sunday morning

re-building the cyclocross bike. i have the tires, the chain is fitted and i'm considering my chainring size. new bars this year, new saddle, new brake levers. it's the third bike i have rolling this year, and that may be something i haven't had for a few years. our family has 5 bicycles, not counting the trailer and the trailer bike; plus two bikes we don't ride and a restoration project i have yet to tackle. my wife and i are car-free and loving it.

among my friends this is a small stable. this year a friend of mine had collected so many bicycles that he had to open a bike shop, not the only reason he opened it, but it was a determining factor. i spent Saturday morning visiting a few mechanics trying to organize my thoughts on repair and maintenance and bought a few bit and pieces at each stop. grips and brake pads, bar tape, tires and pleasant conversation on the state of the industry; i even had a chance to consider a few new projects.

what is the state of my preparation for racing after my accident? pretty darn good, i'm 20 pounds lighter and commuting 125 miles a week fits nicely into my training schedule. when i get the cyclocross bike built i will be trading these skinny thighs for a pair of sprinters thighs. it's going to take a major schedule re-adjustment to add a nightly high intensity work-out into the mix.  i'm not going to be on the podium but i don't think i'll be DfL either. i'll let you know how it's going after my first race in October. until then i will be preparing by biking, consuming Belgian beer and eating french fries, and maybe a few mussels.

....in which we discuss options for liquid nutrition

so for the next six weeks i will be on liquid diet. the last two visits the doctor has decided to keep the jaw immobilized pretty tight, so it's not even gonna be mashed potatoes and applesauce or god forbid meat pulverized in a food processor. i'm not really happy with a diet that looks to be composed of protein shakes. smoothies, and juices. i have a bad feeling it's gonna get expensive.

i lost 15 pounds the first 10 days of my incarceration,...i mean recovery. i wasn't riding, i was on antibiotics and i was in massive pain. the two days i spent in the hospital were pretty much a , the morphine haze. the first 12 hours they were just working to get the swelling down so i could have surgery the next day. i'm nearing my ideal 'fighting weight' 0f 185, for biking i should probably still drop another ten pounds.

so the second i got out the hospital , after i posted gruesome photos on facebook, i went searching nutrition advice. i wasn't happy with sound nutrition advice i rec'd from the hospital's registered dietician. she suggested those nutritional shakes(ensure, boost or generic) or carnation instant breakfast, both of which are sickly sweet and chalky. the odwalla or naked bottled fruit smoothies and protien shakes are better tasting but roll in at $4 a pop. i'm not really adverse to sugar, but you do realize it's not a food group right? there are a few other things i'm still checking out. i could get the blender fired up and start making my own, it is summer and there is plenty of fruit available. next installment we speak of the juicer, it worked for jack lalane