Wear a helmet . . . Don't leave home without it!

I saw this street sign while cycling through Schaumburg last weekend. Its message is loud and clear, but unfortunately ignored by far too many people: Wearing a helmet saves lives. Every rider -- regardless of age or skill level -- should wear a helmet while riding.

My fund-raising "Trek" resumes

Current Seasonal Total: 353.7
This past weekend, I resumed my 2010 cycling season atop my #1 bike . . . and it felt great! On Saturday, which was forecast to be sunny but was actually cloudy, I rode 22.9 miles, surpassed 300 miles for the season, and had a couple of "firsts." For the first time, I wore my three new Specialized cycling clothes -- their Pro RBX Bib Shorts, their arm warmers, and their knee warmers. Purchased a few weeks ago at Spin Doctors cycling shop in Bartlett, the bib shorts are a step up in quality compared with previous shorts I've owned. In higher priced shorts, it is the improved design of the chamois that accounts for the improved feel (and greater cost). I was not disappointed; it felt very comfortable throughout the ride. I was similarly pleased with the arm and knee warmers, although with temperatures in the low 60s and no sun, I could have used a base layer on top instead. Since the temperature never rose, I kept the "warmers" on for the duration of the ride. This ride also marked the first time I wore my Road ID Elite bracelet. In large part because of my recent car-bike collision, I am now an advocate for wearing some type of ID in case of a cycling injury that would leave the rider incapacitated. For a modest cost, these wearable IDs are a great idea and can provide key information to first responders, thereby benefiting both the rider and the family that awaits his or her return.

On Sunday, it was forecast to be cloudy but it was mostly sunny instead. On this ride, I went to Busse Woods, followed the loop once, then followed a different (and longer) route home. The winds were a little stronger than they were on Saturday, but the sunshine felt good. Nevertheless, with temperatures in the low 60s, I wore a base layer under my Livestrong jersey and long tights over shorts. My Sunday ride totaled 32.1 miles, bringing my weekend total to an even 55 miles.

Welcome back, my two wheeled friend!

Tonight, I picked up my newly repaired Trek 7500. It now has a new front wheel, a new front brake lever, and a new bell, each of which were damaged in my May 2nd accident. My "return to Trek" will likely occur this Saturday, at which time I will break through the 300 mile mark.

My Giant to the Rescue

This past week was a rather anxious time for me. Not only did I have to endure a week of sore muscles in my lower back and side, but I also worried how the injury would effect my short-term riding schedule. Since April's good weather had put me nearly a month ahead of last year, I didn't want to waste this good fortune. Thankfully, the soreness in my side improved dramatically on Friday morning, paving the way for my return to the saddle on Saturday.

Since my Trek bicycle was in the shop undergoing repairs, I rode my "back-up bike" -- my Giant Iguana mountain bike. This had been my primary bicycle from 1990 through 2006, but it had been relegated to basement storage since I purchased my Trek 7500 in the spring of 2007. Although my mountain bike needs some adjustments to its derailleur and probably a new chain, I was still able to coax 36 miles out of it on two separate rides this weekend. In so doing, I confirmed that I can now resume my riding unabated.

But I did not yet know that when I saddled up late Saturday afternoon. Despite the chilly, windy conditions, I was determined to assess my relative fitness. It didn't take long for me to realize that neither the riding position nor the action of pedalling posed any problem whatsoever. I rode a total of 12.1 miles, following bike trails that took me to the nearby twin lakes of Meacham Grove and Spring Creek Reservoir Forest Preserves. While I rode, I breathed a sigh of relief and thanked God that I had escaped serious injury six days before. Had any of the circumstance of the accident been different, I would be in far worse shape. I really was very lucky!

Sunday was forecast to have much more sunshine and slightly warmer temperatures. Skies were partly sunny with temperatures in the mid 50s and light southeasterly breezes. With big knobby tires, my mountain bike is far more at home on trails than on pavement. Knowing this, I planned a route that was 1/3 trail and 2/3 paved streets. I rode along portions of the Great Western Trail, Illinois Prairie Path, West Branch Trail and Hawk Hollow Trail. I started my ride at 11:25 a.m. and ended around 1:40. When it was over, my Sunday ride was 22.5 miles long.

Although my trusty old mountain bike served me well, I missed the more comfortable ergonomics and silky smooth gears of my Trek hybrid. I also missed not having a cycle computer. To collect that data that I needed for my "One for All" fund raising initiative, I wore a wristwatch with a stopwatch feature to maintain my elapsed riding time, and I used Google Earth after the ride to calculate my distance travelled and average speed.

Unbeknownst to me, I fell short by just 1.3 miles of the 300 mile mark for the season, which I will likely surpass this Saturday. With repairs to my Trek likely to be completed on Monday, my cycling world will soon be back to normal.

My guardian angels were working overtime

Last Sunday, I was riding for the first time in May. Having just recovered from a cold, it felt good to be nearly at full strength and to add an additional 20 miles to my ever-growing seasonal total. I had essentially completed my ride and was on the final approach to home . . . and then . . . BAM . . . I was hit by a car. I guess it was bound to happen sometime in my cycling career, but instead of occurring on a busy road, it took place at a normally lazy intersection only 4/10 of a mile from my home. But I was very lucky . . . or perhaps my guardian angels were working overtime that day.

So here are the details: I was struck by a car (luckily at very low speeds) whose driver didn't see me. He had stopped (or nearly stopped) at the stop sign and had just started turning left from Frisco Street onto Cloverdale Road as I was turning left from Cloverdale onto Frisco. The timing of his acceleration couldn't have been worse, and I had no time for an evasive maneuver. The impact of his front bumper scooped me off of my bike, and I slid on my butt across a portion of his BMW's hood before falling to the pavement on my back. Subsequent x-rays showed no broken bones, but I strained a number of muscles in my back and left side. I started taking prescription-strength doses of ibuprofen and icing the affected areas whenever I could. Each day, the body part that was most sore was different. At first, the pain was only in my lower back . . . then it migrated to my left side, below and slightly forward of my left arm pit.

My Trek bicycle sustained damage to its front wheel and front brake system. My front wheel was bent enough to render the bike unrideable, so I had to walk my bike home from the accident scene. The front wheel and front brakes will be replaced, and a complete inspection of the bicycle frame and drivetrain components is being performed to ensure that my bike is not damaged any further and is still safe to ride.  My bike bag, fastened by velcro straps in four places to my rear rack, was catapulted off the bike by the impact, but suffered no damage. Amazingly, my cycling clothing, helmet and sunglasses sustained no damage whatsoever. Apparently, I impacted the pavement without skidding, which would likely have torn the material.

The driver of the car lives in Phase I of my subdivision, and I pass his house every time that I ride. To his credit, he did stop, offered assistance, said that he was willing to pay for the damage he caused to my bike, and willingly provided his contact information. The following day, when I filed a police report, he was similarly cooperative and admitted fault to the investigating officer.

So, for the first time in 3 1/2 years, I may ready my Giant mountain bike for short rides this weekend, since repairs to my Trek probably won't be completed until early next week.

Many years ago, a friend of mine who rode both bicycles and motorcycles offered me advice: cyclists should always assume that they are invisible, because that's how many drivers see (or actually don't see) them. On Sunday, I discovered this cautionary note to be painfully true, and I am lucky the outcome wasn't far worse.