All About Mick's World

Maude 2.0 As most, if not all, of you are aware, I lost a loved one on March 22, 2015. Her name: Maude. While I’d known her for only two and a half years, she had become very special to me. (I should perhaps mention, Maude is one of my bikes.) I always claim that, as with my children, I don’t have a favorite bike. My standard response to being asked which bike I like most is “The one between my legs.” Whichever bike I happen to be riding that day. However, looking back at my ride logs from the past few years shows me that Maude has been my steed for about 45% of my miles. “But that’s less than half,” you exclaim! Yes, but consider that I split my time among five different bikes, and then it becomes apparent that I just might prefer one of my bikes over the others! (Shhh, don’t let the other bikes know.) Anyway, on March 22, Maude and I were involved in an incident with some local wildlife. Vicious beast it was, with claws, fangs, and a nasty disposition; meanest squirrel I’d ev...

I don't often think of myself as a lucky person, especially now as I sit in a back and neck brace. On Tuesday this week however, I felt like the luckiest person on the planet. I started my day with a doctor's appointment. While I had no reason to suspect this, in my mind I was terrified I would get bad news. (Sometimes I'm not too fond of the way my mind works.) I tentatively asked if surgery was in my future, and the doc almost laughed. "No, no, everything is healing as well as could be hoped." Big sigh of relief! A few more questions, and then my final query. "When can I start to ride my bike again" I asked hopefully. She replied "I thought you'd never ask!" So, long story short, as soon as I return to work I'm free to ride again. About six weeks. I left the appointment feeling much better. With a little spring in my step, Tuesday evening I headed out to my normal hangout: Tuesday Night Time Trials. For the past seven or so years ...