Today was the day for taking my bike to my favorite bike shop. And guess what - it's in better shape than I thought. When I looked at the bike, I saw shift/brake levers that weren't quite where they were supposed to be (especially the left lever) and that had pieces missing (actually shaved or knocked off the top). The front tire was flat, and the wheel appeared to be no where near true. Luckily for my wallet, the bike is pretty much OK. The mechanic simply pushed the levers back where they belonged and then ran through the shifting. He said he could replace the missing and displaced pieces on the top of the levers, and recommended continuing to use the levers that are on the bike until they stop working. Both appear to be good right now. And the wheel? Well it turns out that was an optical illusion because the tire is flat, and in fact the wheel is still round. Amazing. I guess I already knew this - I did a lot more damage to my body than to my bike! But since I was already there, and since I had been about to take my bike in for a tune-up before May 20th happened, I left the bike at the shop for a tune-up and to have them replace the missing lever pieces and to fix the flat. (OK, you're right - I could have changed the tire myself... but sometimes it's good to be lazy and to let someone else deal with it!)
After my conversation with the mechanic, I headed over to the helmet display. I can't get back on my bike until I have a new helmet - so it was time for a purchase. As usual I was looking for something lightweight with lots of air flow. I bought a Giro Pneumo, which is actually the same helmet that saved me in my crash.
So - I'm ready to go. Yes, I won't get my Pocket Rocket back until Tuesday, but I do have two other bikes to ride. And yes, I know I'm supposed to wait for an OK from the neurosurgeon - but I have to tell you that it's getting harder every day to stay off of my bike. Right now I'm sitting in my living room with my computer on my lap and with the television on so I can watch the prologue of the Tour de France. When that's over, I'm going to repeat that walk into Andover Center that tired me out last Saturday. I'm hoping that a week's improvement (and continued exercise via walking) will allow me to feel closer to normal when I get home this time.
Late afternoon: Home again... I did walk into Andover and back home again, I'd guess about four miles total given the roads that I took. It was a huge improvement from last week. My leg - specifically the area of the pelvic bone fracture - was complaining some by the time I arrived home, but I felt like I was able to maintain the same pace for the entire walk. That's much better than last week's effort!
The problem now? Well, I knew it would be a problem as soon as I had a helmet to wear, no surprises here. (And you probably knew it was a problem too after reading the entry I wrote before I took my walk!) I really want to try riding. Really, really, really... And yes, I do know that it's quite possible that riding might feel just awful. I was planning to wait until after the visit with the neurosurgeon - the appointment that I was supposed to have two days ago until his office canceled due to emergencies, and the appointment that is now another two weeks in the future. It's late in the day on the Saturday of a three-day weekend, so there really isn't a chance that I'll go out today. Tomorrow or the next day? Only time will tell!
