Two Wheel Blogs

Two totally different items that are somehow related:

Photo number one: An image that I rarely (never) seem to see when I am out riding. While I would not mind encountering this sight once in a while on the roll, I am sure it results in the rider becoming quite sore in certain areas.

Photo number two: An image I captured during the State Time Trial last Sunday. This poor chap on a nice Trek apparently had a seat binder failure resulting in...well... suffering, I am sure.

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I've been doing pretty good not to injury myself too bad this year. I'm coming off a cracked tailbone, and looks like I'm coming into a torn tendon or such in my left hand.

It started last week sometime, not sure what spurred it. Could be the skateboarding I got back into. Anyways, I was talking with a co-worker about it after feeling what feels like a fracture in my wrist. He felt it and assured me it was most likely a tear in the tendon or whatever it is. He had the same thing back when he was playing baseball. The cure, well pretty much let it heal itself.

I knew it was too good to last. Those old familiar back pains are back again.

It's my own fault for letting those core strength workouts slide. Who wants to lift and bend and stretch when you can go outside and ride your bike? How easy it is to get out of the habit when the weather turns nice.

It started as just a little reminder one morning. As of this past week it had become more of a constant reminder - that old familiar dull pain low on the left side.

I don't think it will keep me off the bike. At least I'm not planning to let it keep me off the bike.

We'll see how it goes. Take it one day at a time, as it were. Plus I'll have to look for a way to reintegrate the core strength training. Now that should prove painful. Sore muscles... I can't wait!

I hooked up with a diverse group today for a nice medium length ride between the rain storms. The common thread among this group was the will to enjoy a ride. There may have been other similarities among the riders, but none were as evident as the drive to ride (decent weather opportunities are hard to find this year).

It was a fun time, and everyone seemed to get what they wanted from the ride. I was feeling decent for a change, so I rode among three of the more spirited riders and we shared the effort and lodged playful attacks for a portion of the ride.

I took a few long pulls and rode myself inside out. Then tried to recover while not loosing the wheel of the other riders. It sounds silly perhaps, but it seems to get me in shape quickly.

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And now for something completely different...

Last night was a beautiful night. The temperature was perfect, and try as I may, I could not possibly describe the perfection of the evening (so imagine if you will the greatest central Missouri has to offer).

My wife, kids, and I had just finished a great meal and went for a short walk that was interrupted by my 3 kids stopping at the creek at the end of the street and doing what boys do for about 45 minutes (playing in the creek, stomping in the knee-deep mud, and crawling through coverts from one side of the street to the other).

It's early Wednesday morning. I've probably missed my only opportunity to ride today. The 4am-6am window is now closed. Festivities ran just a little too long last night, preventing me from answering that call.

Meetings start in about half an hour. The day won't be over until after dinner, at which time I'll be spent. I'm the MC for this twice annual get-together. I know from experience at the end of the day the bottom will fall out. Ah well, that's business.

So no riding for me today. I'm not too concerned about it though. My training has been going well lately. How well, you ask? Pretty darned well, actually.