My bike touring buddy took this picture as I paused at the top of a climb on our overnight bicycle ride on the Olympic Peninsula over Labor Day weekend. It seems like a year ago.
I was suffering from carrying too much weight on a rollercoaster route through the Kitsap Peninsula, across the Hood Canal Bridge, and then along the shoreline on the lightly traveled but hilly Paradise Bay Road.
It was my highlight ride of the bicycling month, which has come to an early end because of pending surgery.
Surgery
I'm going in for surgery soon to remove a cancerous prostate. I'm all prepped up, and looking forward to this thing being over and one with. I haven't written much about it, but I plan to explain more about my recovery and getting back on the bike.
The urologist who's performing the robotic-assisted surgery was kind enough to call last night to see how I was doing and answer some of my last minute questions. My main question: when can I start riding again?
He's glad that I'm a bicyclist. He said the strength I've built up will not only help me recover more quickly from surgery, but also reduce the amount of time I'll be incontinent. That's important. As for when I can ride, he said four to six weeks, depending on how I feel. Short easy rides first, then build up again.
Last ride
So my short ride on Monday down to Coulon Beach for salmon chowder at Ivar's was the last time I'll be on the bike for a while. It's a good ride to end the season on. Clear, crisp weather with that low autumn sun warming me up. Other cyclists out in ones and twos all acknowledging each other.
When the year started, I set a goal to ride 4,000 miles. That's not going to happen, but without that goal I probably never would have tallied as many miles as I did. I'll set that 4,000 mile goal for next year.
September
Total: 284.65 miles
Needed for goal: 333.3 miles
Off pace: 48.35 miles
2007 goal
Total : 2,592.75 miles
Needed so far for goal: 3,000 miles
Off pace: 408 miles
Recent Comments