Downtown Houston, Veterans Day Parade. I thought it was for me at first! haha
Are these ALL WHITE bibshorts or am I shortless and this is my tan line?All right...so if you have been following my blog, or on Facebook, or happen to be in my shop in the past 3 months you would have found out that I had a life changing wreck in a race back in August. I fractured my C7 and my life and everything in it came to a screeching halt! I lived...I had some titanium installed in my neck and started my road to recovery. Since my business has grown so rapidly I can't believe it. The interior of the shop looks totally different, I have retail racks and more shelving for more inventory. I added 2 more frame lines to be able to offer 4 of the finest frames made in the world. I added more FOPs and/or team mates on the road and triathlon. I got engaged as well. I know right...she said YES to a guy in a neck brace...sober! haha
Also what has come from this is the start of a foundation to help other cyclist who have been injured while riding or racing who are without insurance. Look for more to come from the C7 Foundation. Overall its been an amazing 3 months...just missing one thing...riding a bike. This past Wednesday I saw Dr. Johnson who looked at my Xray and said that my C7 and C6 were fusing nicely and I am cleared to ride. OH YEAH!!!!! So what did I do? Well that morning in antisipation for this ride I gave myself a good leg shave with a new blade. ahhhhh....
This was I was ready to head to the shop and grab my Praemio and go for a ride! Now I am sure most of you would have been fine with being off the road cause you would have just been on a trainer. But I HATE and I mean HATE the trainer! It was only the week before I got on an eliptical and spin bike just to make sure I did not totally pass out on my first ride back. I pull up to the shop and who is there...Lowda! (Laura Meichan) It was her day off and she came down to ride with me. This was special cause Laura was one of the ones who was there for Joy and myself while I was in the hospital. I put on some lycra for the first time since my race night and got all ready to go. I strapped on my new Bont shoes and clipped into my new Time pedals with a new Lazer helmet on my head replacing the Lazer helmet that cracked in 7 places from the wreck and pushed those first pedal strokes on my Guru. (shameless product advertising) I was home...rolling with the wind blowing across my hairless legs. Laura and I made our way to Memorial Park for a couple loops and we stopped at the accident sight. Reflection you may say? No...I was looking to see if my prescription inserts were still there...they flew out of my glasses and I haven't found them yet. haha! Then Laura and I rolled into downtown via Allen Parkway. I swear there was some wind out there and Laura was letting me half wheel her the whole way in to help build my ego...she is so sweet. Even though I was getting blasted she was on her easy ride per her coach. We got into down town and saw my friend Mike Junco the bike cop and Mike Adrion. All enjoyin the day. I forgot how great it was to ride and see friends you know on the way. LOVE IT! We head back to the shop and I swear we had head wind the whole way back. ARG!!!! The next morning I wake up at 6am to meet Trent for a typical route though he made me ride the full 1.5hrs in the small chain ring...of course we did a seated sprint at one point...he won. ARG!!!! haha Still it was fun to be able to ride with the guy who got me into road racing in the first place for my second ride. Not bad...I wasn't really tired or anything so lets see how Saturday goes. Oh man...Saturday. I am not gonna lie, I was worried. 3 hours was the plan and with a group of friends/racers. I knew the pace would not be high and we are into off season base miles anyway but still I was worried. Would I last? Would get those pains you get as a new cyclist? Would I handle riding in a pack again or would I freak out with post wreck flashbacks??? Overall...I did great! I was surprised. I rode in the pack fine, drafted fine, cadence good, accelerations good. On the way back I started gaining some confidence and took a pull on a faster return pace due to time limits on the other three I was riding with. BIG MISTAKE! You know how you first start riding and you get in with a group and you are feeling good and you think you can go faster and that you are better than them and that you are single handedly going to show this peleton what pain really is? Oh yeah...I did that. I did that to a fast age group triathlete and two road racers...one being a Cat 3. So while Pete Neubig (long time friend and new Shama Cycles team member) was on the front pulling very well I moved up along side him, blew him a kiss and started my pull with the pace being a notch higher. We roll up on a light at the base of an overpass and I am winded and happy for the break the red light provides. I turn around and ask Pete how badass I am with requesting the speed of my amazing pull. 24mph he says...my world crumbles as I was sure I was feeling the pain of 29mph. What is that you ask? No bike computer? No power meter? No...not on this bike and not right now. I don't need to know how bad I suck or awesome I am not. I just need to ride and get my feel back and build up my base again. So the light turns green and we take off....up that steep mountainish overpass and I am quickly dropped...the price is being paid for my earlier misjudged effort. By the time they slowed down and I caught up I quickly let Pete know I will be more than happy to draft the rest of the ride and appreciate his superior form and free ride he is providing. Oh man...I made the biggest rookie move there is and I of all people should know better. Just shows...I lost some form and some sense. At the end of the day I was with great guys and had a great ride and while I might give my self grief and say I am fatter and slower...I am actually very happy with my lack of form for fear it couldv'e been worse. I wasn't sore and I wasn't tired. I did take Sunday off...still I feel great.
I am pumped, I am motivated and I am BACK!
Also what has come from this is the start of a foundation to help other cyclist who have been injured while riding or racing who are without insurance. Look for more to come from the C7 Foundation. Overall its been an amazing 3 months...just missing one thing...riding a bike. This past Wednesday I saw Dr. Johnson who looked at my Xray and said that my C7 and C6 were fusing nicely and I am cleared to ride. OH YEAH!!!!! So what did I do? Well that morning in antisipation for this ride I gave myself a good leg shave with a new blade. ahhhhh....
This was I was ready to head to the shop and grab my Praemio and go for a ride! Now I am sure most of you would have been fine with being off the road cause you would have just been on a trainer. But I HATE and I mean HATE the trainer! It was only the week before I got on an eliptical and spin bike just to make sure I did not totally pass out on my first ride back. I pull up to the shop and who is there...Lowda! (Laura Meichan) It was her day off and she came down to ride with me. This was special cause Laura was one of the ones who was there for Joy and myself while I was in the hospital. I put on some lycra for the first time since my race night and got all ready to go. I strapped on my new Bont shoes and clipped into my new Time pedals with a new Lazer helmet on my head replacing the Lazer helmet that cracked in 7 places from the wreck and pushed those first pedal strokes on my Guru. (shameless product advertising) I was home...rolling with the wind blowing across my hairless legs. Laura and I made our way to Memorial Park for a couple loops and we stopped at the accident sight. Reflection you may say? No...I was looking to see if my prescription inserts were still there...they flew out of my glasses and I haven't found them yet. haha! Then Laura and I rolled into downtown via Allen Parkway. I swear there was some wind out there and Laura was letting me half wheel her the whole way in to help build my ego...she is so sweet. Even though I was getting blasted she was on her easy ride per her coach. We got into down town and saw my friend Mike Junco the bike cop and Mike Adrion. All enjoyin the day. I forgot how great it was to ride and see friends you know on the way. LOVE IT! We head back to the shop and I swear we had head wind the whole way back. ARG!!!! The next morning I wake up at 6am to meet Trent for a typical route though he made me ride the full 1.5hrs in the small chain ring...of course we did a seated sprint at one point...he won. ARG!!!! haha Still it was fun to be able to ride with the guy who got me into road racing in the first place for my second ride. Not bad...I wasn't really tired or anything so lets see how Saturday goes. Oh man...Saturday. I am not gonna lie, I was worried. 3 hours was the plan and with a group of friends/racers. I knew the pace would not be high and we are into off season base miles anyway but still I was worried. Would I last? Would get those pains you get as a new cyclist? Would I handle riding in a pack again or would I freak out with post wreck flashbacks??? Overall...I did great! I was surprised. I rode in the pack fine, drafted fine, cadence good, accelerations good. On the way back I started gaining some confidence and took a pull on a faster return pace due to time limits on the other three I was riding with. BIG MISTAKE! You know how you first start riding and you get in with a group and you are feeling good and you think you can go faster and that you are better than them and that you are single handedly going to show this peleton what pain really is? Oh yeah...I did that. I did that to a fast age group triathlete and two road racers...one being a Cat 3. So while Pete Neubig (long time friend and new Shama Cycles team member) was on the front pulling very well I moved up along side him, blew him a kiss and started my pull with the pace being a notch higher. We roll up on a light at the base of an overpass and I am winded and happy for the break the red light provides. I turn around and ask Pete how badass I am with requesting the speed of my amazing pull. 24mph he says...my world crumbles as I was sure I was feeling the pain of 29mph. What is that you ask? No bike computer? No power meter? No...not on this bike and not right now. I don't need to know how bad I suck or awesome I am not. I just need to ride and get my feel back and build up my base again. So the light turns green and we take off....up that steep mountainish overpass and I am quickly dropped...the price is being paid for my earlier misjudged effort. By the time they slowed down and I caught up I quickly let Pete know I will be more than happy to draft the rest of the ride and appreciate his superior form and free ride he is providing. Oh man...I made the biggest rookie move there is and I of all people should know better. Just shows...I lost some form and some sense. At the end of the day I was with great guys and had a great ride and while I might give my self grief and say I am fatter and slower...I am actually very happy with my lack of form for fear it couldv'e been worse. I wasn't sore and I wasn't tired. I did take Sunday off...still I feel great.
I am pumped, I am motivated and I am BACK!
Good read! Hope to see you around next year sometimes. Or we can always meet at Freebird's on South Congress :-)
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