Yesterday I rode a 200 km Randonneur event which meant I've now completed at least one 200 k or longer RUSA ride for 58 consecutive months. This one was special because it happened exactly 4 weeks after I crashed on my bike and had surgery to repair a fractured femur. It was also special because I had tremendous support from other riders. Kevin Kaiser volunteered to ride a tandem with me even though he had never been on one before. Jeff Dilcher, John Drummond, and Wayne King hung with Kevin and I all day and helped us get through intersections with a minimum of unclipping or stopping. They also helped us with starts since we sometimes had concerns about getting going without falling. Four other riders ahead of us must have tired out all the dogs that can chase cyclists because all the dogs we encountered seemed too tired to care.
Many of my friends think trying to ride a bike 4 weeks after a fractured femur is crazy. Maybe it is, but after many orthopedic surgeries including 3 total joint replacements I believe that movement and rehabilitation along with staying in good physical condition are vital to recovery. The biggest concern is the risk of falling, but my rationale is an individual is at risk of falling at any time. The biggest part of managing that risk is to be aware of it all the time and take appropriate precautions.
The scariest thing about my injury is during the recovery process realizing how hard performing simple tasks can be. I have to negotiate 3 flights of stairs to my condo and that can be very challenging lugging groceries, walking my energetic new dog, etc. I am fortunate to have many friends who offered and provided support. However, I found myself on many occasions not asking for help and just figuring out how to get things done on my own. Maybe that comes from being 68 years old and taking several gerontology course. It make me think about what life could be like years down the road if I gave up being active and somewhat stubborn. Nevertheless, I worked hard at restoring flexibility and function to my leg, and it paid dividends.
Anyway back to the ride. It was a chilly beautiful morning as we gathered in Watkinsville for the 7:30 start. After making final adjustments to the tandem we headed out. The first few miles were nervous ones mainly for Kevin who was brand new to tandem riding. It wasn't as unnerving for me as I had ridden tandems many times both as a captain and stoker, but it had been a while. My hardest task was mounting and dismounting the bike. I was glad to be on the back where the top tube was slanted down because I could not have gotten on or off the front. As the miles rolled by we both settled in and by the end of the ride we both were much more comfortable. One issue was neither one of us were able to pedal while standing which we both do quite a lot on our regular bikes. Staying in the saddle over 128 miles left both of us with pretty sore butts. During the day it was far easier for me to ride and peddle than to walk around during our stops. Even though both Kevin and I are experienced cyclist we are constantly learning from these rides. One mistake we made was using over sized water bottles. They were almost impossible to take out of and put back into the cages on the tandem because of space.
Looking back on the ride, I am grateful to have the ability to ride a bike long distances. There is so much wonderful scenery, along with a lot of great roads without much traffic. I think the vast majority of vehicles I encounter are very accommodating. Personally I'd rather take my chances on roads than ride on multi-use paths where traffic principles are not always followed. So what's next? Another 200 k ride next month on the Silver Comet Trail.
