Mountain Bike Swan Song or Down but not OUT

Wow. Apparently summer was not good for blogging. Never mind. We are looking forward not backward.

After putting 1100+ miles on my mountain bike I finally caved and let Barry buy new bikes for us.

It would be well to understand at the outset that I was the quintessential reluctant cyclist. Barry gently suggested for years (well at least a few years) that we should get bikes. No, I said. I like my skin and I did not want to leave any on the pavement. In my mind, that was the eventual and inevitable result of bike riding. At some point you were going to crash and that was not my idea of a good time.

Three years ago I realized that Barry's chronic hamstring problem was not going to get better and we were not going to be running together. He needed to bike. Not wanting to be left out we both got mountain bikes. Not those fast, skinny-tired, road bikes with seats that try to sever . . . well, you know. . . We got sturdy, stable, gel seated mountain bikes. (or at least mine had a nice wide gel seat.)

What can I say? I was hooked and much to Barry's delight as were riding around North Utah county in the early mornings together, I thanked him over and over for talking me into a bike. Why didn't we do this years ago, I'd ask. Well, I knew the answer to that and bless him, he NEVER rubbed it in.

Barry is very patient with me. It took him a year to talk me into riding up the mountain to the top of Suncrest but that was a turning point. I was empowered!! After a couple of times I didn't even brake coming down. Zoom! Straight down!

This year we started riding longer and longer distances.

Then it hit me. I wanted to do some loooong road rides and it wasn't going to happen on a mountain bike. Maybe it was that guy who went by us on the way up Suncrest that said, "Wow! You guys are great on those heavy bikes." Translation: What are you two oldies doing pushing those heavy bikes up this hill?!

Sometime in June, I mentioned that maybe we should give our bikes to Julie and Ryan to take to Pennsylvania so they could ride with their kids. Barry was just waiting for the chance to justify new bikes and this was his opening. Finally on July 4th I said let's do it. He grabbed his keys and headed for the door to go shopping before I could change my mind.

So the bikes went with Jules & Ry and we got new bikes. Much lighter - much skinnier tires.

No matter how heavy it was . . . I admit an emotional attachment to my mountain bike. We had been very intimately connected for a lot of miles. That bike took my resting heart rate down to 46. That bike made me love riding.

So when we drove out to Pennsylvania a couple of weeks ago I was still excited to take her out for a final spin. . . .

Early Monday morning the mist was rising over the green hills of PA . . . We didn't even make it out of the parking lot. Let me paint a brief sketch. Coming a steep hill, up over the edge of the asphalt, a very steep gravel downhill run was staring me in the face. I decided I didn't want to go there. Pulled up on the back and FRONT (no, no) brakes and went down hard on my left elbow and hip.

Here's a little glimpse at the result. Nurse Ryan was kind enough to bandage up my arm for the trip home that day.

After the one hour ride to the Pittsburgh airport and the ensuing flight home to Salt Lake City I had a fully mature bruise and sizable hematoma on my upper thigh. Big bummer.

It just happens that I was scheduled for a Nissen-Fundoplication (look that one up) on Thursday morning last week. My surgeon is a cool guy and a cyclist. He understood the injury (from first hand experience) but said no surgery until it resolves. The risk of infection in that stagnant collection of blood is too great. (Happy thought.) If that happened it would have to be opened and drained. (Happier thought.)

So the surgery is on hold and I missed one day of biking last week. Down but not OUT!! We biked 30 miles on Saturday just for good measure. But the surgery has been postponed twice now and if I can't have it next Thursday, September 9, I have to wait until October because of the doctor's schedule.

I am totally open to any remedies to hasten the resolution of a hematoma. Any suggestions?

I am icing it (tried heat) and I slept with tobacco on it last night. I am totally serious.

Just think of this picture: The Bishop and his wife getting the clerk at the local Smith's Marketplace to unlock the case so we can buy some chewing tobacco. That should give you a grin today.

I am completely convinced I will never be a mountain trail rider. I have done the mountain bike Swan Song in the parking lot and it was doozie!