Weeeee!

I LOVE MY NEW BIKE!

It's a pound lighter than my old one, for some reason. I think it's the wheels, which are skinnier. Skinny wheels can be a teeny bit scary.

So the inaugural ride was Saturday, or "Touchstone-and-related" day! Went up Tunnel to Grizzly, down South Park and Wildcat Canyon, across the 3 Bears, and back up Wildcat after lunch in Orinda, and then up South Park (ugh - but this kind of stuff happens when you're with Marty...at least it wasn't El Toyonal, which also tends to happen when you're with Marty). The elbow did OK!

Sunday was TO-and-related-women day! Up Tunnel to Skyline, down Redwood, pause for fun kit photo opportunity (thanks Lauren! Gosh, who's the dork wearing the visor?), and up Pinehurst (while passing I think 3 unicycling women who were coming down Pinehurst) . By the end of this ride (actually, more like by the beginning), my bike was feeling heavyheavyheavy, and my back was killing me even more than my elbow, so I turned toward home at the top (I believe that's the first time I've left before the end of a Mel ride!) and heeded my teammates' recommendations: called Rick at Eden for a fitting as soon as I got home. He hooked me up! Saw me that day despite his no-weekend-fittings rule, spent almost 2 hours with me, had me on and off the trainer for a gazillion adjustments including shoe cleats, swapped out my stem for a better one at no charge, and threw in a TO discount. And he told me I reminded him of his ex-girlfriend, who I later learned was a Jew from Philly! Well no wonder! They were together 7 years. I asked him what happened, and he said everything was great as long as he did everything she said. Well no wonder!

Can't wait to test out the fit on a long ride. If I can manage a long ride. I've been feeling like a zombie for two days. Unbelievable.

In other news, I went to the orthopod for a follow-up on the old elbow today. He's concerned that I still can't get full extension (I'm at about -12 degrees after the physical therapist has been tugging on it for 20 minutes). Apparently, the bone fragments calcify, and this may cause rubbing/friction which limits range of motion. He said therapy needs to be more aggressive at this point. So I punched him with that arm. Haha! No, actually, it means I need to force it. So the tension is going up a notch on the Dynasplint tonight, and I'll see if I can sleep through the pain. No problem! I laugh at pain! Except when I'm crying...