First Ride After the Fall

I got a jump on the heat this Sunday morning and took my first real post-crash ride. I had several plans to ride over the course of this week, but the abnormal heat wave forced me to postpone. Over the past several days, we've had temperatures near and over 100 degrees, and heat indices that were pushing 120. I decided to let mother nature take its course and allow a little more neck recovery.

So, this morning I discovered how much fitness one loses by idling for three weeks. A 10-mile ride had me bushed. To be sure, I rode after having just a banana and some water, so I bonked out a bit on the ride. But, the good news is that there was no neck pain during or after the ride. This will give me a green light to slowly increase the mileage.

Of course, all this has important implications for the century project. I've all but decided that my Ohio ride next weekend will have to be canceled. There's no way, in this heat, that I'll be able to build mileage enough to get up to ride a century. And, the Indiana ride the following weekend is in doubt as well. We will see how well I can recover my endurance.

The wisdom of old age -- I turn 59 this week -- tells me that I need to give myself plenty of recovery time. There's no use in forcing the issue and having a relapse. Besides, these heat waves take all the fun out of cycling. I have a busy August and September planned, and I want to finish the year strong in November (SC & GA) and December (FL).

Can You Bike Off the Pounds?

I realize that there are folks who post pictures of themselves just after an accident. I have such pictures, but I just can't bring myself to put them up. Call me vain, but my bruised-face photo would make you wince. Instead, I decided to post side-by-side pictures of me between November 2010 and July 2011.

On the right, in today's photo, you will see our slowly healing hero. I still have some trouble moving my neck around, so I'm clearly stiff. And, my deepest cut was to the inside of my lip. This is taking a while to heal. It gives my face the kind of 'bar fight' look that just drives women wild.

But I thought this would answer the question, once and for all, as to whether a bicycling regimen can deliver weight loss. As of this morning, I've lost over eighty pounds. This has come through a mix of careful monitoring of what I eat (I write everything down), drinking lots of water, and getting out on the bike every chance I can.

To help me control my calories and eat well, I use the Diet-to-Go program. I pick up my weekday meals at the gym. They prepare my lunch and dinner for Sunday night through Friday lunch. The food is fresh, and you can tinker with the menu selections to get only the meals you like. At this point, I look forward to every meal. I tried sending them my before-and-after photos, but -- get this -- they have so many that they don't need mine! I think that's a rather amazing testimonial to their effectiveness.

Recuperation

It has taken a while to recover from the crash. While my helmet saved me, I landed squarely on the head so my neck took the full weight of the fall. Needless to say, it is taking a while for the tissue to repair itself. The doctor says I can't get on a bike until I'm pain-free. While every day is a little better, progress is agonizingly slow. I canceled the New York ride this weekend. I was only doing it because it sounded like a lot of fun: riding around the Hudson River valley. The next century is scheduled for July 31, some two weeks from now. I expect I'll be cleared to ride, but will I still be century-ready?

Alas, every challenge has its setbacks. I'll get there. It just might take me a bit longer. I really don't like doing centuries in July anyway. It's just too danged hot!

The Crash

Stillwater, OK. Well, I suppose it was inevitable. I crashed. On my Oklahoma century -- the Tour of Payne -- I rode 57 miles on wide, paved, smooth shoulder. At mile 57, however, the state highways department installed a big, bad rumble strip right in the middle of the shoulder. (See picture.) I came upon this without seeing it. In fact, I was taking a picture of the Payne County sign (documenting the “Tour of Payne”.) Thus, I had only one hand on the handlebars as my bike became instantly unridable. This wasn’t just a mild rumble strip – it had 6” long, deep ridges. I hit the strip head on, and tumbled over the handlebars. I hit face first into the rumble strip. There was no chance to recover as the bike simply went out from under me.

Most of the damage was to my face. I also hit on the helmet, and this pushed my neck back. In fact, it’s the neck pain that will probably keep me from riding for a while. I had an X-ray to determine if there was nothing broken, and it just appears to be muscle strain.

I have substantial bruise marks where the helmet contacted the skull. Clearly, the helmet saved me a lot of injury, and may have saved my life. Of course, I need to buy another.

I was picked up by two brothers – good Samaritans – who dropped me and my bike at my hotel. They were both from Stillwater and both were from Oklahoma State. One graduated and started his own graphic arts business, the other graduates in December. I was reluctant to accept a ride because I realized I would get some blood on their interior. I said as much, and they insisted. Refusing help was silly in the bright heat in the middle of nowhere in Oklahoma. And, I needed to get checked out for any serious injuries. “This is just what people from Oklahoma do,” they said. I told them they should be proud of themselves.

I’ve decided to count the OK century. The brothers who helped me declared, “I think you should count this.”

In reality, I was on pace to finish. I had been making 12.2 mph overall, and 13.5 mph moving average. I had started early, so I was approaching the town of Yale and the 62-mile rest stop by about 11:10. Clouds had provided shade for the first 60 miles. The sun was beginning to burn through, and it was a hot ride in the 'rescue car' back to Stillwater. It would have been an uncomfortable 42 miles (in which there would be several ‘groaner’ uphills), but I think I would have been able to complete the ride. In fact, I can say that I experienced the best the event had to offer. I think, however, I would have enjoyed doing the swimming pool at Cushing – the 77-mile point.

Recovery may take a bit. Fortunately, the 50-state quest is not scheduled to resume until the end of July. I may miss a New York century, but NY is already complete. I'm just doing it for fun.

Missouri: Tour de Loco & Joplin

Joplin, MO. I just completed 100 miles of hot southwestern Missouri farm roads. The Tour de Loco begins and ends in Mount Vernon, MO. It is run by the Locozmos bike club, and wanders around some pretty Missouri countryside. I did 66 miles in the morning, finishing that segment at around 1PM. The temperatures by then were pushing 100 degrees. I decided that discretion was the better part of valor, and finished the last 34 miles from my hotel in Joplin after the temperature went down. Running a century in the heat of the day in summer is a questionable venture.

Riding around Joplin, of course, was a sobering experience. Last May 22nd, the town was devastated by the deadliest tornado to hit the US since 1957. The broad-front twister cut a swath a mile wide and eight miles long. It devastated about 15% of the city of Joplin, and barely missed the downtown.

Six weeks later, Joplin has barely begun to recover. The devastation along the path of the tornado was complete. As you crest over a ridge, you are greeted with the sight of debris, wrecked structures, and broken trees. There was absolutely nothing left standing along the centerline path.

Debris removal has just barely begun. Less than 10% of the structures have been cleared to the slab. Some businesses have brought in temporary structures and reopened. Some have moved and placed signs to their new location. It was inspirational to see "We are open!" signs.

The people of Joplin face massive problems. Looters struck the wrecked areas quickly. Recently, a rare fungus infection has struck many of the survivors. It will take years to rebuild their city, but their determination, their love of God, life, and country, and their unbreakable spirit make recovery simply a matter of time. I rode with tears in my eyes for miles.

I've included a picture of Joplin High School. It will have to be completely rebuilt. School was not in session when the tornado hit. In fact, seniors were graduating at a college nearby, away from the tornado. The picture does not do justice to the massive scale of the destruction.