Friday leads to Saturday leads to Sunday leads to Canada...

This week, like many of the recent ones before it, was busy and hectic and nutty. The highlight was having my daughter with me for the week- though that sorta goes without saying.

I did manage to ride my trainer 3 times this week and I feel pretty good about that. The muscles seem to be fine in my legs and my right knee is almost totally pain-free. The right shoulder and arm are both giving me a few issues- the arm still doesn't straighten fully and the tricep muscle is terribly weak. The shoulder might have a rotator cuff issue, so I am watching it closely. But all told, I am able to ride well enough- though I feel incredibly rusty. I rode my rollers one night this week, on my fixed, and the small drums were kicking my butt!

This week was filled with all kinds of surprises as well. I spoke to a few different magazines and have also been contacted about potentially supplying bikes for a movie that is going to be filmed soon- no details I can share yet, but I will when I can... of course.

We're getting really close to that time of year when things really do just explode in a frenzy of activity and travel. Sunday morning I jump on a plane for Vancouver Canada and will return late Wednesday night. I'll be in Vancouver to support our Canadian distributor (NORCO) during their national sales meeting. We (the folks from Haro/ Masi) present on Monday. On Tuesday, I'll be traveling to see a handful of retailers in the Vancouver area... and I'll riding my bike between shops with Paul Burnett from NORCO, as he handles the Haro/ Masi bikes there. I am sincerely looking forward to it. I'll also be visiting with Mia and the women at Momentum Magazine on Tuesday evening. I'm looking forward to this trip for many reasons, but mostly because it means getting back to the life that has been put on "pause" for the past 3.5 months.

The new Fall '08/'09 catalog looks so damed good! I just love the thing. Of course, after printing it, the mistakes were found. I have a short bit of copy for each model and the copy for last year's Gran Corsa ended up in the space for this year's Alare. The other mistakes are all very small and hardly noticeable... but I know they are there. Still, the final product is the best catalog we've done for the brand and I'm very proud of it and look forward to your response to it.

Ok... I'm getting cross-eyed now, so I'm gonna go to sleep. Vancouver is coming up fast.

Tim

Stuff and whatnot and etcera...

"What a week!" How many times have you read those words here? Countless times, I know.

Last night I had my MRI of my right knee, so hopefully in a few days I'll get good news from my orthopedist. The knee is still pretty swollen and I can not straighten the leg fully yet. It still hurts too, but then again- I have a double fracture... so, ya know. Getting the pin out of my thumb on Monday was a highlight for sure. Dr. Perlman was awesome and I am lucky that I have been able to work with some great doctors- even if the process and system has left me feeling gutted at times by the unending red tape and setbacks. The doctors and nurses have been fantastic though and I DO feel lucky to work with them. My new physical therapist for my thumb/ elbow is awesome too. Throughout this whole dreadful process, I've tried to hold onto and remember my blessings.

Yesterday, was an accidentally monumental day for me; I walked into the R&D area of our workshop/ warehouse and walked past the new personal fixed gear "creation" of our creative director, Pete Demos. As I walked by, out of morbid curiosity, I pulled the bike from the rack, tossed a leg over the top tube and rode it around the work area for a couple minutes to get a feel for his concept. I rode it! I rode a bike for the first time since April 29th when I crashed. It felt heavenly when I realized what I had just done. It was honestly about a minute or two after I got rolling before I realized what I was doing- I was feeling so "normal" that I simply followed my usual ingrained instincts and hopped on the bike. Sincerely, after I had the realization, I nearly cried. It sounds so stupid, but it was overpowering to be ON a bike. I rode for only 2-3 minutes, but it didn't hurt at all. I could grip the bars, I could stand up and I could fully pedal without pain. It was a momentarily euphoric event. People- let me reinforce the belief that little things in life really do matter. It was a far cry from a training ride, but it was a ride on a bike... and I hadn't had one in a long time.

Speaking of Pete's bike...

For obvious reasons, it's called The Skittles Bike. It hurts my eyes to look at it... but I admit that "there's an ass for every seat" in this world. Pete is asking for comments and thoughts about his bike... so let him have it!

Oscar Freire won today's Tour stage. Oscar is one of my favorite riders (God I hope he's clean) and it makes me happy to see him win in the green jersey. He's always shown great class as a rider and sprinter. I surely wouldn't mind seeing him finish the Tour in green. Tomorrow's stage will be a real test for the remaining GC riders. Finishing on a climb into Italy, it should make for a very interesting day. Should make for great racing drama.

Next week is our National Sales Meeting again. Posting will be hit-n-miss, but I'm going to try to post as much as possible... amybe even from the sales meeting itself. You just NEVER know with me...

Tim