How Did They Know?

This flyer came in the mail today from the clinic where my shoulder has been treated. It was inviting me to participate in a special program:

Taking Steps to Prevent Falls

Aren't my conversations with the doctor about falling off the bike and breaking my collarbone supposed to be kept quiet? Oh, well. I suppose they could have just read the blog. So, while I appreciate the thought, I'll pass. It's not so much that I don't think I need the help, but maybe, just maybe, it's that the target audience is "Americans over age 65."

Besides, isn't taking the steps a big reason why people fall in the first place?

Taking a Break

Speaking of breaks as we have been, I'm taking one tonight. Take 106 miles on the trainer in the last four days, add a sore throat and scratchy eyes and out comes a do-nothing evening. While there will be no photographic evidence of this break, I can provide a glimpse of the helmet that cracked on the pavement in Switzerland. You know, when I fell and DID NOT hit my head. Because it was the helmet that hit.

Never, ever get on a bike without a helmet...
I've had fun, in a weird sort of way, with the broken collarbone thing. Might as well, as it wouldn't do any good to really gripe about the state of what is now the Non-Union. In all honesty though, I am a little bummed about the whole thing. But I got another one of those perspective adjustments during the mission trip to the Dominican Republic. While at the monument in Santiago, the one on a hill with a long approach of stairs on all four sides, we saw a man bouncing up the steps. Given that it was Carnival time and there were a number of people dancing to the upbeat music coming from down below, this would not normally be noteworthy. Thing is, this man was hopping up the stairs on only one leg. Because he had only one leg. He had also lost a goodly portion of his arm on the same side. No crutch, no cane, just hopping up the stairs. When he got to our little group, he was smiling, glad to be out, glad to have a chance to enjoy the Carnival, appreciative of the small gift we provided. He wished us a good evening and went hopping off, the big grin he had carried up the stairs going with him. Oh, and he said he'd lost two children in the accident that claimed his limbs. He was smiling! I do not know your name, but I'll not soon forget you. Thanks for the lesson on attitude.

Since You Asked...

"Where have you been?" you ask. I haven't been anywhere. Well, I have, but that's not the reason for the relatively long gap between posts. I guess it’s sort of like the downtime after the crash. Things just slowed down after the fact. In the last posting (Roadside Reflections) you can find my musings on the crash and its more immediate effects.. "So, what's going on now?" you wonder. Well...

I've been riding. Yesterday it was up Bliss Road, down FO, back up on OA before returning home: a 22 mile long, 1,700 foot high ride on the Bianci. Outdoors it was! A pretty nice ride, although the roads were a little dicey in places making for really slow descents. And it was, of course, windy. Still, it was riding on the roads and my first test. "A test of what?" your inquiring minds want to know. Well...

My new shoulder joint got tested on the ride. X-rays taken during last Tuesday's appointment at the orthopaedic department confirmed what I see now had been hinted at in earlier visits: the collarbone has not healed. It is officially a non-union. Medical term. Means still broken. Maybe he was right. "Who? And what was he right about?" your questions just keep coming. Well...

Recall that the doctor in Switzerland was ready for surgery. Right then. Right there. OK, maybe not with quite that sense of urgency. But it was his personal favorite plan of action, the surgery thing. Waiting made sense, though. So I did. Things have improved slowly, but I kept the appointment last week because my shoulder still bothers me. Not a whole lot, but enough. So I kept the appointment and got the news. "What will you do now?" you beg me to tell you. Well…

Surgery would be the only way to get a healed collarbone. But, I might well make out just fine with the non-union. And that's the way I’ll approach it - keep on riding, plan on a tour this summer, assess the results in the fall and go from there. It might even work out better in the long run. I can beg off of heavy lifting (trash bags, etc.) yet still ride since I seldom have to heft my bike up. And I lift my glass with my right hand, so noooo problem there, either. "And tell us, just what kind of tour are you considering?" you beseech. Well…

That would be Cycle America's Glacier-Waterton tour coming up in July. About 400 miles of riding around and through Glacier National Park, including a jaunt into Canada. For this tour I’d go for the hotel option, making for no lugging of heavy duffels to and from the truck every day. The ride will be hard work. The rest of the time shouldn’t be! "So, you'll really be training hard now!" I hear you speculate. Well…

Sure. Later. Right now I'm in Tyler, Texas on a business trip. I did the Fitness Center thing here at the hotel this afternoon, but that’s just maintenance (maybe). And next week I head down to the Dominican Republic on a mission trip. No bikes. No Fitness Centers. But after that… You plead with me, "Tell us about Tyler!" Well…

As I look out of my hotel window, I see an establishment across the street. The sign on the front reads, "Bath Specials - Wash 'n Go's; Tattoos; Instant Copies." I am NOT making this up. "Don't tell us any more!" you implore. Well...

That is a little much, so I'll give you a break from talking about breaks and break it off here. And, by the way, thanks for asking.

Real Time Interlude #4

Checking the counter I see it is a mere 8 days, 22 hours until I depart for Zurich and the start of the Swiss ride. Bill leaves this Friday ~ 3 days from now! And what have we been doing to get ready? Well, Bill took a long weekend off in tropical Missouri, attending banquets and otherwise preparing for apres-ride activities, including, I presume, practicing that surprised look upon discovering a forgotten wallet when the tab hits the table. Me, on the other hand, well I've been WORKING the roads and hills. Saturday it was 103.6 miles with 5,555 feet of climbing. A couple of 25 mile days since, each with a climb up Chipmunk Ridge Road (nee School Section Road) and I've worked my riding up to over 3600 miles this year with about 174,000 feet of climbing.

Now, if Bill would just take off another week. And attend a few more social functions. And bring his mountain bike to Switzerland... Then there may be a chance of us riding at more or less the same pace.

Real Time Interlude #3

After nearly a week at Purdue University, I am extending my not riding time here in Atlanta. This afternoon I went over to Turner Field, entering when the gates opened at five. My plan was to check out the ballpark before the game. But first, something to eat. I noticed a big display when I entered that said, "All You Can Eat Seats." I wasn't really THAT hungry, so I opted for a barbeque pork sandwich. Seats?

* The Braves won, 7-6 and the game was followed by an excellent fireworks show.

Real Time Interlude #2 (and an Announcement)

I've just completed the "Rising Up" post below; it's fun going back to the ride and trying to find ways to share the experiences. Some of the events of the ride stay vividly in your memory. And some hang on in real time. I developed saddle sores during the last day and a half of the ride (no, this is not the announcement). And they have not yet moved into the memory category.

I was pretty sore after a 31 mile ride on Thursday. Things were much better Saturday, although I was "aware of the problem" when we stopped at Coon Valley; so, I decided to turn my ride towards home while Bill went looking for climbs. I swung back through Chaseburg, went up Wrobel Road, getting in another 22 miles. It turned out to be a 51 mile ride. In just a couple of hours, I will start my trip down to West Lafayette, Indiana and Purdue University. A week at the 2008 International Compressor Engineering Conference with 500 - 600 other engineers. I know, you wish you were going too! Really, could it get much better than this? After the conference, I'll fly on to Atlanta for two Braves' games and a visit with Shirley's family. This all amounts to about 10 days out of the saddle, during which time I expect I'll put the current problem behind me. OK, so it's already behind me, but you know what I mean!

How's your weather eye holding up? Well, you don't have to keep it out any longer - here's the promised announcement: The Next Big Ride starts when I depart on August 21 for Zurich and a 2+ week ride in Switzerland. Bill will ride the whole tour, starting in Basel about a week before I arrive. I'm joining the group at Zermatt and will then finish the loop back in Basel on September 6. More about this ride, and reports of the preparation for it, to come. You might want to keep that weather eye out a bit longer after all.

Real Time Interlude #1

Three rides since the return from Colorado have added 100.4 miles and 5,017 feet to my ride and climb totals, respectively. The latest ride was a short 25.5 miles on Sunday afternoon. I wore my new (since just before the Rocky Mountain ride) Jittery Joe's jersey. But when I got back home, I discovered a significant change, sartorially speaking. My jersey, arms, legs and face were decorated with a plethora of small, black insect carcasses. I was now gnattily dressed for sure.