Originally I had planned a whole weekend for recovery from the ride. Funnily enough I didn’t need the weekend. For the next few days I felt fine: a little tired, yes, but really ok. And then suddenly, about five days after the finish, it hit me like a rock. I was absolutely exhausted and it took me a couple of days off work and the weekend to get back to the merely tired state I had felt just after the trip.
I have no idea why this happened or even whether it is a normal thing. Perhaps you run on adrenaline for a few days. Or maybe it just takes your body a little while to realise that it doesn’t have to push itself so hard anymore. I have heard it take the body two weeks to fully recover from a marathon, so goodness know how long it takes to fully recover from a 900 mile cycle. Just don’t plan to catch up on missed chores or work when you get back because you might not be up to it.