Suspension is the Biggest Hit

My visit to the doctor didn't really answer any questions yet. I have to get x-rays and another visit 2 weeks after the x-rays are done. No appointment just show up at the Regional and wait for a spot. Oh boy.

I may have finally dialed in a hand position on Lisbeth that is the least numbing. I rotated my Ergon grips about 20 degress this morning and my hands were almost perfect during the short ride to work. I decided to take a longer route home and even after a full 5km the right was 100% and the more problematic left was about 85%. A big improvement over Sunday when I spent lots of time with one hand on the bars while shaking out the other. I even mentioned the long ride Sunday to the doc and he just asked if I ride alone or in a group, commented that biking was great because you don't need anybody else to do it. No mention of not riding!

Aaron Rome of the Canucks being given 4 games for his hit last night seems like an injustice. Yes he hit Horton in the head but he merely stopped in his path and let Horton run into him. Yes it was a bit late but Horton is as responsible for admiring his pass. The fact that the Bruins are happy with it makes it a few too many games. Taking away any chance to return to the series has got to be devastating for Rome. There have been numerous hits in the playoffs that had more intent and have gone totally unpunished, Torres on Seabrook comes to mind. This is the most severe suspension ever handed out in the finals for something that was not the most severe incident of the playoffs. If the stiffness of suspensions handed out all season had been relative I'd be in total agreement but this seems to be setting a new standard at the wrong time. The hit on Crosby which saw him lose half a season and all of the playoffs (and who knows how much longer) went unpunished and the intent was obvious. The NHL needs to clean up its act but consistency has to part of the cleansing. Good luck next season Shanny.

Remembering

I guess I had forgotten a bunch of things that make me want to do it. Since I finally got an appointment to see a doctor for my various ailments tomorrow I wanted to go for a longish ride before I'm told not to. Can't do much harm at this point. So hands and sciatica be damned, we're going for a ride. I switched a bottle carrier on to Lisbeth, boiled some water to clean out my long unused water bottle, donned my bike shorts for the first time this year and headed west.

Yes my hands go numb. Yes the right side of my oh so glutious maximus and the back of my thigh were a bit tight. But I finished what I started. A loop out Broadway across Twin City Crossroads and back in on Oliver. 38kmin just over 2 hours. Averaging almost 20kmph on a single speed means lots of pedaling.

I had forgotten what cresting even a slight hill and then rolling down the other side feels like, wind blowing over the smile on your face. Had forgotten getting into a rhythm when you don't touch the brakes for an hour or longer. The pedals going up and down and your legs just continuing to churn along like they have a mind of their own. Somehow the fact that a headwind going west does not always fulfill the promise of a tailwind when you turn back to the east slipped my mind. The taste of warm water and dandelion fuzz seemed new at first. The continual playing of a song deep in your grey matter that you just can't turn off, no matter how bad it may be. The snobs on road bikes that won't return even a simple nod. The jarring smell of a freshly dead skunk as you roll inches from it because the shoulder is that narrow. Being alone with your thoughts and free to go anywhere you want. Good and bad, things to smile about as they happen and many more that only bring a smile after they have time to ferment.

Can't wait to do it all again.