Tuesday, August 22, 2006

The ups and slipped downs of the last weeks


Well last week started great and I couldn't wait till wed when we (John,Karrie and I ) headed to Waterloo for three days at TREK, Day one started with test rides at the factory with some cool new rides. We got to ride the new fisher HiFi, cool new bike, really light but not for me, it climbs very well and the rear of the bike feels great but in my mind the down fall is the front, it seem like the new G2 fit changed the head tube angle and to me it feels like it is now to far under the bike, when you stand up it feels like you are going to go over the bars.
We also rode the new Lemond carbon rode bike and I'm in love, it is very smooth and rides like a caddy.
Wed. night was our first chance to see all the new 2007 bikes and they all look sweet, a lot of new weights on bikes and a lot of new specs. from last year, even a few total new bikes.
Thur. was a easy day as I could not get a demo road bike to ride in the morning so I got to sleep in, after that it was shop stuff and looking at more bikes until thur. night. Karrie said we were going to watch kick ball and John was playing, it was cool. TREK rented a semi pro teams stadium for the night and it was a blast, all the food and drink you could handle and some really fun games. Johns team ended up winning the hole thing it was cool. During the game there was a lot of stuff going on also, streaking, a guy riding a bike in his underwear on the field, one team beat up the mascot and stole a beer keg and the best was Bobkey (Bob Roll) did the play by play.
Got out of there around 11pm and decided it was time to hit the bed but the others had something else in mind, so I get a phone call at 11:45 and the other end is saying "GET UP WERE GOING OUT" so up I got and more beer went down, finale got to bed at 1am.
Fri. 5am the phone rings and I pick it up, "Your wake up call" bang goes down the phone, shit I have to get up for the 6am ride, I can sleep for 10 more mins. ring,ring,ring the alarm is going off, shit I'm late, get the it on and out the door to run into John and away we went.
I get to the demo site and all the 54cm bikes are gone buy one, a pilot 5.2, shit a comfort bike but it was all they had so lets go. Well that was until I went to move the seat post and it had like a 60mm post in it, as this is happening the first group with John in it leaves and know I'm pissed.
They jump into the back of the truck and "Sweet" they pull out a 5.2 madone 10speed and start to change my pedals and the second group leaves. Well the third group will have to do and were off, 10 strong and in a good grove on the path until our guide hooked a crack in the rode and goes down like a sack. Well that just changed the whole pace of the ride but it was still fun.
Fri. afternoon we decide to hit the demos on the way home and get somemore rides in.
Got to ride the new supercal 29er and I love it, it feels like it just rolls though the single track and climbs great. We got back and Karrie and I had a little some thing to eat well John took out the supercal, I was waiting to ride the new "Ferrous"29er(steel ) and at the time it was out (they only had 4 as they were prototypes) so John got back, He said he really liked the 29er and I was off on the Ferrous, felt great on the rode but the new G2 got me again, it climbs like a goat but just feels weird when you stand, now it did have a 80mm stem and I use a 100mm so that could have something to do with it but all in all it felt pretty good and it can also be turned from a geared bike to a singlespeed in a snap.
So were getting ready to leave and who comes walking up, its Gary Fisher, now that was cool.
Time to go home and off we go, on the way home I say to Karrie "Its weird my back feels kind of tight". I figured it was just from riding and I left it like that.
Sat. night we head to Dawn's, Keiths co-workers house for a party and some fun, so on our way I tell Erica "I don't know what I did but my back is killin me" she says it was just from the riding and it will go away. So we have a great time at the party but we have to call it early because Erica has to be up at 4am for work, so we get home and off to bed we go, I'm in hopes a good night sleep will help the back.
4am Sunday morning and Erica is out the door and I roll back over for more sleep till I have to be up to work at the shop later. 8am and I get up to take the dog out, the back hurts but I feel like I can make it though the day, I let the dog out to do his thing and he comes right back in, I go to close the door and "O' SHIT, I hit the floor in the most pain I have ever been in. I can't move, it feels like hot needles in my spine, so there I lay not being able to move, 45min later I finale get the phone and call the wife to get home as soon as she can. She gets home and gets me back into bed and calls the shop to let them know I won't be in. I spend the hole day in bed hoping it will get better but no deal, I call in for work on Monday and get into the chiropractor to find out I slipped a disc and will be out of work for the rest of the week and riding is out for idlest two.
I don't know if any of you have ever slipped a disc but WOW it hurts like hell, so I went to see the doc again today, I didn't thing your back could make sounds like that, and I will also go tomorrow. The back feels better but still hurts, atleast I can now walk and I am told I should feel like new by sat. or sun, I can only hope.
See Yaa..................................................

7 comments:

SugsCandy said...

Hey Randy, hope your back heals quickly!! Sounds like it was a painful experience and it's good to hear that it is getting better.

MTB Girl said...

I know exactly how you feel. I've been out since Eau Claire with a "bulging disk". At it's worst I was in the most pain I've ever been in. I had an MRI to confirm this, saw an orthepedic surgeon, went for 2 of the steriod injections and am now doing much better. I'm still not back to normal, or to racing, but I'm working on an active plan of recovery so it doesn't slip back where it was. I'm finding out you can do a lot more damage than you realize if you're not careful. Better to play it safe and let it heal than to push yourself into needing surgery.

The Shed Master said...

Did you walk any of those demo bikes up any hills for the full "Ramby" experience?

Anonymous said...

You seem to have all the excuses in the world to not race.....

TonyG said...

Thank god you didn't have to crap whe your back went out, man, you would have been laying in your own filth!

tosacrosser said...

Randy, Randy, Randy

You didn't let the quack-o-practer actually touch you did you? I'll never forget when my old man slipped a disc. He walked into the wackypracter and came out on a stretcher, literally unable to move after the "adjustment" he got. Some adjustment.

DIHAF? said...

I reas annular tear and went right to the comment section. Hopefully the taint is okay this time. Annular tear sounds painful.