Therapy Session

I have often heard that "Laughter is the Best Medicine."  A quick Google search retrieves 1.8 million results.  It took me a bit longer than the .17 seconds to verify, but I did a quick read through the top million or so before deciding that it may not necessarily true for me. 

You see, for me, it's all about bikes.  I drove down to Hiawatha Cyclery on Friday after work to celebrate the six-week mark of feeling like crud.  Six long and agonizing weeks spent suffering bicycle withdrawal.  Surly to the rescue. Picked up a new Surly "Creamroller" (AKA: Steamroller) in a 59cm and a pair of Berthoud stainless fenders.  I spent a good portion of time sitting on a 5 gallon bucket down in my basement bike shop. (I still cannot stand for any period of time.) I know that this post is worthless without photos, those will hopefully be forthcoming.

The accident (the details surrounding which I cannot discuss) that occurred 6 weeks ago has left a hole in my bike-needs.  Provided that I am given adequate medical clearance to ride again, I will need something to fill that hole.   Determining just what I want to do for a replacement bike has been surprisingly difficult. 

My initial thought was to simply find a replacement Quickbeam.  There’ve been two used ones that have come and gone on the Rivendell list each selling rather quickly.  The new Quickbeams that are expected to be available through Rivendell are not expected until early ’09, which really means that they will not be available until May.  

I had most everything I needed to put together a complete bike.  A trip to County Cycles turned up a needed bottom bracket.  A trip to my older brother’s house supplied a stem and an old front brake caliper.  I was able to put most everything together on Sunday.   I made a trip to Erik’s on Sunday afternoon thinking that I might be able to clean up my stack of headset spacers, but walked out in disgust at the suggestion that each of the 2.5mm spacers commanded $2.  I thought $40 for 2 inches of exposed steer-tube seemed unreasonably high and settled for what I already owned.

I will hope to be able to provide some photos of the new Surly very soon.  I will be even more excited to reveal the details of the pending replacement commuter bike.

Breaking Silence

Sometimes I just want to scream the four letter explicative that begins with eff.

I am breaking my silence.  It seems that on 10/10/08 a lot of what is really important to me was taken away and I have been paying the price ever since.  Gone are my bike rides, gone is my ability to ruminate about how I feel.  Gone is my bike.  Gone is my level of conditioning.  I continue to hurt physically and the stress has taken its toll on me mentally.

TransIowa registration opened on Tuesday of last week.  

Between a doctor’s appointment on Monday, an appointment for physical therapy on Tuesday, a dental appointment on Thursday, and another physical therapy appointment on Thursday afternoon, my post card didn’t get into the mailbox until Friday.

I see that the roster has been closed and my name isn’t on it.  Dashed are hopes that there would be something out there on the horizon to work toward.  Perhaps given my physical condition today and the way that my body feels, shooting for TransIowa might be a little too aggressive.  I don’t know.  Right now, not being on that list stacks up in the quiver of disappointments that have seemed to dominate the last 5 ½ weeks of my life.