Has anybody seen a snow man?

I've become quite concerned about them lately. All they do is lay around the house, depressed, drinking beer, talking about past winters, previous blizzards, and what winters 'used' to be like in Iowa..... 

.....and such has been the snow season in Iowa this year. But I decided I still can ride even if the weather is 'bad' like no snow, no freezing temps, and no blizzards. I have skinnie tyred evil bikes in my stables too yanno.

 
Did a mud run 1/5/12 with the Trek Cycle Cross bike. I don't like to leave tracks and after climbing some hills that were shade covered I hit an open field. In 50 feet packed mud would no longer allow the tires to rotate I ended up carrying the bike across a farm field and onto the highway, finding a stick and removing enough mud to ride home and spent the evening crying and drinking beer. 
 
 

 
 
I received an Email from Craig from over yonder saying him and Charles were coming to town and wanted to try out the Triple D race route and asked if I would be interested. I responded with yeap. I briefly met Craig in person last year during a Pre-race meeting. We did the customary head nod like people do when they got a thousand other things on their minds at the time. At the race he got ahead of me and I never caught up. That was the last time of real life contact we've had.  We continued to corresponded back and forth in Blogdom.
So early Sunday morning I pedaled down to the Grand Harbor Hotel and saw two guys unloading their bicycles from the back of the pickup.
And we rode, and rode, over farm fields, gravel roads, and trail. We had a blast, talked and talked and had a great time. When humans share like passion to the level us bikeaholics do it's like you've known each other your whole lives the first day you hook up.
Craig is doing well and getting serious in competitive biking. Charles is a pedaling machine. We were headed up a very steep rock infested rutted hill. Charles got out ahead of us, front tire bouncing off a rock and down he went hard. Back on the bike and away he went. Not to be out done, I was next in line to bounce off the hard frozen ground. The difference is Charles is 26, I am 58.

Headed down a short hill grass path, accelerating to make the short steep climb which was next, tires hit the bottom of the hill and instantly change directions from down to up. A large boulder tip glazed with ice, and hidden in the grass met my front tire, bike kicking out from under me, and the momentum slamming me into the ground, even made my fillings hurt. Gawd I love this.  
 
 
 
  Some pictures below of an afternoon to evening ride on 1/2/12. Sun went down, moon came out.  

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

There's a contest going on over at the Cup-O-Dirt web sight. Seems the challenge is to guess how many dirty metrics I have done for 2011. Nick the web sight master is threatening me with kidnapping all my 'gals' if I don't do a count.
 
Ok Ok, I will go to my blog,  FaceBook and my diary work records and do a century count. But I think this borders real close on extortion. 

Now I must say this, and then I will finish, I shall shuddup, and let you get going. Last week I had my 3rd shot of cortisone in my right shoulder in 7 months. My doc doing a real through examination became quite concerned about the looseness of the joint. The MRI technician with a busy schedule worked through her lunch to give me a MRI and I laid on the examining table for 45 minutes while the machine clicked away taking magnetic pictures of my shoulder's insides.
To make a long story short, and translate the medical jargon, it is this. It will never heal on it's own.
Seems bike crashes, years of weight lifting, 100s of miles as a swimmer and just an active life of wear and tear has now come to collect it's due.

So on Jan 20th 2012, I will have surgery. Impingement bone will be cut away,  rotator cuff will be trimmed, bursa removed and smoothing up rough services,  along with a few things I forgot.  

I didn't tell my doctor I am in a 65 mile bicycle race snow covered farm fields, trails and gravel this Sunday. I didn't think he would understand.  But unless you do this, most people don't. I'm not sure I do.  

Well I think I will officially be entering the feared 'off season' unvoluntarily I might add.
Those close to me are frightened and thinking of running away, I would too, but I've found out that where ever I go, that is where I will find myself.    


I'll be back,
Dave