Neil_B

Nearly 3000 miles logged in 2007 and my first accident in months takes place on a spinning bike. Here's how:

The weather in PA has been awful lately, and after logging a pathetic 20 mile week, I decided to go to the gym for my riding. I adjusted the spin bike as best as I could, donned my MS City to Shore VIP Cyclist kit and bike shoes, and waited for the class to start.

I'd adjusted the bike for saddle height, stem height, and distance between saddle and stem, but one change I couldn't make is extending the crank arms. If you look at the photo below:



...you will notice the horrible knock in my right knee. (Yeah, you may also notice I'm bent like a crescent roll and my rack is bigger than my bike's, but stay with me, folks.) My own bike is set up with extenders, but I don't have a set to spare.

For a half hour of the class I was able to keep up with the group, and handled standing on the pedals with ease, if not grace, but about 30 minutes into it I tried to put my right foot down, slipped off the edge of the pedal, and down went 250 pounds of Clydesdale. I wound up hitting the floor on the right, my left foot still clipped into the left pedal, and my right calf punctured in four spots by the right pedal. Aside from bleeding and bruising and muscle fatigue, I'm OK. My pride isn't.

Incidentally this class started on the wrong foot as well as ending on it. At the beginning, a woman I'd never met or seen before felt bold enough to come up and ask me "What's wrong with your back?" I mumbled something polite in response, but she managed to ruin my mood for the day. It's comforting to know that even after losing 140 pounds some folks are going to look at me and only see that something is "wrong."

Tom Stormcrowe

Neil, those kind of people have small minds and aren't worth your hurt over it. Consider the source! You've already accomplished more in less than a year than they'll likely accomplish in their ENTIRE lives.

Hey, slipping happens I've had some pretty embarrassing pratfalls myself....including getting stick in an inversion trainer and unable to get upright again without help.

My personal favorite though was when I broke through an ice crust in what I thought was a flat field and getting stuck neck deep in a drift filled ditch! I got stuck with my leg twisted and couldn't get out without help.

PATH

Historian,

I am glad you are okay although that is a relative thing. Thank goodness your injuries were not more serious. As for the woman who made the comment to you..........ignorance knows no bounds!

jaxgtr

Damn dude, glad your not hurt to bad. Look forward to hearing about your ride to the left coast.

Neil_B

Yeah, but she can ride a spin bike without falling off! :-)

Neil_B

Had she merely engaged me in conversation, I'm sure she could have satisfied her curiosity without needing to accost me. I'd never be called shy regarding my structural problems. And I'm not so vain as to think they remain unseen, nor am I sensitive to them. Heck, my buddy Dennis has told me if I were a horse, I would have been shot long ago. Wait, I'm a Clydesdale! {GULP!} I'm doomed!

PATH

Neil_B

Photo by "Bautieri", taken at the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Yes, the steps Rocky ran up in that movie....

PATH

Great pic Dude!

v1k1ng1001

Prefer my trainer to spin class FWIW.

(51)

Get a trainer and spin yourself silly at home.

Neil_B

Except for the fact I look like a crescent roll.

Daveyboy

Ouch! Glad to hear you're ok. I think we've all had our share of embarrassing falls. Last summer after passing an attractive and obviously fit young female, I fell over when I hit a patch of sand while grinding up a slow hill. As I was struggling on the ground to unclip from my bike, said female rolls up and cheekily says "You ok? First time in clips huh?".

beingtxstate

I'm sorry Historian. I'm not to good at the "synthetic" bikes either, give me the real bike any day! Glad you're ok!

Denny Koll

Historian...you strike me as a guy that won't let a little adversity get you down. Falling off a bike in spinning class is a great story anyways.

pdq 5oh

Historian, glad you seem to be OK. I went to a spin class, and didn't realize you can't coast. Nearly got spit off.
I have a son with cerebral palsy. The questions some people are stupid enough to ask have deserved some of the less than friendly answers they've received. I try very hard to go by ITI (Ignore The Ignorant/Idiots). Some times, even that doesn't work.

Neil_B

I am sorry to read of your son's condition. I hope he makes the most of all his opportunities in life; often those blessed with 'perfect' health do nothing with it.

Wogster

Probably the best thing to do, get some business card blanks, print the name and address, web address and phone number for the national organization for that condition. When people ask stupid questions about the condition, simply state I/he/she has [name of condition] suggest they contact the organization and give them a card. The organization will be happy to send anyone information on the condition, the state of research, and why the person should make a rather sizable donation to the cause.

What I find incredible is when someone with as severe a back problem as The Historian can bicycle for thousands of miles, when the average, able bodied American needs a car to go more then 25'. Way to go Neil....

Neil_B

I'll probably need to do the business card routine on tour. I'm asking the National Scoliosis Foundation if I can fundraise for them.

My back is only a problem because I insist on living. If I didn't, it would be no problem at all. Seriously, my back becomes less and less of a problem as I learn to work around it.

And, believe it or not, cycling is one of the best exercises for someone with scoliosis. It's not weight-bearing, and the bike can be fitted to accommodate your structure. It also helps keep weight down, important to someone who needs to keep a straight spine. Also, often people with scoliosis have other structural problems, so running, hiking, etc, are out.

v1k1ng1001

Great idea.

Neil_B

On that note, I found out this evening someone I've corresponded with from the Shakespeare newsgroup has leukemia. Since he's posted about it to usenet, I don't think I'm breaking any confidentiality by sharing his thoughts:

I'll detain folks just a
moment, then, as I know there's not much charm in this sort of thing;
but I think there's something to be learned, even at second hand.
More in the nature of Admonition than of Medical News, and at the risk
of being rather too earnest, always a fault of mine: People--don't be
complacent. Minimize the throw-away moments of your life, and realize
that it's something wonderful and precious just to be alive. Fate can
send you something spontaneous, causeless, "unfair" if you want to
look at it that way, and can do that to you at any time. Be
prepared! If you have contemplated doing a task, a project, a
calling, a mission, do it now! Don't wait! I'm fortunate in that I
have managed to accomplish some things; and I'm fortunate in that I
have upcoming accomplishments a-cookin' right now. If a person didn't
have any of this, and such a shock came along, it would be most
difficult indeed to summon the motivation to begin significant
projects. Don't wait! Set your shoulder to the task that lies before
you, as your accomplishment will be the part of you that will cheat
Death. As to what I've got: I'm very fortunate, as I'm in splendid
shape (healthy pursuits such as weight-lifting and gardening), which
wards off the doings of the malady, and the doctor promises I'll see
my 70s or 80s, a quarter century away and more--perhaps time enough
for the medical world to find some cure. And so, take care of
yourself, people! It's good for you now, and it's good for what might
happen to you later!