The Cycle Tech "Ride With Santa" went off without a hitch last Saturday, and it was enjoyed by all, including a first time attendee, my brother-in-law Jay. He actually put us all to shame in the decorating department, stringing lights through his reindeer-antler-equipped helmet and wearing a Santa-inspired tee shirt overtop of his cycling jacket.
The only letdown for me was that the lights I had wound around my frame stopped functioning about halfway through the route. Strangely, they clicked back on shortly before we finished, when climbing up Main Street in Royersford. Not that I felt cheated of being able to put my lights to full use, but I like to get out a few times at night during the holidays (if it's not brutally cold), riding area trails and neighborhood streets to take in the home light shows.
There is a new trail nearby that runs west-east, taking advantage of an existing power line corridor to connect a few housing developments in Limerick. I was on that route last night when I hit a low spot with poor drainage, and because the black asphalt there was so new, I couldn't tell it had frozen over. I went down hard!
Granted, it has been 30 years since I was skating regularly, keeping in shape for hockey games, but I have taken a spill on ice hundreds of times (with and without protective equipment), and that repetition is surely an advantage when knowing how to fall - keep arms in and roll into the hit, letting the big bones/muscles absorb the smackdown. I also have it drilled into my head to stay with the bike when you crash, as it can often take the brunt of the impact, saving you from worse damage/pain down the road.
When I slid to a stop, I was a little shaken, but I had no clothing tears, and my bike showed only a twisted left brake/shift lever. I brushed some slush clear of my legs and jacket, banged the lever back into alignment and walked about 50 yards just to assess my body's condition. Really, I didn't feel any different than the countless times I've caught a rut when skating on a pond or area rink and gone down, so I just jumped on the bike and continued for another 20 miles!
I don't know if it was the adrenaline or the cold keeping any pain or swelling at bay, but I didn't feel any discomfort until I was pedaling the homestretch back to our house, and that sensation was more of a hip flexor strain. Well, when I stopped in our driveway, I could barely get off of my saddle, having to tilt the bike at an extreme angle in order to sling my left leg over the top tube.
A few minutes later I was shivering uncontrollably at our walk-in closet, not only because my body temperature was dropping as I struggled to get out of the sweaty/wet cycling clothes, but I was in a bit of shock from the agony I experienced when dragging my left leg upstairs to hopefully take a hot shower. Seriously, I was nearly in tears, it was so bad - I just wanted to get warm and stop shaking, but I could barely move!
Sue had yet to come home, so I just sucked it up, managed the excruciating pain to remove my socks and thermal tights, then somehow lifted my leg over the tub edge to enjoy a few moments of warmth under the hot water. The shaking began again when I dried myself off, but I could now hear Sue coming in the door downstairs.
I felt really bad putting her through an emergency room visit until 3:00 am, especially because I am the KING of tests that show absolutely nothing wrong, despite my apparent issues. Since 2008, I have had every gastroenterological test and scan out there, attempting to diagnose a chronic digestion issue, only to find out I have Celiac, which was a totally unrelated "gift", and the mystery goes on. Anyway, in this case, no breaks or obvious damage in the X-ray or CAT scan!
The doctor assumes I have some swelling/fluid in my old person hip joint that is pushing on nerves, but there could be a small hip flexor tear - most likely I'll be doing an orthopedic follow-up after the holidays. I'm feeling reasonably well now, loaded up on Percocet and trying to stay off my feet as much as possible.
It's funny that what I am thinking about most is how great I felt out on the ride, despite only having put in a handful of miles the past week or so, due to some recent shaky weather and a couple family events in between. I was closing in on 5000 miles for the year and HATE it when my fitness drops off. Now it looks like a couple of weeks completely off the bike is in the cards...rats!
There is a new trail nearby that runs west-east, taking advantage of an existing power line corridor to connect a few housing developments in Limerick. I was on that route last night when I hit a low spot with poor drainage, and because the black asphalt there was so new, I couldn't tell it had frozen over. I went down hard!
Granted, it has been 30 years since I was skating regularly, keeping in shape for hockey games, but I have taken a spill on ice hundreds of times (with and without protective equipment), and that repetition is surely an advantage when knowing how to fall - keep arms in and roll into the hit, letting the big bones/muscles absorb the smackdown. I also have it drilled into my head to stay with the bike when you crash, as it can often take the brunt of the impact, saving you from worse damage/pain down the road.
When I slid to a stop, I was a little shaken, but I had no clothing tears, and my bike showed only a twisted left brake/shift lever. I brushed some slush clear of my legs and jacket, banged the lever back into alignment and walked about 50 yards just to assess my body's condition. Really, I didn't feel any different than the countless times I've caught a rut when skating on a pond or area rink and gone down, so I just jumped on the bike and continued for another 20 miles!
I don't know if it was the adrenaline or the cold keeping any pain or swelling at bay, but I didn't feel any discomfort until I was pedaling the homestretch back to our house, and that sensation was more of a hip flexor strain. Well, when I stopped in our driveway, I could barely get off of my saddle, having to tilt the bike at an extreme angle in order to sling my left leg over the top tube.
A few minutes later I was shivering uncontrollably at our walk-in closet, not only because my body temperature was dropping as I struggled to get out of the sweaty/wet cycling clothes, but I was in a bit of shock from the agony I experienced when dragging my left leg upstairs to hopefully take a hot shower. Seriously, I was nearly in tears, it was so bad - I just wanted to get warm and stop shaking, but I could barely move!
Sue had yet to come home, so I just sucked it up, managed the excruciating pain to remove my socks and thermal tights, then somehow lifted my leg over the tub edge to enjoy a few moments of warmth under the hot water. The shaking began again when I dried myself off, but I could now hear Sue coming in the door downstairs.
I felt really bad putting her through an emergency room visit until 3:00 am, especially because I am the KING of tests that show absolutely nothing wrong, despite my apparent issues. Since 2008, I have had every gastroenterological test and scan out there, attempting to diagnose a chronic digestion issue, only to find out I have Celiac, which was a totally unrelated "gift", and the mystery goes on. Anyway, in this case, no breaks or obvious damage in the X-ray or CAT scan!
The doctor assumes I have some swelling/fluid in my old person hip joint that is pushing on nerves, but there could be a small hip flexor tear - most likely I'll be doing an orthopedic follow-up after the holidays. I'm feeling reasonably well now, loaded up on Percocet and trying to stay off my feet as much as possible.
It's funny that what I am thinking about most is how great I felt out on the ride, despite only having put in a handful of miles the past week or so, due to some recent shaky weather and a couple family events in between. I was closing in on 5000 miles for the year and HATE it when my fitness drops off. Now it looks like a couple of weeks completely off the bike is in the cards...rats!
Using a good number of the parts left over from the conversion of my Bianchi Camaleonte from a 9-speed, hydraulic brake flat-bar bicycle to an 11-speed, cable-activated hydraulic drop-bar machine and filling in the gaps with other components, I finished building up the Felt F65 frame I had purchased before the Turkey Trek. It currently has a pair of 38mm tires installed, which would provide a plush gravel ride, but you could simply swap in a 32-33mm
set to make it an excellent cyclocross racer!
Hope you and those close to you have a safe and Merry Christmas, plus a fantastic New Year!
No comments :
Post a Comment