Sunday, April 27, 2014

Wise Rabbits and Trainer Rage

I have not made an appearance back here in the world of blog mainly because I have been heeding the advice of an imaginary bunny:
Well said, Thumper.

It's true, I have not had many nice things to say, which is great for emails titled "Crush Faces" to your teammates who are racing Joe Martin Stage Race, but not spectacular for, well, anything else. It's safe to say I am angry that I was part of a totally preventable incident which resulted in nobody's despair but mine (and anybody who has had the pleasure of talking to me during the past few weeks). Its Stupid. Its Unfair. Im Pissed off. But like so many things, I can only focus on things that I can control, so there has been a fair amount of me looking like the dude on the right over the past few weeks.

I picked an interesting time to have a car run my bike over, my parents and girlfriend were headed out to California to watch me race Sea Otter, so instead, we decided that we would make the best of the situation and go to Yosemite, Big Sur, and Monterrey.

Ahhhhhhh yes. Yosemite.
Giant Sequoia 
I think I had a premonition in the toy store that I would need some kind of mascot for the rest of my season, which was going to have a considerably greater amount of indoor riding than I had originally planned. I found it:

Destroyer of Trainers
I talked to some guys about when they were able to ride after getting collar bone surgery, and most of them said within a few days to a week, to which I say "wow, lucky you" because that was not the case for me, maybe this has something to do with it?

My sister mentioned losing her hairbrush...
It took me 10 days to get back on the trainer, and I am on my 15th day riding the trainer since starting back again. The doctor would like to see me wait longer, however I am finally starting to be of good body and mind, and looking forward to getting back on the road focused on my original goal of winning races and taking the next step in cycling. 

I can kind of sum it up according to my seat at the brewer game the other night. I had great seats, the brewers are the best team in baseball, they were about to crush the cubs, I had a $5 water and a $10 BBQ sandwich with coleslaw and a pickle when this happened:
At least he doesn't have a big hair-do, right?
I had everything in order, ready to have a great season, and then some big dude went ahead and plopped down in my way. Initially, I was really mad (mainly because the camouflage seemed to be a wholly ironic taunting of the situation), but I could still see the pitcher and the catcher, there was a jumbo-tron, he didnt slap my sandwich out of my hand, and I was still at a Brewer game (a rare treat). So I went on a walk, bought some of those smelly nuts (couldnt resist), and had a great time despite my bad luck. That's pretty much where I'm at, its going to be a much more difficult road to success than I planned this year, but I'm still going to give it everything I've got instead of sitting there hating the situation (which I've done my fair share of this month), because that's the only way this year is going to be a good one for me. 

So, if anyone wants to watch hockey on mute, blast music, and crush intervals, you'll know where to find me. 

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Humans are Good

Over the years I have spent on the side of the road riding a bike I have developed a theory about humans: 
99% of people are kind, caring, and considerate, however 1% of selfish angry people are capable of ruining the reputation of all drivers by treating me like dirt. 
I try to remind myself of this theory every time terrible things happen or are said, because its much more difficult to project kindness than it is to project abrasive selfishness. This is how I reflect on many things I hear on the news, that I see from time to time, and the people that narrowly avoid me on the roads to prove that, I dont know, they are not nice.

I think the main issue is that so often the considerate and kind action also is the quiet unnoticed one. It is not until something terrible happens to me that I find my theory is actually closer to fact. Last Wednesday I was hit by the medical car after chasing back to the peloton after my second flat tire of the day. I broke my collar bone and will spend a considerable amount of time losing all the fitness I worked so hard for as the race season goes on without me. It is at times like this that kind, considerate people have a chance to be boisterous, and I am overwhelmed at how loud the kindness has been in my life since last Wednesday.

Emails, facebook messages, phone calls, texts, red-eye flights, state-wide drives, changed travel plans, butler-esque service, doctor appointments, held doors, commiserating shaking heads, tweets, likes, visits, help offered, and general above-and-beyond actions have overwhelmed me this week. The 99% of kind people are in their wheelhouse and giving all of humanity a good name, and for that I am truly thankful. I figured I would pass that on to all of you who read this blog: people are really good, and kindness makes a big difference! Here are some pictures:
Even my dog was worried about me.
Host house care package!
A good team comes to check on me.
Thumbs up to you all! 
So, to all of you kind and caring people, I figured I would update you on the last week of my life and what is coming up for me now in the near future.

After the race I found out that I had broken my left collar bone and would need to see an Orthopedic Surgeon to determine a course of action. Frankie set me up with a surgeon in the area who determined that the collar bone would need surgery, but my insurance (being an HMO) would only cover an in-network provider, which meant I would need to go back to Wisconsin.

Enter: Super Mom.

My mom flew to Ontario, CA, rented a car, got a hotel room for us both, and then proceeded to help me call every surgeon and person who knew a surgeon and even person who ever thought about being a surgeon in Wisconsin. By Friday morning we had 4 appointments in Wisconsin, with a pending 5th, all with in-network providers, all willing to help me get back on my bike as soon as humanly possible. We then booked red-eye flights for that night out of San Jose, and began the 7 hour drive from LA to San Jose. Meanwhile, Frankie was gathering all the information I would need to help navigate paying for all of this later down the road, and adapted the entire team plan around my needs. As we worked our way up California, we stopped at a FedEx Office to send X-Rays from a CD to a surgeon my Dad found (the Milwaukee Bucks' Surgeon) who was willing to look at them that minute and make a call. So, by the time my mom was riding in her first UBER car to the airport for our 10:59pm Friday night flight to Milwaukee, we had a surgeon, we had a diagnosis, we had Frankie shaking everyone down for contact info, and we had a plan for the next 2 months of my life. THANKS SUPER MOM!

Saturday morning we arrive in Milwaukee and I take my first break from gathering information and finding a doctor and setting up my life since the accident, and watched the NCAA Final 4. Phew. Super mom was asleep, and super dad had taken over. He brought me a much needed beer and steak.

Sunday rolls around and my surgeon calls me and meets me in his office WITH HIS PARENTS IN TOW (he had just finished getting dinner with them for his dad's birthday) just to look me over and get me in for surgery the next day. I call his scheduler monday morning, and 2 hours later I am laying in a hospital gown, answering easy questions about my date of birth and my smoking history, and taking pills that make me feel really, really happy. At 6pm on Monday I woke up in the recovery room with a swollen Uvula, a plate in my shoulder, and a new pair of hospital grade compression socks.

From Wednesday at 12:30pm to Monday at 6:00pm I managed to break my collar bone, see a doctor, see a surgeon, re-plan my life, drive from LA to San Jose, fly to Milwaukee, see another surgeon, and get the collar bone plated. Thanks to super parents, a passionate surgeon, a great director, and a ton of really kind people. So, thanks to all of you, I am sitting here writing this, on my way back to racing already.

That is some great stuff. How do I think the season will go? Well, I chased down the field twice last Wednesday by myself, and now Im even more focused than before, so I'd say in a month or so, Ill be back out there winning races with all this behind me, motivating me to push even harder.