I'm Riding Little by Little

I have been back on the bike bit by bit, most of the rides have been short 6 miles or less but I am working toward building up strength and stamina again.  Between campaigning and time off the bike from a fall I am far far short of mileage numbers like I was able to post last year.  There's always next season. 

I've tried to note any tenativness on the bike and so far the only place that seems to be happening is when it comes to stops and tight situations.  I see that I take less risk when faced with an iffy bit of navigation.  We'll see how much the courage comes back over time.  Maybe courage is not the right word but more like feeling one with the bike.  I think that comes with more time on it.

Happy riding!  

First Ride After Crash

Road rash is nearly all healed and gone but my ribs still hurt like the Dickens, however yesterday after work I braved a short ride just around 4 miles.  I was a bit tenative at first and it was a pretty slow ride around town.  Before I set out I had to readjust my handlebars which had taken a turn for the worse, the fall had knocked them out of alignment so that I could only go straight by pointing to the left.  The sense of accomplishment by doing my own repair set me off in a good mood.  I'd been looking with longing for the last couple of days at my bike and considering getting back on, so last night I did it.

I have to admit as much as I really love my bike and bicycling around, right after the crash I was mad at my bike and had no desire whatsoever to ride.  I had been a pretty fearless rider seldom braking down steep hills, I wonder if I will approach things the same way now?  Time will tell...

Official Road Warrior - Bike Crash

August 1st I had my first official bike crash complete with road rash and bruised ribs.  I had been out on the campaign trail in a neighborhood with asphalt roads and in one particular cul de sac the road had deteriorated to the point where there was a lot of loose gravel on top of the asphalt.  Loose gravel on a paved road is like water on top of ice.  Very slippery.  In a flash my bike skidded out from under me on a turn and I went down with a thud, belly first and ended up with a great deal of road rash on my hands, elbows, knees and had the wind knocked out of me.  Luckily I did not actually hit my face on the ground or knock out a tooth.  X-rays later showed no broken bones, they just hurt like they've been broken. I left a lot of skin behind on that road.

Like all accidents it happened so fast, one minute I was up and the next I was hurtling toward the ground belly first.  I laid there dazed and out of wind for a minute or two and finally got into a sitting position and stayed there for a while.  I reached for my cell phone and called a friend who came to my rescue. 

I've not been on my bike since the accident and really have not had much desire, not so much because I'm afraid, but because I still hurt too much in the ribs that I could not imagine riding right now.  I hope to be able to get back on in the coming weeks because I'd like to build up my strength ahead of a knee surgery that I am planning on.  I have not scheduled it yet but expect to do so today.

As an anti-climatic footnote to this post I was not successful in the primary election and my term of office will expire on November 20th of 2012.  Winning is more fun, however I am at peace with the outcome and look forward to a new chapter in my life.