Road ID

I finally signed up for a RoadID

I don't know why it has taken me so long but I finally went ahead and shelled out a measly $20 and ordered myself a RoadID.

I've ridden with people who have wreaked and have had friends who have wreaked. I've even had some minor wreaks. So I figured with all the bike commuting I hope to be doing, the Pan Mass Challenge, and possible some vacation biking in Alabama, that I really should go ahead and get this for peace of mind.

If you are reading this and you run, cycle, or do any sort of outdoor activity, you should get a RoadID also: www.RoadID.com.

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Pan Mass Challenge

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Monster to Home, Unhappy Thumb

Less Energy

Doing 2 25 miles rides in one day seems to be more tiring that doing one 50 miles ride. At least it seems to feel that way. I'll know more after I actually do a 50+ mile ride this year.

Ouch

My thumb was "complaining" on the ride home. There is no swelling and I have fill range of motion. It is a bit painful to lift things and I hand to take my hand off of the handle bars when I hit a bump. It didn't like being jarred.

The location of the pain is near the wrist. [surfing... surfing... surfing...] Well, after surfing and Googling a bit the closest thing I can find is that I may have a minor Bennet's Fracture?

Bennett's Fracture

. Hmmm, maybe I better listen to the wife and call the doctor. I'll see how it feels later today or tomorrow...

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Bike to Work, Almost Uneventful

Perfect Morning

The morning could not have been more perfect for riding in. It was in the upper 50's when I headed out and eventually warmed up. Or maybe it was just me. Anyway, I debated wearing a shell but I definitely wore my long bike pants. I packed the shell in my backpack and headed out.

The Wreck

I wrecked within a mile of my office. Nobody's fault but my own. I did something stupid and paid for it. Instead of making a left off of Rt 27 onto Walnut St. I tried to cut the corner through the "Corner Store" convenience store parking lot. I keep on forgetting that road tires are not good at going over lips at shallow angles. Out from under me went the bike. I had the presence of mind to tuck and roll and finished off that "Gymnastic" move standing up. Banged my right hand' wrist at the base of my thumb and bumped my right knee.

Mostly I felt stupid.

Not so stupid as I did pack some Advil in my Backpack :-)

The Ride

I did kick butt on the ride in though. I averaged 16.9 mph this morning. My previous averages were 15.5 and 15.1. Unlike this past Tuesday, I felt stronger on the second half of the ride.

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NOTE: GPS signal kept dropping out early in the ride...

Kathy Update

First off, Kathy is doing well. She is home and recovering and itching to get back into training for the Lake Placid Ironman. She looks like she got the crap beaten out of her. She's feeling better and looking nastier. I guess that's the way the body heals. Her head hurts the least and the rest of her body/injuries are feeling sore.

She is mostly frustrated that she has to take a break in her training schedule. I think she even got back on her bike trainer yesterday.

She had mentioned that her front wheel went wobbly as she was coming down the hill. She was also trying to switch to her "drops" midway down. Though I don't think that explains why her front wheen started to oscillate.

I went out for a ride on Sunday and tried to see if I could make my front wheel go wobbly at 20 mph. The gyroscopic forces from the spinning wheel were so strong at those speeds (20 mph) that I had difficulty trying to forcibly induce the beginnings of a loss of control.

Kathy's father had a theory that the front wheel might not have been seated correctly. I suspect he might be on to something.

Thank God for Helmets!

I took my friend Kathy out on a ride on Saturday. At mile 11.5 she lost control of her bike going down a hill at 20 mph and went head first into the road. A passing driver called an Ambulance and it arrived within 5 minutes. She was unconscious for a couple of minutes. As you can see from the pictures, the hemlet made a difference.

Just look at how compressed the one side is.

This Ride's Jersey:

It was scary seeing someone that hurt and unconscious. I was ahead of her and I heard her go down. I turned around and saw that she fell. Then I saw that she was very twisted and moving in a weird way. At first I thought she broke her collarbone. She was moving, but not conscious or aware. She had a "beyond blank" look in her eyes. She was very bloody. After I determined she had not broken her collarbone, I carefully positioned her so that she was on her back and elevated her legs. I also tried to keep her "awake", I didn't want her eyes to close and have her go completly unconscious. After 2-3 minutes she became coherent. "What happened?" was the first thing she said. Then "How's my bike?", I knew she was going to be alright at that point. Five minutes after the wreck, the Bellingham EMS trucks came and they took over.

This helmet took the brunt of the impact.

Amazingly, she has no broken bones. Not even a cracked skull. Again, the helmet pretty much saved her life.

• Kathy's Wreck @11.5 miles. The remainder of the route is from when the bikes were being transported to the Bellingham Police Station for safe keeping.