The Fix
Cycling Files 005
I was skeptically optimistic at the end of the last cycling update I shared three-and-a-half weeks ago. I implemented some final tweaks and rode some more. You’ll find out if that has brought me the comfort I sought below.
In addition, I’ll go back in time to one of my much simpler cycling experiences and update you on what’s coming next.
Two More Rides
I was enjoying my cycling in mid-August. My body signaled more compliance in my journey to adjust the bike to my needs and adapt my body to the activity.
“Feel almost perfectly fine on the bike,” I noted in my journal after the last ride I shared here, concluding with: “I just hope I get the neck and headache issues sorted….”
The neck and headache recovery took a few days. I used that time to dial back some front-end changes I had played with and swap to the pedals the bike came with, which sport a larger surface area for the foot.
I was hoping those tweaks would help.
It felt like they did when I rode again after six rest days. I picked a shorter route with a decent car-free stretch to work harder and see how the muscles responded. It was a windy morning, but I enjoyed every minute of it.
Were my problems solved? “We shall see,” to use the wisdom of my journal.
A surprisingly chilly morning greeted me when I wheeled off the next time: 10.8 C according to my head unit for the average of the two-hour “relaxed easy spin,” as I described it.
I had planned to return to the Magic Mountain, as the waste tip south of Duisburg’s city center is known, because of the roller-coaster-like art installation standing on its summit.
I felt good. But I could also not ignore the signs that I had still not found an optimal position. I wasn’t in pain, but I could sense that my body was likely to rebel in the aftermath. Whether it was my right wrist, the right leg, or my neck and head, I had sufficient room to worry — despite the positive experiences I had.
The Past Is Fixed
Let me rewind the clock before I write about the future.
There was a time when I enjoyed a simple cycling life.
Hamden, Connecticut. It was spring 2014. The snow had melted. I got myself a bicycle, which helped increase my mobility in a part of the world designed around a car-driven society.
The supermarket was suddenly only a few minutes away. I reached the university campus more quickly thanks to a cycle path that connects New Haven with Hamden and leads further inland.
My bike must have felt quite lonely on campus, but campus security was delighted about the addition when I inquired about bike parking best practices.
I do remember exploring the area with that bike. There were a few rides up north. And I visited my writing past in New Haven as well.
The bike was simple. It was so simple it didn’t have gears. I got used to riding fixed much quicker than I had thought. However, the surprising hilliness of New England presented as much of a challenge as the car-oriented infrastructure. I learned that when I cycled to a dinner for a lovely evening with good friends.
Fixies and hills don’t match all that well. Who would have thought?
Forward We Go
Despite the “sliver of hope” I reported last time, I have accepted what I was already thinking about. My bike fit needs are apparently too complex to find the comfort for prolonged cycling on my own.
It’s time to reset.
I will not give up cycling. However, it requires patience to resolve my issues because life has more important aspects that must come first. I’ll return to cycling when I have the resources to ensure aches, pains, and discomforts are no longer a part of that journey. The bike will be there, ready to serve when I’ll be ready to roll again.
I’ve focused on strength work and expelling the lingering issues since the last ride. The headaches have gone. My wrist is almost fine again. My right leg is fine again, except for a touch of quad tightness that returns occasionally.
I also noted in the last post that I felt the running nerves twitching again. I’ve been absent, thanks to the bike, for too long. I’ll wait a wee bit longer until the right leg has fully recovered.
But I used the time to map out a very slow and careful return. And I am excited. I miss running. I hope it will bring me the relaxation and joy it used to.
And for the future, I’d simply like to note that staying active and enjoying the process is the only thing that really counts.
Maybe one day, I can combine the two activities into my training schedule. We shall see.
That’s all for the moment. I’ll likely write an update once there is something interesting to write about. In the meantime, the blog continues next week with reading recommendations and observations from new photowalks.
