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Ben Foster's pedal power road to West Brom recovery

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Bike-mad goalkeeper Ben Foster has put his recovery from a serious knee injury down to cycling from London to Paris.

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The 33-year-old shot-stopper ruptured a cruciate knee ligament in April 2015 and underwent reconstructive surgery.

When he was invited to take part in the Cure Leukaemia charity bike ride last year he jumped at the chance.

"Rehab from injury can be boring," said Foster. "You are stuck inside the gym looking at the same four walls and see the same people everyday so riding London to Paris was a great opportunity for me to challenge myself and have a great experience to raise funds for a fantastic cause.

"It did me the world of good both mentally and physically. My main concern wasn't the knee; it was whether I could complete the 500km in four days and how sore my bum would be!"

Foster missed Monday night's draw at Tottenham with an ankle injury and the 33-year-old is a doubt for this weekend's home match against West Ham.

But there's been no suggestion since his January return that his knee injury will come back to haunt him.

The England international raised more than £10,000 for charity and ranks the cycle ride as one of his best achievements.

He said: "Arriving in Paris was an amazing feeling and very emotional. My wife was at the finish to meet me and emotions were running high for everyone at the end.

"Many were riding for people they have lost or who were battling blood cancer at that time so it was an amazing feeling.'

Foster was given the go ahead by Albion club doctor Mark Gillett.

"Ben's a keen cyclist and we knew he was going to be out for six to eight months," said Gillett. "Rehab during the summer can be very boring for players and it is important to keep them motivated.

"Cycling is perfect for working the quads, hamstrings and encouraging movement in the knee so this was perfect."