Injuries/medical

Since time on the bike has been limited this winter, I haven't gotten the chance to ride myself into a hypoglycemic state. Otherwise known as the bonk. Although not a fun place to be, it is one way to find out a lot about yourself. Riding yourself into the bonk is always a good lesson learned. It made me wonder if its a necessary lesson and if skipping the refresher course will hurt me later in the season. Its not that I've forgotten what it feels like. Its not knowing where my limit is that worries me. I think I'll go out this Wednesday and ride until I bonk.

Doping is an unfair advantage whether it’s Jan Ullrick or Barry Bonds, the Tour de France or The Baseball Hall of Fame. From my point of view, the evil is not in the banned performance-enhancing substances or techniques but rather the sly, underhanded shroud of advantage the doping athlete has over those that pursue sports cleanly. The line between cheating and gaining a competitive advantage in pursuit of that all-important goal, victory, is at best blurry.

After the Nature Valley Grand Prix I headed over to my hometown for a few days. I scheduled a seminar on how to treat road rash for Monday night after the GRABAAWR ride. The GRABAAWR is a 500-mile casual ride that follows the Wisconsin River from start to finish. I did it with my Dad back when I was 12 so it was cool to see it now. At night, after the day's ride, participants usually stay at schools so they can use the cafeterias and showers. Some people sleep on the floor in the gymnasium while the majority sleep in tents.

A while back, I had the opportunity to visit the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine, home to Andy Pruitt and his gang of cycling experts. I've posted about Andy before and how his books have been very helpful in assisting me in ridding myself of many of the aches and pains that are associated with long distance riding and, ahem . . . age. Of the many services BCSM provides to athletes (or in my case, people who think they're athletes), bicycle fitting is a big part of their stock-in-trade.