Riding with stitches
 

I cut my right calf Tuesday and got eight stitches. I’ve been staying off the bike and not running to give it time to heal, but, Saturday is the local Tour de Cure and I’m really getting antsy to ride. The doc who sewed me up said riding would be OK if I didn’t stress the cut and pop the stitches. I suspect he was thinking of cruising the local bike trail for a couple miles rather than trying to hammer out 50 miles in 2 ½ hours. (hammer for me anyway) The cut is diagonal on the outer right side of the right calf. Anyone ever ride with stitches in their calf? And no, I doubt I could restrain myself and just cruise the tdc.

If the doc said OK...then OK. How do you know he's not a hammerhead and was actually thinking about you doing a hilly double-century? When all you're really doing is a measly 50 miles!

I had a pre-cancerous basil cell carcinoma removed from the top of my head several weeks ago...on a Tuesday...and the doc said I was good to go for the weekend. I did 42 miles. Granted...the muscles in my head don't flex like a calf muscle does.

Maybe you should do some loops around your neighborhood and see how it feels. Then, if it's a bad idea, you don't have very far to get home.

I had a root canal on Friday. Holy ****, the pain was awful! It's still no fun. I went for ride Friday evening, and each of the following days. My tooth became a heart rate monitor. At one point, I wanted to put the bike down and jump in the lake, because hypothermia dampens your ability to feel pain. If I had been close to home, I could have got off the bike, taken a pain med, and been out of my misery.