Test Ride Post Injury

69 Centimeters of Terror!

I wasn't sure about clipping into pedals, but I did have regular pedals on Big Sexy.  I think I did that back when I brought rollers to Celebrity Spin as a way to save from crashing if I lost balance.  Big Sexy, as the nick-name implies, is a huge 69 cm frame steel road bike from the 80's.  Its so tall I have to kind of jump up on board and then scoot to get going.  I figured if I could saddle up Big Sexy and not crash I'd be doing okay.

I wanted to get on a road bike to one--see how it felt with the knee, and two--get where I want to go faster.  Because there's no pedals to clip in and out of--just regular pedals--I figured I'd be okay if I started to fall.  Trouble is that the bike is so tall, you have to lean way over and plant the leg on firm ground--to get on or off--otherwise you smash you nuts.  The left leg being weak, I was not sure I could hold my own weight, but ended up I could.

When I first tried to saddle up Big Sexy, I thought I'd use the height of the curb to help me out.  This proved a mistake as I ended up almost falling over--my left leg is weak and it strained and hurt for a moment--but I righted myself.  I was probably just nervous, mes amis, and afraid.  After a couple of tries, I was on the bike and able to pedal, stop (planting my injured knee) and start back up again.

Back up on a big road bike, I made quick work of a few miles to downtown.  It felt good to fly down the road again!  When I made it to Liberty Hall, my destination to drop off rented DVDs, it was a bit more awkward to stop, go,stop and get up on the side walk.  Because of the slope of the sidewalk I found things precarious--plus with a concert about to start at the Hall (an old Opera House) there were people around waiting to get their seats, having that last cigarette, etc.  A couple of blokes waiting for the show came over and commented on Big Sexy, the hugest bike they've ever seen, they said. 

Physical Therapy evaluation was today.  I was disappointed that I wasn't as strong as I thought.  Sandy, my therapist, had me do some moves to test my strength--right leg strong, as you would imagine, left leg has a long way to go.  The good news--complete recovery back to 100% Gentle Readers of This Blog!  Sandy said short trips to work and for errands would be okay, but really I need to wait awhile before going out on the road for any regular riding.

Cheers!  Bruce