Well, Sunday was the big day - the 2012 Tour de Cure.
A little background first.
I served as Team Red captain for this year's Tour de Cure Kansas City. It was quite an honor, and I plan to do it again next year. Team Red was started by Mari Rudy, a Colorado rider with Type 1 who sought a way to recognize diabetic riders and the people who support them. I am proud to say we were the No. 1 fundraising team for our event, raising over $6,000 for the American Diabetes Association.
Being team captain opened up a few opportunities for me that I would have otherwise not had. Most recently, I was able to appear on a local radio station to discuss the Tour and my personal story of controlling diabetes with cycling.
Anyway, Sunday could not have been a better day, except maybe for a stiff south wind that came up about half way through the ride. I did the 25 mile route so I could ride with Amy and my brother-in-law, Phil.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
My first fall
The first thing people tell you when you are buying clipless pedals is that you are going to fall. The second thing they tell you is that it's going to be okay.
They are right on both accounts.
I have had clipless pedals for months now, and I've managed to avoid the embarrassment of falling over at a stop sign after forgetting to clip out. Almost, but it's never happened. I call this "pulling an Artie Johnson." Check out a re-run of Laugh-In if you don't know what I'm talking about.
Anyway, here's my story. Amy and I were riding the Indian Creek bike path. We were (of course) almost done with our ride, and I came to a muddy spot under an overpass (at Wornall Road). I was helping her navigate through the mud, reminding her to be careful, when it happened. After the overpass there is a short, steep incline. I down shifted a couple of gears and stood up for the climb. Halfway up the hill my bike suddenly downshifted again, twice, by itself. I came to a complete stop, and went over on my left side before I could clip out. I got my left foot out about one-half second before hitting the ground, but my right foot was still clipped in for the whole thing.
In the end, my first fall was almost a non-event. I did not hurt at all. When you are stopped, you are less than three feet from the ground when you finally pass the point of no return. It was more of a hard sit than a fall. The bike also helps to cushion the fall by directing you down and away from the point of impact rather than directly down.
I have a bit of road rash on my left shin. I'm certainly glad I was wearing gloves, or I would have road rash on my left palm. I knew enough not to try and absorb all the impact with my hand, instead using my forearm. I'm sure I'll be a bit sore tomorrow, but all-in-all it went pretty well.
Amy said it looked impressive on any account.
I feel like I should make up a merit badge for myself.
They are right on both accounts.
I have had clipless pedals for months now, and I've managed to avoid the embarrassment of falling over at a stop sign after forgetting to clip out. Almost, but it's never happened. I call this "pulling an Artie Johnson." Check out a re-run of Laugh-In if you don't know what I'm talking about.
Anyway, here's my story. Amy and I were riding the Indian Creek bike path. We were (of course) almost done with our ride, and I came to a muddy spot under an overpass (at Wornall Road). I was helping her navigate through the mud, reminding her to be careful, when it happened. After the overpass there is a short, steep incline. I down shifted a couple of gears and stood up for the climb. Halfway up the hill my bike suddenly downshifted again, twice, by itself. I came to a complete stop, and went over on my left side before I could clip out. I got my left foot out about one-half second before hitting the ground, but my right foot was still clipped in for the whole thing.
In the end, my first fall was almost a non-event. I did not hurt at all. When you are stopped, you are less than three feet from the ground when you finally pass the point of no return. It was more of a hard sit than a fall. The bike also helps to cushion the fall by directing you down and away from the point of impact rather than directly down.
I have a bit of road rash on my left shin. I'm certainly glad I was wearing gloves, or I would have road rash on my left palm. I knew enough not to try and absorb all the impact with my hand, instead using my forearm. I'm sure I'll be a bit sore tomorrow, but all-in-all it went pretty well.
Amy said it looked impressive on any account.
I feel like I should make up a merit badge for myself.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Don't ignore your gall bladder
It seems like everyone is having gall bladder issues these days. I know of three right now. Anyway, I thought I'd post my story again as a cautionary tale.
It all came to a head on Oct. 19, 2010. I collapsed in my doctor's office and MAST gave me a ride to KU Medical Center. They thought I might be having a heart attack. My blood pressure was crazy low and I was weak. The EMT popped four or five aspirin in my mouth on the way. A team of cardiologists was waiting for me in Emergency. They quickly determined my heart was fine, but my blood sugar was 980. Normal blood sugar is about 100. I was also experiencing liver and kidney failure. There was something wrong with my pancreas.
I would spend the next eight days in ICU, two weeks in the hospital and four months in bed, most of the time with a drain in my abdomen due to a cyst that had formed on my damaged pancreas.
All because of something the size of a few grains of sand. A gall stone had lodged in my common bile duct - the tube that carries insulin and other good stuff from your pancreas and the excess bile stored in your gall bladder, both of which aide in digestion and keep your blood sugars on an even keel. My gall bladder needed to be removed and I had a nasty case of pancreatitis, which would ultimately scar about 80 percent of that organ and make me insulin dependent, likely for life.
The kicker is that I had years of warning. For about seven years I thought I had acid reflux. I would sometimes have horrible indigestion after eating certain meals. Usually on Sunday nights, after a weekend of binge eating all the stuff you shouldn't eat. But, instead of going to the doctor I would just eat better for a few days and I would be fine. About three or four times in the year prior to this I had had severe bouts of pain right in the center of my chest along with vomiting and nausea. Still, it would be better by the next morning. These are classic symptoms of gall stones.
In reality I was passing gall stones, only this time the stone did not pass, instead backing up my pancreas, causing the cyst, which in turn caused a hole in my stomach where the cyst and stomach met. The cyst was infected, so I had heavy duty IV antibiotics twice a day for three months. The antibiotics were so good they killed all the bacteria in my digestive tract that Jami Lee Curtis talks about in those yogurt commercials. Not a good time, let me tell you. And, the cure for that is to take pill twice a day that leaves a constant aspirin taste in your mouth.
A lot of pain, a lot of trouble and a lot of worry for me and my wife, which could have all been avoided by going to the doctor.
So, be warned.
It all came to a head on Oct. 19, 2010. I collapsed in my doctor's office and MAST gave me a ride to KU Medical Center. They thought I might be having a heart attack. My blood pressure was crazy low and I was weak. The EMT popped four or five aspirin in my mouth on the way. A team of cardiologists was waiting for me in Emergency. They quickly determined my heart was fine, but my blood sugar was 980. Normal blood sugar is about 100. I was also experiencing liver and kidney failure. There was something wrong with my pancreas.
I would spend the next eight days in ICU, two weeks in the hospital and four months in bed, most of the time with a drain in my abdomen due to a cyst that had formed on my damaged pancreas.
All because of something the size of a few grains of sand. A gall stone had lodged in my common bile duct - the tube that carries insulin and other good stuff from your pancreas and the excess bile stored in your gall bladder, both of which aide in digestion and keep your blood sugars on an even keel. My gall bladder needed to be removed and I had a nasty case of pancreatitis, which would ultimately scar about 80 percent of that organ and make me insulin dependent, likely for life.
The kicker is that I had years of warning. For about seven years I thought I had acid reflux. I would sometimes have horrible indigestion after eating certain meals. Usually on Sunday nights, after a weekend of binge eating all the stuff you shouldn't eat. But, instead of going to the doctor I would just eat better for a few days and I would be fine. About three or four times in the year prior to this I had had severe bouts of pain right in the center of my chest along with vomiting and nausea. Still, it would be better by the next morning. These are classic symptoms of gall stones.
In reality I was passing gall stones, only this time the stone did not pass, instead backing up my pancreas, causing the cyst, which in turn caused a hole in my stomach where the cyst and stomach met. The cyst was infected, so I had heavy duty IV antibiotics twice a day for three months. The antibiotics were so good they killed all the bacteria in my digestive tract that Jami Lee Curtis talks about in those yogurt commercials. Not a good time, let me tell you. And, the cure for that is to take pill twice a day that leaves a constant aspirin taste in your mouth.
A lot of pain, a lot of trouble and a lot of worry for me and my wife, which could have all been avoided by going to the doctor.
So, be warned.
Monday, April 23, 2012
LIFESTYLE: The vintage bike trend - "Anjou Vélo Vintage" race
I was looking for some vintage Paris-Roubaix footage and I cam across this story from France about a vintage bike meet. Kind of interesting. I have to admit, every time I see a penny farthing, I want to push the rider over. I suppose it's the same reaction most people have about mimes.
Paris Roubaix 2012 Arenberg Tom Boonen / Broken Wheel Argos / Radioshack...
This video gives you a good idea of what it is like to spectate at Paris Roubaix. I think the fact that some of the course marshals use moto-cross bikes to ride the course says a lot about how rough the pave is.
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