board an eight-hour flight home. My best chance of minimising DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness), I figured, was to sit still and rest. Throughout the flight I barely moved, doing my best to relax and ignore the pain. Big mistake. Five days later, my left leg was still throbbing, my calf had swelled, and a suspicion something wasn’t right led me to google deep vein thrombosis (DVT) symptoms. That night, A&E confirmed my worst fear: a blood clot. Cycling was banned for four weeks, blood thinners prescribed for three months, and the reality of how dangerous long-haul travel can be hit home.

Most people would realise that a swollen leg too sore to put weight on requires medical help, but in a sporting culture where DOMS and niggles are a badge of honour, you very quickly write off severe discomfort as part and parcel of the privilege of riding your bike in cool places. This, as I discovered, can put us in difficult, sometimes dangerous situations and risk our long-term health. So, while DVT was at the extreme end of negative travel outcomes, how do we take better care of ourselves so that we get to our cycling destinations fresh and fit without risk to health or performance?