the unknown.

Discovering new cycling routes is a curious hobby for me. I rarely ever ride the ones I discover, yet I have an unquenchable desire to find them. Hundreds of dollars worth of therapy would probably reveal a link to my cycling accident last year. I have an enormous fear of new bike routes. I learned the hardway that the unknown has consequences.

Yesterday I was driving down the road where my crash occurred last summer. The cause of my accident is now surrounded by construction barricades topped with flashing lights highlighting its existence. While I am pleased with this new development, it is coupled with explosions of irritation. My arm broken in two places, sprained neck, and bruised/battered leg could have been avoided with a little pro-activeness by the city. *sigh*

This reaction serves no purpose. It doesn't help my recovery -- neither mental or physical. In fact, it increases my anxiety and prevents me from getting on my bike.  Turns out, avoiding this stretch of road is what is best for my recovery.

I'll continue to plan new cycling routes. I'll continue to ride hundreds and hundreds of miles in my head. I'll continue to hop on countless, imaginary city buses when my legs are tired and the sun is too bright. Right now, cycling in my head is the safest place. I don't crash there.

--AC

oops.

If asked to describe me, clumsiness would probably make the top 5 descriptors used by my friends. I hurt myself doing mundane, everyday tasks. A couple of years ago, I clipped off the tip of my left ring finger using a new pair of scissors. I also pulled my quad muscle trying to stand from a kneeling position. Okay, maybe I'm confusing clumsiness with a "danger to myself".

*scratches head*


Being clumsy does keep life interesting. Without it, I'd miss waking up with a bruise the size of a baseball on my thigh/calf/arm/back and no memory of how it happened. Something that large should have left some sort of memory... Or maybe I'm confusing clumsiness with a very poor memory.

*scratches head*


This is a cycling blog, so what does my clumsiness have to do with cycling? I'm not sure.  I'll keep you posted.

--AC