HopedaleHills

or, Stupid Move #106. So last night I'm out on my usual nightly loop cruising along a fairly flat street in the big ring/middle of cassette, and decide to take a left I've never taken before. As soon as I take the turn I realize that this is one of those streets every town has, only about 5-6 houses long but straight up. Now I'm already putting alot of pressure on the pedals and know that if I try to shift something bad will probably happen. So what do I do? Turn around, go down the hill, shift while doing a u-turn on the flat then head up again, Noooo, that would be too sensible. I decide to stand and grind it out. About 3/4 of the way up I feel a pull and large amount of pain in my left calf, Ouch.

Made the top, pedaled easy along the flat at the top and the pain started to go away. Now I had to do the 1-mile 6% climb up Adin St, then the 1-mile 4% climb up Harmony to get home. The Adin St climb actually went incredibly well, I managed to maintain 10mph for the whole climb without too much pain. The Harmony climb started well but about halfway the leg really started hurting. This morning I can feel a slightly painful pull in the calf with every step. Still going to try to ride tonight.

Signed,
To Stubborn To Shift

Beverly

Hope the muscle heals quickly. Don't put too much strain on it until it feels better.....no more grinding up those hills

I'm a member of the "I've never seen a hill I can't walk" club

maddmaxx 

The secret to the universe Grasshopper is spin. Works for legs, works for Washington.


Now ya got to take it easy for a few days.

snavebob

I did the same thing on an unexpected hill and it took three weeks for my left knee to stop barking.

Hope you calf doesn't become a cow.

jm01

What were the other 105?

Beverly

Don't know about his list but #1 on mine is "Failing to see traffic block in parking lot"

BSLeVan

This kind of injury can lead to a long stint on the disabled list if you don't give it a chance to heal properly. Stay off those hills for a bit.

chevy42083

What kind of cows bark? I live in TX and have never seen a barking cow

Don't stress the leg too much (while it's hurt, or in the future)

MarkAJ

Yes, take it easy on the climbing for a while.

This is another reason why I have a triple AND installed a Jump Stop. The Jump Stop allows me to change to the 30 ring gear with riding pressure on the pedals and not have the chain come off or just get whacked up. The Jump Stop has saved me so many times I have lost count. The best $10 I spent.

snavebob

And, do you know why you never see a dead crow in the middle of the road?










There's always one on a wire that shouts out, "Caw, caw!"

rck

Here in sw wi. the mantra is "shift early-shift often"

oilman_15106

A downshift from big ring to small in the middle of a steep hill can produce the following results = chain gets stuck and breaks in half resulting in a slow motion impact with the pavement due to lack of time to unclip.

Old School

Rookie mistake! Climb a few more hills and you will get the idea!!

ticwanos

+1 Your body is trying to tell you something. There is no dishonor giving it a rest, in fact, it would be very smart idea. Healing -- good. Pain -- bad.