I'm trying a crazy experiment. This reminder is 5 days before the ride and in it's own post. Let's see if we get more riders show up than when people announce their ride a day or two beforehand and bury it 30 comments deep in a week-old post. I think it's worth a try. If it doesn't work we can always go back to being completely unorganized.
It's really not that crazy of an idea. The last time someone gave a reasonable amount of notice before a ride we had 8 people show up to ride on snow and ice-covered roads, plus a 2mile hike-a-bike right after a blizzard. I guess it allowed people to plan their schedule or something.
I've got another crazy idea. I'm considering driving part way to Hermann and riding the Katy Trail the rest of the way to the ride. Of course, that depends if I can roll out of bed early enough to do this, but if anyone's interested in joining me just let me know.
For various reason I was forced to go on a solo ride today, so I decided to go on a nice little jaunt to the Reform Conservation Area. I took a few pictures and learned a few lessons.
WARNING - Berry, if you haven't taken your blood pressure meds do not look at these pictures. I know how particular you are about photography. These are not high quality and do not meet your standards.
I had to work from home early this morning and then waited for the temperature to rise a little before heading out. I can't ride when the temps are below freezing until I find a pharmacy that will fill this prescription(NSFW). I hit the first hill from my house and immediately noticed the hill felt harder than last year. I wound up walking 3 of the 4 category 5 climbs. Lesson learned - lay off the pork rinds.
Climbing up the hill out of Cole County park I saw Robby Brown drive by. He still has a bike rack on his SUV. I'm guessing he still rides?
For those who are living under a rock, MODOT is building a bike bridge across the Missouri River. It will be attached to the right side of the bridge. I took several pictures while riding across, but only a few turned out. Lesson learned - slowing down isn't enough you have to actually stop to get decent pics.
Here's the square ramp that will lead down to the parking lot at the boat access to the river. I thought the bike bridge was scheduled to open April 1, but Luke said the project got cancelled.
Here's the infamous haunted bridge on Old 94 hwy. Scary huh? Supposedly during the Civil War a group of white abolitionists were hung there and you can stil hear screams and wet footprints appear in front of cars on the bridge. Source - TheShadowLands.net
I then hit the Katy Trail. I usually like riding the trail, but when it's soft and you're headed directly into the wind it really sucks. I checked the weather before I left it said wind would be 5mph, I'm calling Bovine Splattercations.
Halfway in I made it to the Callaway County Nuclear Power Plant(I don't know the official name). When I went to unclip I managed to lose one of the cleat screws out of my new shoes. Although I have Stone in my name I'm nowhere near as smooth as Keith Stone.
Calm down Nick, I was able to get another screw in when I got home. So I don't think I stripped the threads. Lesson learned - make sure you tighten screws with the proper amount of torque and keep replacement screws in your seatbag.
Although there was a veritable plethora of good roads and climbs, you'd have to have a screw loose to do this ride from Jeff City. And I'm not talking a cleat screw. Start at Tebbetts or Mokane. Here's the route if you start from Mokane - http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/29129394
Next long ride - March 20. Part of the 2011 Missouri Gravel Grinder Series Starts at Hermann goes to Owensville and then back. I may park somewhere between Jeff City and Hermann to get some extra miles in.
The ankle injury I sustained last November 4th never fully healed correctly, so I was forced to take drastic means and get it fixed. After suffering through the summer months of pain and frustration I opted for surgery which was this past Monday (November 1st).
After getting to the hospital in Columbia around 5:30am I was soon wisked away to pre-op and got in my gown and got the IV started. Around 7 am the nurse shot some "stuff" in my IV and I immediately felt a little drunk. (Which I must say wasn't bad) At 7:15 I said good-bye to my wife and was taken into the OR. All I remember from there was transferring to the table and talking to the nurse. Next thing I know I was waking up in recovery.
I remember them asking how my pain was, but I was in and out of conciousness and must have said OK. They were going to give me a nerve block for the pain, but I said..."Team redwheelers don't get nerve blocks. They down pain meds and drink beer!" So it was a NO on the nerve block.
Somehow I made it through recovery and was taken to a recovery room where my wife was waiting. I greeted her and fell back asleep. I was in and out of conciousness for a couple hours and then they made me try to eat something. Not a good thing, as I had some trouble keeping things down. After upchucking crackers and sprite for a while I was finally able to keep something down and was released for home at 8:15 pm. It had been a long day.
I was told the surgery was a success but time will tell. The doc said it was a little worse than he thought and the surgery took a lot longer then he thought. I was in the OR a total of 5hr 35min where they scoped my ankle and repaired a couple torn ligaments, repaired an avulsion fracture, and took out a piece of cartilage that was floating around in there. No more basketball for me....
I will be in a softcast for 2 weeks, a hard cast for 6-8 weeks, a boot for another 6-8 weeks, and then rehab for 1-2 months. Ouch... I laid around with my foot in the air last week and am preparing for more of the same this week. The pain is Ok, but the real fun is mixing the pain meds and beer. When that happens I don't feel any pain. :-) I will return to work next week.
I promised a poloroid so here ya go. I have added more photos of what my ankle looks like after the soft cast came off. I now have it wrapped back up, but in a boot. Probably no cast which is good, but non-weight bearing for another 6 weeks.
I'm off work tomorrow so I'll be out there for most of the day. I'm bringing my weedeater, cooler full of diet icewaters, and maybe even a mountain bike. I'd welcome some company if anyone can make it out.
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