Hello from Wake Med hospital! I think most of you know by now that I was involved in a cycling accident on the 22nd of March. I was attacked by a pit bull toward the end of a 100 km training ride for the assault on Mt. Mitchell. I received a fractured pelvis, several fractured ribs, a shattered scapula and a post-op collapsed lung. I am now recovering as quickly as I can and expect to go home Monday or Tuesday. I have been blessed by the support of my wife and kids, my extended family and friends, a generous employer and God himself.
I am very much looking forward to getting back on the bike, but realistically it will be several months before my recovery allows me to do so. I'm really tired now and need to get some rest, so today's entry will be a short one.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
I think I can. I think I can.
I was telling Karen last night that I wish my only goal for cycling in '09 was to be a strong A group rider 'cause I'd be done. But since I have to climb the mountain, I've work left to do. Here's a tale of two rides.
Last Thursday I went out with the A group from Apex. I knew what to expect; it was going to be fast, but I should be able to hang in. The first 27 miles were awesome. It's hard to explain, but in some respects it gets easier to ride the faster you go. For one you learn to stay up front. Also, the faster riders are MUCH more disciplined. Rotations are more strict, and smoother. Big stuff gets pointed out and little stuff gets ignored. I did my share up front in the rotation for the better part of 70 minutes. And then I did something stupid. As we came back up Lewter Shop road the rotations had stopped and riders hung out on the front as they pleased. When my turn came, I kinda stayed out front a little too long and we were going, oh, about, 25 miles per hour. Then bad goes to worse. I saw another group traveling about the same speed as we were traveling perhaps 200 yards ahead of us. What should I have done? Easy. Pulled over, gone to the back, hung on, rested. What did I do? I bridged a group of 40 riders up by maxing out and as soon as I caught the group ahead... I blew up. I watched in self-disappoointment as now 50 riders went by me at 25 miles an hour as I faded to 20, then 19 on down to 18.
Now, the lesson learned was that I didn't ride within my limits. Last night was faster and easier. I rode 41 miles at about a 21 MPH average. Did my fair share up front. Stayed in, rested. Rode smart. Finished with the group. The only criticism I'll give in to is that I spent too much time in the very back of the group where you do get the benefit of draft, but you also pay the price of rarefraction. (Think stretched out part of a spring racing to catch up to the compressed part of the spring.)
All in all I'm feeling modestly confident about my preparation for the Assault on Mount Mitchell. I'm not going to get cocky, but I will gaurantee you that I will prepare to do well in the last 25 miles where the race is either won or lost on a personal level. It's going to be a long day in the saddle. It's going to hurt at times for long periods. But, God willing, I'm going to get to the top of that mountain.
Last Thursday I went out with the A group from Apex. I knew what to expect; it was going to be fast, but I should be able to hang in. The first 27 miles were awesome. It's hard to explain, but in some respects it gets easier to ride the faster you go. For one you learn to stay up front. Also, the faster riders are MUCH more disciplined. Rotations are more strict, and smoother. Big stuff gets pointed out and little stuff gets ignored. I did my share up front in the rotation for the better part of 70 minutes. And then I did something stupid. As we came back up Lewter Shop road the rotations had stopped and riders hung out on the front as they pleased. When my turn came, I kinda stayed out front a little too long and we were going, oh, about, 25 miles per hour. Then bad goes to worse. I saw another group traveling about the same speed as we were traveling perhaps 200 yards ahead of us. What should I have done? Easy. Pulled over, gone to the back, hung on, rested. What did I do? I bridged a group of 40 riders up by maxing out and as soon as I caught the group ahead... I blew up. I watched in self-disappoointment as now 50 riders went by me at 25 miles an hour as I faded to 20, then 19 on down to 18.
Now, the lesson learned was that I didn't ride within my limits. Last night was faster and easier. I rode 41 miles at about a 21 MPH average. Did my fair share up front. Stayed in, rested. Rode smart. Finished with the group. The only criticism I'll give in to is that I spent too much time in the very back of the group where you do get the benefit of draft, but you also pay the price of rarefraction. (Think stretched out part of a spring racing to catch up to the compressed part of the spring.)
All in all I'm feeling modestly confident about my preparation for the Assault on Mount Mitchell. I'm not going to get cocky, but I will gaurantee you that I will prepare to do well in the last 25 miles where the race is either won or lost on a personal level. It's going to be a long day in the saddle. It's going to hurt at times for long periods. But, God willing, I'm going to get to the top of that mountain.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Vonage Sucks
Our experience with Vonage for phone service was terrible. The quality of the service was flat-out unacceptable. Every conversation was peppered by moments of vacuum where you didn't know if 1) you were still connected 2) what you had said was transmitted 3) you had just missed something that was said coming your way. Using Vonage made a the passive experience of simply talking a very active, difficult task. Additionally, on several occasions calls to our house were greeted with, "This number has been disconnected or is no longer in service." WTF? When I called to report this, they asked, 'What service was the incoming caller using?' Like I know this!?!?! It was as if Vonage also thought I signed up to be a tech support case study. I told them clearly that I was paying for a dial tone and that's all I wanted. Ultimately, we could not continue with the lousy quality of the service and the issue of having people calling us hearing that our line had been disconnected. I politely requested Vonage waive the disconnect fee as they had not lived up to their end of the service agreement. They refused. Ironically I've had three people ask me about my phone service in the last week and I did my best to steer them clear of the terrible product Vonage is.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Neet
Today is March 1st and it is indeed here like a lion. We're expecting anywhere between two and six inches of snow to fall over the night and into the morning and as such I'll go no freakin' where near the roads tomorrow. Too many idiots.
Perhaps this is already clear to you, but it's therapeutic for me to type this in regards to all that is going on with the economy. I'm mad because not only is there no penalty for the behaviors that got us into this mess, to the contrary there is reward. My madness boils over when I consider that we - you and me Mr. citizen - are the ones being forced to dole out the rewards with our money.
And while I'm in the bully pulpit it's time to thank some people: Rush Limbaugh, Anne Coulter, Evangelical RepubChristians. You'd think that these people would be humbled by the results that eight years of their ideals in place created. To the contrary, the Republicans now ironically call foul on the stimulus package put forth by the Dems calling it wasteful spending. Do they/you not see the irony in this? And as the conservative right continues to allow people like Coulter and Limbaugh to be their de facto mouth pieces, it only serves to isolate and diminish their narrow views pushing them further from mainstream America and further from majority. Are the Republicans so disorganized that they choose Coulter and a radio show host as their leaders by proxy? Look I'm all for small government, fiscal conservatism, liberty, freedom and family values. But the Republican party should be concerned by the distance between it's core values and the values of a majority of conservative Americans. And don't think I'm completely one-sided on this either. Should the Republicans fail to get their party back on its feet after a slow stumble to the ground over the last eight years, the loss wouldn't be just the party, the loss would be the counterbalance and that would truly be a disaster.
Training for the Assault on Mount Mitchell is going well. I've reached the point where once again it is necessary to shave the legs to facilitate massaging lactic acid out after longer rides that are more and more common these days. It's one level of awkwardness shopping for a razor handle extender in a catalog for the elderly. But when they deliver it and it's not the industrial grey as pictured, but rather Richard Simmons pink; the Gods must be trying to send me a message.
Perhaps this is already clear to you, but it's therapeutic for me to type this in regards to all that is going on with the economy. I'm mad because not only is there no penalty for the behaviors that got us into this mess, to the contrary there is reward. My madness boils over when I consider that we - you and me Mr. citizen - are the ones being forced to dole out the rewards with our money.
And while I'm in the bully pulpit it's time to thank some people: Rush Limbaugh, Anne Coulter, Evangelical RepubChristians. You'd think that these people would be humbled by the results that eight years of their ideals in place created. To the contrary, the Republicans now ironically call foul on the stimulus package put forth by the Dems calling it wasteful spending. Do they/you not see the irony in this? And as the conservative right continues to allow people like Coulter and Limbaugh to be their de facto mouth pieces, it only serves to isolate and diminish their narrow views pushing them further from mainstream America and further from majority. Are the Republicans so disorganized that they choose Coulter and a radio show host as their leaders by proxy? Look I'm all for small government, fiscal conservatism, liberty, freedom and family values. But the Republican party should be concerned by the distance between it's core values and the values of a majority of conservative Americans. And don't think I'm completely one-sided on this either. Should the Republicans fail to get their party back on its feet after a slow stumble to the ground over the last eight years, the loss wouldn't be just the party, the loss would be the counterbalance and that would truly be a disaster.
Training for the Assault on Mount Mitchell is going well. I've reached the point where once again it is necessary to shave the legs to facilitate massaging lactic acid out after longer rides that are more and more common these days. It's one level of awkwardness shopping for a razor handle extender in a catalog for the elderly. But when they deliver it and it's not the industrial grey as pictured, but rather Richard Simmons pink; the Gods must be trying to send me a message.
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