Last race of the year...

Tonight was the last race of the year on our velodrome- or as some call it, the "ghettodrome", due to its overall need for some sprucing up. This year, I think I have managed 3-4 races on the track, with the last being in June or July. After a month off the bike altogether thanks to all the recent travels, riding for a week did not exactly give me the freshest legs imaginable. Still, it was a great night and I really did enjoy being out on the oval with all my racing friends again.


Tonight was another little milestone; my daughter's first time watching me race since the terrible crash last year. Nearly since the minute I got back on a bike and began to ride again, she's been asking when we were going to the track so she could see me race again. All summer, she's been asking and has been really bummed out when I have gone to race without her. So tonight, after I picked her up from school, we headed to the track.

I won't lie- I was a little nervous about having her there and it certainly brought out the much more cautious side of me. I kept thinking, "not in front of her again". Luckily, there were no crashes at all tonight and she had another young girl to run around and play with all night as well. Needless to say, she was a happy 8 year old girl.


It would be easy, as a total starry-eyed dreamer Pisces, to sit here and try to analyze this desire of hers to see me race again; she needed to have closure, she needed to see her daddy get back and complete the journey of recovery, she needed to get over her own fear of what might happen. I don't know the answer and maybe I never will, but I know one thing- she had fun at the track again.



As for the racing... well, it would be a great story to say that I was able to get back on the bike after a month on the road with travels and kick ass. Well, this ain't Hollywood and I'm not Leonardo DiCaprio... sadly. BUT... I did have a great time with some really crappy legs.

1st race was 5 lap Scratch to "seed" for second event- I got second place and advanced.

2nd race with a Miss and Out... and I was out on the first lap. I've never liked the event!

3rd race was a 20 lap Points race and I scored points on the first and second laps... then dropped WAY back to second chase group. Not sure where I finally finished.

In the end, I had fun and I got to share it with my daughter; sometimes life is very good.


Tim
PS- Those Reynolds wheels were awesome! More in-depth report to follow... eventually.

What a difference a year makes...

A little more than one year and a few hours ago, I was unconscious on the track surface at the San Diego Velodrome with a nearly completely severed off right thumb, a massive hematoma of the left eye, a double fracture of the right knee, a fractured right rib, three fractured vertebrae, a cracked skull and a very difficult path to recovery... along with another week-long stay in the hospital due to five blood clots in my right leg just less than two weeks after being released from the hospital the first time. My daughter was there at the track with me that night and showed strength and grace that I did not know she possessed and would only hear about from those who were there to witness it while I was either unconscious or too out of it to know what was happening.

What lay ahead for me that night was a long and sometimes frightening path to becoming strong enough to ride again one day. Nearly eight weeks with a cervical collar on, as well as a knee brace and crutches felt like an eternity. The loving support of friends, family and many of you helped make it possible for me to fight on through all the frustrations. There were some difficult times during the recovery process and from time to time I wondered if it really was time to "hang up the cleats".

Tonight, once I got home from a long day at work, I quickly scrambled to take advantage of the last bits of sunlight left and hurriedly got out for a ride. I grabbed my iPod Shuffle and scurried down the stairs in my cycling shoes, carrying my bike, and headed off to enjoy a few miles. I took off quickly, not allowing myself much time to warm up, and began pushing the pedals pretty hard from the beginning. I had to remind myself to slow down a little or risk running out of fuel too quickly, or potentially straining a muscle. I didn't really listen to myself, but at least I was conscious of the fact I was going too hard too soon... but I didn't care at all. I felt a lot like I did when I was a kid in high school, rushing home to get a training ride in before having to concentrate (meekly) on homework and chores. I hardly felt like a 39 year old with kids and bills tonight- I had some of that same passionate excitement to ride as I did when I was 16 and dreaming of Tour de France podiums. I also didn't feel like I was recovering anymore- I felt strong and healthy and attacked the ride with determination. I powered up each climb, not allowing myself to rest before reaching the top. I pushed the pedals hard at every opportunity- and it felt really good.

I've given up on the Tour podiums now, though I still dream of other podiums more in keeping with my age and ability. I still have the passion to ride and I feel blessed that I am now able to ride again with almost no problems. The neck is still very stiff and bothers me sometimes and the right arm still doesn't quite straighten, but I am otherwise able to ride without limitation... other than the relative lack of fitness.


Tonight was a celebration of life and the gift of health. As I have been saying for months now, "I'm well enough to be able to complain about not being able to ride as much or as often as I would like, due to my work schedule."

Thank you for your encouragement and support this past year and before- I consider myself lucky to know you all.


Tim

Sunday mixed bag

My girlfriend left for home last night and I took my daughter to her mom's today until next week, so today meant returning to being Sologuy again. This morning was spent with my daughter and breakfast at IHOP. After I took her back to her "other home" (as she always calls it), I shaved my furry legs and drug my fat ass out for the first ride in two weeks since the Lake Mead ride during Outdoor Demo. Between the show itself and then the follow-up afterwards, the past two weeks meant no riding... and I can feel it. Now that the show is over and I don't have any travel for a few weeks, I'm looking forward to riding as much as possible between now and Outdoor Demo East.

This is why people move to San Diego; beautiful blue skies and warm weather in October.

The Shadow rides with me all the time. He likes the new Scandium frame as much as I do too...

Downtown San Diego from across the bay, coming back from Point Loma.

The two weeks off the bike have not made me any fitter or any thinner- that's for sure- but it still felt great to get out for a short ride and loosen the legs up a little. My flexibility in my back is really terrible right now, as I really need to see a chiropractor now that my neck is healed up enough. My neck is sore lately too, so I need to work on regaining range of motion there as well. The plus is that my knee doesn't hurt at all when I ride. My legs seem to be recovering better than I feared- it's the rest of my body that appears to be taking longer. All in all though, I'm ahead of the schedule as far as riding goes and need to just relax a little and let the healing continue without pushing myself to "train" through the winter to be ready to race again in January. I mean... I'm lucky to be alive and not paralyzed from the crash that only happened on April 29th. I need to relax and just let my body do its thing. Really... I do.

Ok, time to hop on my SoulVille and get my grocery shopping done so I can cook my dinner. I'll be back with more Virtual Tradeshow and more random pics from Interbike.

Tim

I can feel that.

I needed a little therapy tonight, so I hopped on the Speciale Fixed again and rode my rollers in the driveway. It felt better than riding my turbo trainer, but I had forgotten how much resistance you get from small drum rollers. It only took a few songs on the iPod for my legs to start complaining and for me to start shifting around on the saddle trying to get comfortable. Again, my right arm was feeling tired and sore nearly instantly. Once again my I find myself humbled by my injuries and the road to recovery. Still, I am so fortunate to be able to feel this way- I am literally lucky to be alive, after all.


It seems pretty amazing in some regards that just a little over 3 months ago I was laying in a hospital bed hooked up to a morphine drip, wearing a cervical collar and wondering if I'd ever ride again at all.

Heavy...

Tim

Non-Tour post

Lots more than the Tour has been happening lately, but the Tour posts have been eating up the little blogging time I can find.

So, as a little recap...

I am now off the crutches, out of the knee brace and out of the neck brace. The pin is coming out of my thumb on Monday. I am having an MRI on the knee on Wednesday, as well as starting hand physical therapy. My blood levels have been good with the Coumadin too. Basically... I'm making progress. I didn't get the chance today, but tomorrow I hope to finally go back to the gym and test my knee on a stationary trainer and see how much it can handle before I begin riding my trainer here at home. I can not begin to tell you how good it feels to get a little of my life back. I also have to thank all of you for your support and well wishes- it is no exaggeration to say that it has been a part of my recovery.

This afternoon, Masidaughter and I walked together to get lunch for the first time since the crash. I walked... without crutches or a knee brace. It was heavenly! It is amazing how great something so small can feel.


On this past Tuesday, she and I also went down to the velodrome and said thanks to MANY people who had been so fantastic when I crashed, and since then as well. It was hard, I admit, to keep from losing it. More than once I was told how frightened people were for me and how scared people had been by my crash. Even people in the stands watching the racing seemed to know who I was- "that's the guy who crashed really hard". I left a mark on the track too- bending a steel post and cracking a sheet of plywood. BUT... aside from a dent in the top tube from the handlebars and slight hop in the rear wheel, the bike looks straight and still rideable. WOO-HOO! I love that frameset, so I'm happy to be able to keep it around. One friend suggested I get a band-aid painted over the dent with the date of the crash (4/29) and I have to admit that I love that idea. Oh yeah... the Deda steel sprint bars are pretty bent on the right side too- they're a little wider and have a little "flare" to them now. Masidaughter was happy to be at the track and did not want to leave- she was getting lots of attention and praise for her bravery the night of the crash. She also found a few other children to play with, so she was on a cloud! All in all, it was a really great night. A few people I really wanted to see were not there, so I will be trying to get to the track this coming Tuesday so I can complete my thank you tour.

On Friday, minus some last little tweaks still to be done, we wrapped up the new fall catalog. I can honestly say that it is the best one we've done yet. I am very proud of the work that has gone into the catalog (outside of the copy I wrote- worst writer's block of my life). Pete Demos, Rick Ortiz and Wayne Doran did some incredible work to make the catalog happen. It's a great one... and I'm already fired up for the next one.

Earlier in the week, the VeloNews with my "At the Back" contribution came out. I can not tell you how proud I am to have something printed in VeloNews. I always dreamed as a rider that I would one day be on the cover of VeloNews, but life was cruel and I found out that being a pro was not going to happen. Later, as a writer and cycling enthusiast, I wanted to write for VeloNews. To get the chance to be a contributor is something else. If you haven't seen the mag, here's the David Brinton illustration;
That might just be my next tattoo!

Needless to say, though the Tour has been dominating the space here... there's been a lot more going on lately. It's good to be alive- that much I can tell you for sure.

Tim