-----Original Message-----
Sent: Thu 6/15/2006 3:49 PM
To: Old Friends
From: Jesse Wendel, Seattle
Subject: Biking with my Son
Hi everyone,
This last Saturday my son David (13) and I were on a training ride on our Lemond road bicycles, training for a 450 mile 6-day ride in late August called RAW, from Canada to Oregon down the center of Washington State over three major mountain passes, see: RAW at Cascade Bicycle Club for details – and I caught my front wheel on a crack in the pavement and fell. Broke both wrists.
Got right back up, on the bike, rode a mile and a half, in the car, done. X-rays Tuesday confirmed both wrists busted. We rode 20 miles last night (Wednesday), nice and easy, both wrists splinted, the purpose of the ride to be able to tell the hand doc what works/doesn't work for when he casts me tomorrow (Friday) morning to get the most out of both healing and training from the casts. Left splint was great; no pain at all. Right splint sucked; still lots of pain, especially on bumps, hard stops, and so on. Point is, now I know what to tell the hand doc so tomorrow morning everything should go well with the casting.
Saturday, David, I, and Chelsea (daughter #2, 18) are doing a sunrise 40 mile ride, mostly flats and rollers, but with a little climbing. Then Sunday we're off to the Cascade Mountain foothills all day, 75 miles of climb-climb-climbing. God I love to climb!
Now most of you wouldn't know this after all these years, but I’ve gained weight. With _____ ________'s voice ringing in my head for twenty years demanding I lose ten pounds. *cracks up* First my left knee MCL blew out in 99 skiing off a cliff on Mt. Baker in a whiteout. Then two major accidents, one at work in 99 and one driving in 03... I bicycle 100-200 miles a week in season, half that in the off-season. And am roughly 80 pounds more now than in 85. *shrugs* Got amazing aerobic capacity, terrific cardio and while an Olympic class team of pain specialists remain focused on my low back/neck from the two accidents - 'cause severe chronic pain just sucks - my body is fundamentally in good health. I can ride my bicycle all day long, literally climb over mountain ranges while dropping non-serious bikers gasping miles behind. Just can't walk more than about half a mile, can’t climb stairs or run at all. *smiles* And I’m now a big bear! Maybe even two big bears depending on how big your baseline bear is.
So. This is the summer of my son's Long Ride (the 450 miler I spoke of earlier.) My three daughters, Avian, Chelsea & Kyle, now 19, 18, & 16 have all done their Long Ride with Dad when they were 14, 14 & 15 respectively. David was determined to do his ride now, a year earlier than his sisters. And even though Dad broke both his wrists, David WATCHED as Dad was up off the ground directly in front of him in under 30 seconds and less than a minute later I was on the bike and riding, fast.
Not stoppable. Fall off - get back up and keep going. He's 13, and learning what it means to come of age.
love to all,
Jesse
PS. For anyone who might be concerned, I thank you and appreciate you in advance.
Truly I am fine, happy, joyous, and not in pain except a little on the right wrist which should be fixed tomorrow morning when they cast my wrists.
I also let my doc know I'll be riding regularly. He was not thrilled and gave all the cautions you'd expect and some I've never heard of... but he knows me well; he's headed my medical team for years, board certified in Family Practice & Sports Medicine, the doctor for the Seattle Seahawks and many Olympic athletics, and a personal friend I've known over a quarter-century since he and I were both at the University of Arkansas, he a freshman med student, me a freshman paramedic student, both in the same gross anatomy class.
*smiles* Really, I'm good. Just wanted to let everyone know - hey! 47 years old and busted both my wrists biking with my son. How damn cool is that!!
Update: June 22, 2006
Yesterday morning got the results of an MRI on my right wrist... It's massively broken. Damn.
Will take three months to heal if all goes well. Medical details: the broken bone apparently has an artery running through it. The hand doc says it's tricky to heal, and if it doesn't heal correctly, then surgery, and the risk of the entire wrist collapsing, life long impairment, blah blah blah. Damn.
Yes, I'm doing the prudent thing. DEEPLY disapointed. This long ride with my boy has been planned - in one form or another - literally since before David was born. So the current plan is for daughter #2, Chelsea (18) to take over David's training, and both the STP and RAW rides. She's ridden STP twice, and RAW once. And this way - assuming things go okay over the next few weeks, as this is a lot to ask of Chelsea - we don't have to push David's coming of age ride off a year simply because I had an accident which the doctors are very serious about not letting me ride through.
So... That's the story to date. Chelsea will take David out for training rides starting this weekend, most likely over very familar routes that she and he and I have ridden many times, so she doesn't have to worry about learning new routes at the same time she's becomeing a Ride Leader. She'll be fine. And frankly, this may be just the right thing for her - get her out of the house, teach her about extending trust, not being stopped by her fears for others, be closer to her brother, and other good stuff. While David will get to hopefully see nothing stopping the committment to this ride happening.
More updates as the summer and story progress.
Update: August 9, 2006
It was touch and go there for a while. Chelsea was afraid. Only a couple of training rides happened and they didn't go great. Three days before the July STP and Chelsea's participation was still very much in question.
But then we went to pick up our ride numbers and Chelsea saw everyone else who would be riding, saw the ride jerseys for the year, and she was in. She overcame her fears and was an amazing Ride Leader, sheparding David from Seattle to Portland safely, carefully and - dammit - at a higher average speed than I've ever riden STP. Grrr.
Congratulations to both Chelsea and David on a great, safe ride
I drove along the route ahead of them, flagging them down as they rode up to where I was waiting, roughly every 12-15 miles and pouring Gatoraide in them, keeping them eating, seeing they rested, and so on. But that's it for our 2006 biking season.
Chelsea very clearly didn't want to take David on RAW and I agree - it wouldn't have been wise. So David's Long Ride is put off till next season when I'll take him, and as many of his sisters as will go.
As for my wrists... The splint is off my left wrist, however it still hurts. Lots. My right wrist is casted till the end of the month. Then the doctor will see. Probably no riding till October or November depending on physical therapy.
Everyone falls. And most, in time, heal.
Thus ends the tale. See you cycling!
love,
Jesse