Spoiler
I started this year with pretty humble intentions: just ride the Leadville 100, like I always do. Maybe try to ride it at a good fast pace, maybe not.
But then a whole bunch of really interesting rides came along, each of them compelling.
- RAWROD: Kenny’s annual Ride Around White Rim in One Day is widely acknowledged as the most fun 100-mile MTB group ride in the world. For one thing, it’s a beautiful ride. For another thing, it’s a bunch of friends, riding together, all day. For a third thing, Kenny’s parents-in-law always drive a sag wagon around the course, and they’re just great to be around. That’s in April. In the group email Kenny sent out, he indicated that I would be giving out prizes, would do the entire ride with no food and only one bottle of water, and would ride the course on a single-speed recumbent. Most of these statements are not accurate. (Not-very-interesting trivia: a very poor showing on this annual ride about three years ago is what originally made me think about starting this blog.)
- A Casual Ride, Either by Myself or With a Few Friends with No Set Destination or Path: You know, on May 16th I think I may head out to Moab or somewhere. A few friends are going to come along. We’ll probably get on our bikes and go for a ride. Just in case the mood strikes me to turn that into a longish ride, I’ll probably bring my Ergon backpack, a lot of food, lights, and maybe even a water filter. I’ll encourage my friends to do the same, because it’s a good idea to be prepared. Who knows where I (or we) will end up, but I’ll probably bring a cell phone just in case it’s a long way away from where we started — like Colorado, or Japan. Those are just examples.
- STP: In June, Bob and I are going to ride the STP this year. I’m going to ride the singlespeed road bike. I can’t think of a double century that could be more perfectly suited to a singlespeed. What I love about this ride is how utterly unprepared you can be for it. Just show up with your bike, a bottle, and $50, and you can eat nonstop to the finish line. Which is, incidentally, my intention.
- Leadville 100: This will be #12 in a row of this ride for me. Susan’s coming with me, crewing for me again. The day afterward, we celebrate our 20 year wedding anniversary. That’s very cool. You know, I find it very odd to think I’ve been married for nearly 20 years.
- American Mountain Classic: The four-day MTB stage race I got all excited about a few posts ago has been scaled back, so it’s nowhere near as freaky as it was originally advertised. There are only three days of serious offroad riding now, and none of the days have more than 60 miles in them. In other words, I can think about not just riding it, but racing it. I was, incidentally the first person in Men’s 40+ Sport class to sign up.
The Problem
In answer to your question: yes, Susan knows and approves of my doing all these rides. That’s not the problem.
In answer to your next question: yes, every one of these events is conditional on Susan doing well during her next series of chemo rounds. If she’s not feeling reasonable, I won’t even ask her. I’ll just stay home. You think we’re still married after 20 years just because Susan’s so nice?
Here’s the problem, then: my left wrist.
Yesterday, I posted that I had gotten a message from the doctor’s office, briefly describing the damage to my left wrist. Well, there was more. When I called back today for details, I learned that:
- A ligament on the thumb side of my wrist has a tear.
- A tendon on the pinkie side of my wrist has a partial tear.
- My wrist also has cartilage damage.
Knowing all this, I swell with pride knowing that I finished the ride after taking this injury. (Though I do not swell with pride at the fact that I sustained this injury by falling down for no good reason.)
My inclination is to just tough it out through the season and then get my wrist fixed at the end of the riding season. The thing is, though, I’m not going to have much of a riding season with my wrist the way it is. When I did the Frozen Hog, I had to slow way down by the end of the second lap because I could no longer pull up on the handlebars, my wrist hurt so bad. That’s just after 90 minutes on the bike. Even on the road bike, I have a hard time standing and climbing.
I can generally tolerate pain pretty well. I’ve lived and ridden with my right shoulder being messed up for years and years. But I don’t think I can do the rides I’ve got in this list with my wrist this way. Because it’s more than a pain issue; after a while, my wrist simply gives out.
Anyway, I have a consultation with a hand surgeon on March 17, the same day Susan starts chemo up again. And when I think about Susan having to start chemo, my inclination is to just shut up and not complain, because my pain is comparatively trivial (not to mention self-inflicted). I’m under express orders from Susan, though, to stop saying things like, “Oh, I shouldn’t even mention how hard my day was, because yours was so much harder.” She says she’s sick of having nobody talk about their problems because hers dwarf theirs. It’s not a contest, she says.
Fair point.
So I’m complaining my heart out. I’ve got a great season planned, with a great list of really exciting rides — all the kind I love to do — with most of the core team heavily involved.
I really really really really don’t want to sit on the sidelines this season. In fact, I — no hyperbole here — get a little sick just thinking about watching the summer go by with my wrist bandaged up.
Someone, please tell me that the kind of surgery I’m most likely looking at heals nice and fast.
Please. I’m begging here.
Comment by Don (cyclingphun.blogspot.com) | 03.5.2008 | 8:28 pm
Hmmmm… Two things here.
1. Yes it does heal ‘magically fast’. really, you even get the little Leprechaun from the cereal and stuff. Yeah, that fast.
2. You could always start doping. I hear all the ‘cool’ riders are doing it. I mean, heck, you even wrote a post about Rock Racing, right? Oh, right… like that wasn’t funny.
Serious note: I hope all goes well with both your wrist and Susan starting up chemo. Blessings friend!
Comment by tobe | 03.5.2008 | 8:56 pm
i hope all goes well. not so you can get in all of your rides, but just so that everything works out grand! the riding will be the bonus.
also, if you ever wanted to make a big trip out of a ride, try the Dakota Five-0. it is fun even if you are not riding. you can even meet Nebraskans!
take care and Best…
Comment by KanyonKris | 03.5.2008 | 8:57 pm
If cycling seasons are like restaurants, 2008 for Fatty is an all-you-can-eat buffet! ;-) Why not make big plans? I hope you get to ride them all.
On Racer’s blog he posted this disturbing video of the Fat Cyclist:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqp1sUbJ3SU
I looked through the archives and found a post where Fatty threatened to reveal the video, but couldn’t find if the threat was followed through. Whatever the case, that’s quite a talent!
Comment by Mark | 03.5.2008 | 9:02 pm
Medicine is awesome. In ‘03 I woke up and couldn’t move my leg (herniated disc – actually, three). I blame it on years of hardtail racing on East Coast rooty trails. I finally got a neuro & ortho who knew what they were doing, and a tiny little heated (pretty damn hot) catheter cauterized the big leaking disc back shut. It’s been 2-1/2 years since the IDET and no pain, full range of motion. OK here’s the sweet part: they said no strenuous activity for 4 months – I was back on the bike in two, & went back to Iraq in four. How? I took it easy up front, did the post-op PT(stretches and range of motion) and backed off when it felt like a bit too much. The key being, don’t overdo it right away, listen to your body and you’ll be fine sooner than they tell you – after all, you’re a highly tuned instrument of speed and agility! Good luck to both of you.
Comment by Chris | 03.5.2008 | 9:21 pm
You could tough it out and just eat like 4-8 aspirin before any activity… it got me through basketball seasons for 3 years in highschool/college until I couldn’t walk upstairs anymore and had to get the bone chip removed from my patellar tendon.
In all seriousness, if you completely tear the tendons you’ll likely end up with a much longer surgery/recovery process. That won’t be fun, and sometimes you have to use that hand for nose picking, eh?
Comment by Born4Lycra | 03.5.2008 | 10:01 pm
Is there a brace or particular style of bandaging which may assist in the wonderfully fast healing process that is so common to the year 2008. I’m confident that we will have a ton of good ride stories this season from FC.
Comment by Big Mike In Oz | 03.5.2008 | 10:14 pm
Kenny would ride one handed. And win.
Comment by Dobovedo | 03.5.2008 | 10:21 pm
Can’t give you the answer you are looking for, but I’d suggest you get the wrist fixed first. Given the types of events you do and the way you injured it in the first place, riding on it only increases the chances of making it worse: a) due to the pounding and b) due to the fact that you are losing control of your bike and more likely to have a spill… again.
Every time I hear a story like yours, the individual is back on the bike “sooner than expected”. Every time.
Comment by Steven Burns | 03.5.2008 | 10:56 pm
After all the teasing, it would be some kind of Karmic justice for you to have to ride a recumbent yourself due to the wrist.
Comment by Frizzlefry | 03.5.2008 | 10:57 pm
6-8 weeks, and good as new. Get the wrist fixed before the damage is too great to repair. Seriously. If you tough out the season and end up with permanent damage, you really will get sick. If they can fit you in by April 1st, you’re still in the running for mid and end of summer races. And Susan gets you for the first and yuckiest two months of chemo. It’s a win for everyone.
And I wanted to mention, my kids are getting ready to ride 280 miles across CA in April. When they get tired of training, I send them links to your funny riding posts. Works like a charm to get them back on the bike each and every time. So thanks!
Comment by Primal | 03.6.2008 | 12:42 am
Fatty.
So it’s time for a re-build the Doc says. Looks like you gonna have to take it on the chin and get mechanic (surgeon) to run some new cable and lube the wrist up.
I took a mighty fall in 2000 and still to this day I have a right wrist that now needs to be “clicked†(I kid you not) to reduce the stiff feel it gets. The aptly post “When head meet Pavement†describes it stack I took. http://www.primalodyssey.com/when-head-meets-pavement/
Ride on my fellow community.
Comment by ming | 03.6.2008 | 2:12 am
Fatty-
Don’t worry, stp is in the middle of JULY, not june
http://www.cascade.org/EandR/stp/index.cfm
Comment by Jenni | 03.6.2008 | 3:24 am
I had a tear in my left wrist tendon. It hurt so badly at times I had trouble sleeping. Fortunately I did not require surgery however I did stop doing anything that exacerbated the condition and it did heal entirely. It forced me to give up rock climbing though. (Not bike riding, but then again, I don’t ride a mountain bike.)
Fatty, definitely get this fixed now. It’s not going to go away on its own and if you manage to make it worse, it can only be, well, worse.
Besides, with Susan starting her chemo, I imagine people with be around to help you guys/kids out anyway. They might as well be helping with what you need during your recovery too as opposed to you needing Susan to help you next year or whenever you decide to do it.
I’m hoping for the best for both of you.
Comment by Jenni | 03.6.2008 | 3:24 am
P.S. I registered for STP!!
Comment by Mike Roadie | 03.6.2008 | 4:22 am
What I can say is:
1. Sometimes these things are not so bad, and just need resting time to heal.
2. When they are bad, as most everyone else has said, better to get it fixed early and gradually get back to riding.
3. Either way, you will gain 10+ pounds and lose your jackpot.
4. Let us ALL not forget Susan, and get the good karma flowing: http://bayarea08.livestrong.org/mike
She is one of the reasons we are doing this!!!!
Comment by Ant | 03.6.2008 | 5:38 am
Fatty, check out Rhino’s blog (www.thechargingrhino.blogspot.com) who managed to ride the entire Crocodile Trophy (v v tough MTB stage race in North Queensland) with a dislocated thumb and some special gloves and strapping. You’ll need to get back through some archived posts but it’s there.
I know it’snot a wrist but it may give you inspiration, or a sneaky way to strap said wrist.
Good luck!
Comment by Josmeh | 03.6.2008 | 6:27 am
Your pain/ malady may not be as profound as Susan’s, but not getting it fixed will do neither of you any good. Putting it off will likely cause greater injury, which will not only make riding more difficult (if not impossible), but could impact the way you are able to care for her and the rest of the family, not just from an injury standpoint, but from dealing with pain.
In any event, you both are being prayed for daily.
Comment by cheapie | 03.6.2008 | 6:39 am
you forgot to mention the First Annual Fat Cyclist Readers Gooseberry Tour!
Comment by Lynette | 03.6.2008 | 6:40 am
Sending well wishes to Susan.
Best of luck with that wrist! You may set yourself back even further if you put off taking care of it.
Your summation of the STP made me laugh because it is completely true. Really, you don’t even NEED the $50. I’m skipping it this year to try something new but I’ll be there in spirit. Best wishes to you both!
Comment by dkirkavitch | 03.6.2008 | 7:48 am
Hey Fatty,
What the others said. It would be a shame if you couldn’t meander around Moab or somewhere on the 15th. But rest assured said friends will probably do the same meandering next year from Japan or Colorado to Moab..or somewhere. And you might want to join in and your wrist will feel much better.
Best to Susan and family,
Dave
Comment by LanterneRouge | 03.6.2008 | 7:58 am
I’m wondering if you’re casual ride in May will put you anywhere near the kokopelli trail.
Comment by ChinookPass | 03.6.2008 | 8:01 am
Will you be the guy at STP with the Fat Cyclist jersey? (kidding, there were a dozen or so last year that I saw). Good on ya. I’m doing the STP and then a solo PTS back up by St Helens and Rainier back to Issaquah. (not kidding there). Get the damn wrist fixed.
Comment by chtrich | 03.6.2008 | 8:01 am
Heal first….ride later.
Comment by Walt Roscello | 03.6.2008 | 8:02 am
Fatty,
1. Take the bar end off your bike.
2. Have it incorporated into your cast.
3. Anytime you want to ride, reattach the bar end and go.
Oh, and 4. Don’t fall or try and get off the bike.
Comment by R Lott | 03.6.2008 | 8:04 am
Amputate the hand and you’ll be ready in a couple of days. You don’t need it anyway.
Comment by db | 03.6.2008 | 8:45 am
March 17 for the specialist? Seriously, get them to bump that up to within the next few days. It’s not getting better on its own, and the sooner you start treatment or go under the knife, the sooner you’ll be back on your bike.
If that specialist won’t see you sooner, find another one — just like you did with some of Susan’s specialists.
Comment by leroy | 03.6.2008 | 9:15 am
Two days ago, I wound up alongside a guy on the West Side Highway bike path in New York riding his mountian bike to work. He had just gotten off the ferry from New Jersey.
He had crutches strapped to either side of his bike and his foot was in a cast — fractured heel.
He wasn’t going to go hopping any curbs, but he explained he just couldn’t not ride now that the weather is getting better.
His doctors thought he was, er, a little ambitious.
Comment by pbkr | 03.6.2008 | 9:24 am
You might look into prolotherapy
Comment by Clydesteve | 03.6.2008 | 9:45 am
Fatty, the kind of surgery you are most likely looking at heals nice and fast.
That said, I have experience with torn ligaments. Ligaments hurt, a lot, and they do not heal. The pain is controllable with NSAIDS, but the risk of further tearing is real. I screwed around with a torn ACL, and ended up with a severed ACL and PCL in my left knee. Wrapping can help with your strength issues. What the ligament is doing is holding the joint together. Torn, not so much, so the muscles levering the joint get overstretched & hurt.
Cartlidge is superfluous. It took me 20 years after injury in my knee to wear mine all away. The best they can do with it by way of repair is to shave off the stringy crabmeat parts. NSAIDS until it is all worn away, bone-on-bone, then you need a teflon insert.
I don’t know about tendons. As your attourney, I reccomend that you amputate the pinky.
Comment by KT | 03.6.2008 | 10:47 am
You’re a precisional instrument of speed and aeromatics… But you won’t be able to keep up your rep with a bum wrist.
Get it fixed, asap, so you can get on with your life. Just take it easy right after you get it fixed so you don’t re-injure yourself.
Go, Susan! :) You’re such a nice lady, letting him go do all those rides, and backing him up. Now kick Cancer to the curb! :)
Comment by BotchedExperiment | 03.6.2008 | 11:09 am
Duct tape that hand to the bars. Lots of duct tape. Ride on.
Oh, and you should probably wear a football helmet …(American, not that sissy kick-ball stuff) with a good face mask, ’cause when you wreck your hand will be taped to the bar.
Comment by Big Mike | 03.6.2008 | 12:09 pm
Fatty,
Forget the surgery-it’s overrated, costly and in the end, you’ll probably regret it. You’ll have a nasty scar and pain everytime it rains or snow or when your cat pee’s. Oh, and then there’s the PT, OT, and other T’s that you will need to endure. Plus you won’t be able to ride (anything) for several weeks while you heal.
So, the bottom line is this: help Susan in her time of need. Unless your hand completely atrophies, shrivels-up and falls off-hang in there until the last possible moment (or at least until the pain meds run out).
Comment by Emily | 03.6.2008 | 12:29 pm
I am also trying to figure out how to be un-injured by the time Leadville comes around. If you figure out the answer let me know. Its a crapshoot, and I don’t believe anyone who tells me how fast I’ll heal from the herniated disc I have right now. It’s bound to either make me depressed or too hopeful.
I bet you’ll make it to Leadville fine. You could try it one handed, though to balance it out you may need to get one of those ugly lopsided Cannondales with the front suspension on only one side.
Comment by Less Fat Mike + 15 lbs | 03.6.2008 | 12:43 pm
I agree with the other posts along the lines of cyclists heal faster than ‘normal’ people. I was riding on the trainer (for a few minutes a day and worked up to 90 minutes after 4 more weeks) a couple weeks after getting two vertebrae fused (the bottom two). I think my Dr. was shocked when I asked him if it was okay, but after he thought about he said sure. “If it hurts, stop. If it doesn’t, double the time after a week.” Since it’s your wrist and not mine and I’m not a Dr., I feel confident that you’ll be able to ride your bike quite soon. (chuckle)
Comment by Eufemiano Fuentes | 03.6.2008 | 12:50 pm
I might have something to help you ease the pain, and boost your perfomance, all at the same time.
Comment by rexinsea | 03.6.2008 | 1:18 pm
Do it now Fatty. You’ll have plenty of time to heal to make these rides. Also, make sure to do the PT. Yeah, I know it’s a major pain but when I went under the knife for an ACL my PT approach was to do all the max reps allowed, not one more, and every day. It’s been 12 years and I’ve never looked back.
Comment by JimB | 03.6.2008 | 1:19 pm
Fatty, You mention the “weirdness” of your 20 years of marriage. Today is my 52nd b-day and a few weeks ago was my 26th wedding anniversary. So I have now lived half my life with my bride (more like she has put up with me!)Anyway, I can really say it has been a great half for me, plus incentive to make it to 104 to enjoy the same symmetry. Hey, good luck with the whole wrist thing and of course my thoughts to Susan and your family of great kids!
Comment by Big Mike In Oz | 03.6.2008 | 1:30 pm
Look at your commenters. You’re like flypaper for Mikes, Mikepaper if you will.
Big Mike
Bike Mike
Less Fat Mike + 15 lbs
Mike Roadie
Ming (I’ll bet that’s slang for Mike)
Mark (probably a typo)
Botched Experiment (I’ll bet his name is Mike, check with Dan)
Comment by getbent | 03.6.2008 | 1:32 pm
I have one word for you Fatty, recumbent.
Comment by judi | 03.6.2008 | 1:35 pm
Maybe you could go the holistic route and try acupunture. It might work.
Comment by kathy b | 03.6.2008 | 1:54 pm
Well I think your sweet wife is an angel. AND she’s right. You have your own very real struggles. My hubby is the cyclist around here. I am the nurse, however. Surgery is such a question mark. I’d see if better shocks or a different pain approach might work.
Look up how some one armed cyclists do it. Seriously. Maybe the recumbent is a good idea.
I am amazed at how at my age, 48, things don’t always go as surgically planned. Recovery time is longer than some will say. Infection is such a risk especially if they are talking hardware.
Remember surgeons cut, so you’ll probably hear lots of data etc to support surgery.
I say one of you suffering at a time is more than enough. Keep riding. But wait till your beloved season is over. okay?
Comment by Kellene | 03.6.2008 | 2:31 pm
My answer to physical troubles…any of the drugs that end in… odone! You will not care anymore and feel very peaceful and rest well!
Get the consult..maybe two. And find out if there are other alternatives besides the surgery route. I tore my acl last year and have done just fine without the suggested surgery. Skiing is a little tricky, but I got a super bionical brace to wear. There has to be a few options!
See you soon.
Comment by axel | 03.6.2008 | 2:50 pm
don’t worry too much about the wrist being a spoiler. the real problem comes from the ‘war against doping and each other’ that is .
remember that you participated in the leadville 100, just like (unjustly??) convicted doper Floyd Landis, the one person that UCI and ASO both dislike. This of course causes you to be blacklisted at all of the events listed above, so they can maintain the reputation of being tough against doping.
the only exception is the casual ride out of moab. that one you’d still be eligible for. Then again, the BLM will probably be out there to arrest the repeat offenders that do these kind of covert races.
So, your prospects for this season were bleak to begin with, what’s a little surgery…
Comment by mark | 03.6.2008 | 3:56 pm
I disagree with your dear sister. I skipped soccer season last year and suffered through cycling season with a torn up knee. Finally got it fixed in October and only wish I’d have done it sooner. I was back on the bike within a week.
During Lotoja last year, my knee hurt so bad climbing strawberry summit that I was virtually in tears when I got to Montpelier. I took advil at the rate of 4/hour (yes, 4/hour–I found with my higher metabolic rate that the effect was worn off within an hour) for the rest of the race and managed to survive. But I would not recommend overloading on NSAIDS over the course of that many long rides.
Comment by mark | 03.6.2008 | 3:58 pm
BTW, see if they can get you in sooner rather than waiting until the 17th. Get in, get approved from your insurer for the surgery, and then have them put you on the waiting list for surgery cancellations to get the soonest possible date in the OR. Do this, and you may have the operation complete by the 17th and be ready to ride by RAWROD.
Comment by Bluenoser | 03.6.2008 | 5:44 pm
Fatty, I ended up somehow in another post. So I’m going to cut and paste this again for you. So if you see it somewhere else you know what happened.
-B
Okay fatty I know you don’t pay much attention to us canucks but listen up. I have Dupuytren’s disease. They call it the the ‘Disease of Northern Europe’. It takes the descendants of Northern Europeans. What happens is that the sheath underneath the skin on your hand shrinks and your hands close up into two fists. Enough said.
My Doc who is now retired operated. They cut your hand open and cut out this sheath and free up your tendons. There are two ways to do this. Knock you out for three hours with all he complications that come with it or take a nerve block.
For a nerve block they go in through your armpit and find the nerves to your hand and freeze them. Works like a charm. You are awake the whole time and watch what they do and don’t feel a thing. The best part is there is no recovery room. You get up put on your cloths and go home.
What they do tell you to do is don’t move a thing after the three hour operation for two days and keep it up on your shoulder. And then a week after soak it once a day in hot hot water for forty-five minutes.
Thirty stitches and after I did what they said, was up and riding my bike in three weeks after the operation.
Do what they tell you and you’ll be fine. Don’t be the doctor and listen.
-B
Comment by jarocco | 03.6.2008 | 7:33 pm
I started this out with all kinds of advice but erased all of it. I can’t imagine any hand injury and repair knocking you out for a whole season. Pity me. Given all the snow and ice we have in Wisconsin, I will be lucky to get wheel on pavement by June. This is not an exaggeration. Add to that, the fact that all the snow and ice has left huge potholes in most of the roads. I don’t think even mountain bikers like potholes. So, get this thing over with. Schedule the surgery. And within 6 weeks you’ll be back on the road with a whole lot season left. Good luck.
PS: I started reading your blog about a month ago. Love it. Also made your Best Ever Cake twice. Love that even more.
Comment by MIdas_Run | 03.6.2008 | 8:43 pm
Fatty, put LOTOJA on your schedule.
Comment by Co | 03.6.2008 | 9:53 pm
Dear FC – Think of this situation as what you would counsel Susan to do. If you do it truly, you will make the right choice. I know this because my husband uses this rationale on me. I am forever after him about preventative medicine, so I can’t argue when he asks me to do what is best in the long term. Also, there are amazing joint-support items (even better ones with a prescription) that might let you have the best of all worlds – a permanent solution that does not interfere (for too long) with your ability to help your family and ride!
Comment by KT | 03.7.2008 | 9:57 am
Fatty, I thought up an alternative for you just this morning:
**** Ride all those rides on a unicycle. ****
Viola! You don’t have to worry about leaning on the handlebars and making your wrist hurt!
Performance bike is having a sale on bikes and they’re including their unicycles in the sale! Go for it!
Comment by steves | 03.8.2008 | 6:37 pm
i vote for amputation.
Comment by Mike | 03.9.2008 | 2:10 pm
I had a similar operation done by state of the art methods about ten years ago which means they are probably about ten years out of date by now. I waited six weeks to get it done because they thought it was a sprain and it turned out to not be a sprain. According to the surgeon, waiting minimized my chances for a good outcome, and although I think he was hedging his bet, I still don’t have the range of motion I have in the other wrist.
I say don’t screw around with it.