Broken Frame

Ok, ok ok ok ok.  My four readers, I'm up to four! Have spoken and want something to get them through the morning water-cooler talk, meeting, or bathroom break.  I do appreciate the shouts on twitter last night -I do listen.  Things have been going crazy here at the Belllap press/brewing/riding.  Work is going strong and I am learning everyday, and I love the people that come through our doors.  People who ride bikes and the ones that are going to ride bikes are special people, some more "special" than others.  

In other news, I've been riding my bike a lot, a lot for me.  I was on a relaxing recovery ride with a friend and hit a tree.  No, I was not mountain biking.  No, I was not drinking.  No, I was not paying attention.  Yes, I was wearing my helmet.  The next time someone says "It's only RiverParks" I will give them a punch in the face.  Yes it is only RiverParks and you probably don't ride that fast, I wasn't (15mph), but your head doesn't care to much about speed.  Unless you are talking about 9.8m per second squared.  This is the speed at which your head will contact the ground just by the force of gravity.  Eat it!  It's gonna hurt if you hit your head.  Wear your helmet.  You can style your hair, you can't fix your brain. 

Broken helmet, Broken frame, pretty messed up back, but I'm alive and not in a wheelchair or in a vegetative state.  Is that like New Jersey?  They are the Garden state.  I wake up sore and pretty immobile and old.  I'm getting a new frame which I will piece and part together for the next ten years.  Helmet is going to be replaced with a shiny new model coming out in July.  I do have a back-up helmet, no way would I be riding without.

One of the guys I ride with is in the Specialized/Strava hill climbing challenge.  If you don't know who this guy is, take the time to do some research.  And.  If you think you know who this guy is take a second look at what he is doing in the challenge.  It changes daily -it is a competition after all.  So I am not going to post where he is in the challenge, but I will say that he is a solid top ten.  Overall, not age group, Overall.  Oklahoma is flat, and he is trading face-punches with guys from Utah (not flat) and other mountainous regions of the world.  The challenge comes to a close next Monday the 30th.  He and I are headed to AR for some new scenery and to climb Gaylor.

Side note:  Dennis (we will call him Dennis) was how do you say "bigger" than he is currently.  I have seen this guy go through jersey sizes in a weeks time.  His climbing accomplishment is great and pretty awesome, but it is nothing like the physical transformation that he has done to his body.  I feel privileged to have been a part witnessed cycling change someone.  You always hear stories about this happening, but until you have seen a transformation first hand it is just a story.  To make this "real", we are having a super informal no-reservations get-to-gather at the BlueRose Monday the 30th after MNR, 7:30ish to whenever, and possibly beyond that.  Take Tuesday off because your head will be pounding.  Come out and celebrate Dennis, but more importantly celebrate cycling and what it can do for people's lives, you might meet someone who is totally different from you -but thinks just like you do.