RoadBikeRider.com Newsletter
Issue No. 358 - 08/28/08:  Frame and Fortune
ISSN 1536-4143
 
Produced almost every Thursday by RBR Publishing Company. E-mailed without cost or obligation to more than 61,000 roadies around the world.
 
Click http://www.roadbikerider.com/currentissue.htm to read the full and enhanced version of this newsletter.
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In This Issue
 
1. Weekly Dispatch:  Ed's Rapid Recovery
2. Cycling Shorts:  Pedaling Pols
3. Scott's Spin:  Crispy Critter
4. Classifieds (1 new)
5. Best of Coach Fred:  What Emergency Rain Gear Should I Carry?
6. Racing Roundup:  Those Other Olympic Bike Races
7. Uncle Al:  Frame and Fortune
8. Try This on Your Next Ride:  Start Slow, Finish Slower
9. RBR eBookstore:  HOT LIST:  August's Bestsellers 
 
o^o  o^o  o^o  o^o  o^o  o^o  o^o  o^o  o^o  o^o
 
1.  WEEKLY DISPATCH
 
RBR editor/publisher Ed Pavelka broke his left hip in a June 2007 crash. The fracture failed to heal and avascular necrosis developed, forcing a total hip replacement 6 months later. Following that surgery, recovery was set back by a blood clot that caused a pulmonary embolism. After nearly 10 months off the bike, he returned to the road late last March. Ed, now 62, has been riding since 1972 and specialized in long-distance events for 17 seasons before his hip injury. His goal is to get back to where he was on the day before that crash.
 
Beating the Odds
 
My hip surgeon cautioned me in June:  "Don't expect to regain 100% fitness until December 2009." He said full recovery normally takes another 18 months after physical therapy ends.
 
He might be right. But after 5 solid spring and summer months on the road, I feel like I'm at 90%. Will it take 15 more months to reclaim the rest? I don't think so.
 
I wanted to save this update until I'd accomplished something significant. That happened last Thursday. After clicking the "send" button to deliver the newsletter, I rode 107 miles (172 km). It was the first time in 62 weeks that 3 digits appeared on my cyclecomputer. I saw 100 miles in 6:20, which wasn't that far off my typical pre-injury time for a solo century.
 
Just as nice, 2 days later Joleen and I rode 93 miles (150 km) on our CoMotion tandem. OK, it was on a flatter course, but the important point is that I felt good riding long again so soon.
 
Stamina has been the biggest challenge. My endurance for any given ride has steadily increased. But the next day I don't feel as strong as I'd like, and if I try to ride 3 or 4 days in a row I really start dragging.
 
Maybe that's the missing 10%. I'm still riding only 4 times a week to ensure plenty of recovery. Those 4 rides are getting longer, though, and resulting in weekly totals as high as 275 miles (442 km). August will set another "comeback" mark with just over 1,000 miles (1,610 km) for the month.
 
I'm pedaling with a DePuy metal-on-metal hip. It's working better than I'd hoped. At 3,500 miles (5,635 km) into my comeback, I figure it's already made more than 1 million pedal revolutions, including a good number pressing hard up hills. Nobody seems to know how many strokes it will take to wear out the fake joint, so I don't worry, I just ride.
 
The hip sometimes feels sore after rides, but the tenderness doesn't last. In fact, it's more noticeable when walking than pedaling. In general, the hip movement feels smooth and natural on the bike, except for an occasional ouch when standing on climbs or strutting out of a corner. However, I've yet to sprint hard or jam a hill to see what would happen at full tilt. No sense in needless risks.
 
Developments & Observations
 
---Knee remedy.  In past updates I've mentioned nagging pain in my left knee. It's had three surgeries (cartilage) and it's in the same leg that was atrophied by the broken hip. When I restarted riding, the knee soon became more bothersome than the hip. So I turned to one of the oldest prescriptions in cycling: If the pain is in the front of the knee (like mine), raise the saddle; if the pain is behind the knee, lower the saddle. I gradually increased my seat height by 6 mm until the aching vanished. Well, almost.
 
---Leg parity.  Before my surgeon installed my new left hip I asked him to make that leg the same length as the other one, which had been medically measured 12 mm shorter. For years I've ridden with a fat shim under my right cleat in a semi-successful attempt at equality. I still felt more pressure and saddle soreness on the right side of my sitting area. The doc succeeded in reducing the length discrepancy to about 3-4 mm. Now I'm shim-free and make up most of the minor difference by using 2 insoles in my right shoe.
 
---Lantiseptic lube.  Despite my nonaggressive buildup of mileage beginning with a 31-mile (50-km) week in April, I had a mysteriously hard time getting comfortable on the saddle. Changes in seats, shorts and chamois lubes didn't stop the irritation. So 3 weeks ago I tried an OTC medical product called Lantiseptic Skin Protectant, which has been gaining converts as a chamois/skin treatment among randonneurs and other long-distance riders. Bingo!
 
---Fat burning.  During my 10 months off the bike, I ballooned from 190 lbs. (87.3 kg) to at least 215 lbs. (97.7 kg). I probably was even fatter but it became too depressing to check. Thanks to averaging 14 hours of riding in recent weeks, much of the extra weight has vaporized. There are still a couple of kilos to go before I'm back to where I started.
 
---Helpful hills.  My "secret" for regaining fitness and strength is something I've promoted since I began writing about cycling: ride hills. I have no choice where I live in southeastern Pennsylvania, and I'm glad of it. I've accumulated more than 140,000 vertical feet (42,500 meters) during my comeback. For me, there's no better way to get fit and stay fit than to climb at least a couple thousand feet every time out. With the right gearing, each hill doesn't need to be a strain but I can choose to make some hurt. The ups and downs work like interval training to improve fitness.
 
---Lung power.  In the early going hills seemed impossibly hard. I was climbing in a 36x32-tooth low gear and considering getting off to walk. My heart pounded and my lungs burned. I feared there was permanent damage from the pulmonary embolism and infarction, which killed a portion of my right lung. Fortunately, that's one organ that can regenerate. I'd already dodged one bullet -- 50% of PE victims die in the first hour -- and this was another. Fortunately, it was my total lack of conditioning, not a defective lung, that had me sucking air so raggedly. Now I'm breathing much better while climbing and recovering faster over the top. Hills are fun again.
 
What's Next
 
Now that I've cracked 100 miles again and have 3,500 in the bank, these are my goals for the remainder of this comeback season:
 
---Training camp.  First, I'm attending the Carmichael Training Systems (CTS) Climbing Camp in Asheville, North Carolina, on Sept. 11-14. How's that for confidence? I wouldn't have bet that I'd be ready for something like it this year (I hope I am). There's great riding in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and I'll be gathering the coaches' expert climbing advice to share with you. By the way, 15 riders have signed up for the Climbing Camp, which leaves just 5 spots available. CTS keeps its camps small to ensure optimum personal instruction.
 
---Century.  After a non-cycling week at Interbike (you couldn't pay me to ride in Las Vegas), I'll be home in time for my area's best century, the Gap Gallop on Oct. 5. Maybe we'll ride it on the tandem.
 
---Brevet.  Two weeks later on Oct. 18, I'm looking at the 200K brevet put on by PA Randonneurs. This 124-mile ride will certainly be the toughest of my comeback with around 10,000 feet (3,033 meters) of climbing. Fall colors will also make it the most scenic.
 
---Florida getaway.  In mid November, a weeklong trip to Gainesville, Florida, is in the cards (have laptop, will travel). The North Florida terrain is pretty tame, but the roads are quiet once you're out of the city and the weather can be ideal for late-season long rides. The Gainesville Cycling Club does a great job of marking the century routes for its October Cycling Festival, allowing visitors like me to ride them any time of the year.
 
That'll bring me to December 2008. I wonder how close to 100% I'll be then, with another year to go.