As cliche as it may sound, last year's trip was truly a once in a lifetime journey. The entirety of experiences whether good, bad, or anything in between were all, eventually, valuable in one way or another. The final days of the trip presented their own unique challenges, which I would continue to navigate months after the conclusion of the coast-to-coast trip. On July 23rd (2018), I was riding on the Western Maryland Rail Trail (WMRT) - a welcomed break from the rocks, roots, and ruts of the C&O Tow Path - when I came upon a group of cyclists riding in the opposite direction. After passing the front of this group, one of the passing cyclists weaved out from the group. His head was down, he didn't see me, and we were only seconds away from a head on collision. A quick adjustment on my part resulted in the left sides of our handlebars clipping where my left hand took the brunt of the collision. The result: a badly broken middle finger. Riding on for the next couple of days was manageable, but the months that followed were truly a greater challenge.
In the months that followed, two surgeries were required for this finger to be functional again. The first surgery to ensure that the bone healed correctly (August 2018), and the second surgery to release scar tissue from the flexor tendon on the middle finger (January 2019). All told, 16 hours of OT appointments over five months were necessary for getting my finger as close to pre-injury functioning. This was all in addition to many hours of doing exercises and stretches for this finger away from OT appointments. Pile this on top of getting through day-to-day routines at and away from work. Any and all cycling plans were put on hold for over three months. I would be dishonest if I said I didn't hold some intermittent feelings of resentment about the injury and how it happened. However, holding onto things like resentment is like dragging an anchor every day in your life. Moving on anchor up is necessary.
My good friend Michael Schwartz eventually talked me into running a 10K with him and his wife followed by a bike ride in October. Being on the bicycle again was a mixed bag of feelings. In general, it was an uneasy feeling riding again. I was eager to ride again, however this was coupled with feelings of hypervigilance (beyond good defensive riding). I felt really out of shape and uneasy riding, but after riding for several minutes it all seemed to come back to me. Riding again was a return to a sense of normalcy. I'm grateful that Michael talked me into this bike ride back in October. January and February's weather was downright brutal for Iowa. Being cooped up indoors provided a good opportunity to plan for this summer's upcoming trip. After going back and forth between a few potential trips, I decided on cycling around Lake Michigan. It would be a shorter trip than cycling across the country, and it would provide opportunities for riding in parts of Wisconsin and Michigan that I've never been to before. Just like last summer's trip, I'm cycling for a charitable cause; in fact, the same charitable cause as the previous trip. For this upcoming trip, I have partnered with the Lustgarten Foundation, which aims to advance the scientific and medical research related to the diagnosis, treatment, cure and prevention of pancreatic cancer. One of their most noteworthy principles is that 100% of donations go directly to funding research! I am grateful for any support you can offer. Donations in no way support my day-to-day expenses along the trip; donations go directly to the foundation. If you would like to help me in reaching my fundraising goal of $5,000, please visit this page: https://events.lustgarten.org/fundraiser/2123310
This upcoming trip starts on June 10th, and I've got packing to do! I hope to update this blog along the way, so please feel free to follow along!
