Hello Drew, Thank you for telling your story. It's inspiring to read about your positive attitude and resolve in overcoming your medical issues. Best wishes for good health and many years of good rides on your beautiful red Rivendell.
Something else in your post jumped out at me and that is the locale for your rides is the same area where Jobst Brandt and his pals regularly rode. Really nice that you have access to those routes. I just read Ray Hosler's book "Once Upon a Ride", an account of the "Jobst rides" rides from 1980 - 2007. It's a fun read with lots of photographs and names you'll recognize (Tom Ritchey and Peter Johnson are two). Hosler still lives in the Bay area and continues to ride those roads. Check out his blog at rayhosler.wordpress.com Stay well and keep the wheels turning! Best, Rich in ATL On Friday, July 15, 2022 at 9:41:05 PM UTC-4 Drew Saunders wrote: > For the past few years, I've tried to ride my age or more on or about my > birthday (this Sunday, the 17th, a.k.a. "World Emoji Day!"). Although not > as impressive as crossing the country, it was still a good ride today. > > In 2017, instead of riding 50+ miles for my 50th birthday, I spent my > birthday in the hospital due to a bad reaction to Xeloda, my first > chemotherapy drug. Oh, did I mention that in April of 2017 I found out that > I had adenocarcinoma of the descending colon? I had the colectomy at the > end of May, and started chemo at the end of June (and re-started it at the > end of July with a different drug). That'll put a damper in your riding > plans any day! > > I was able to do a 53 mile ride before turning 51 in 2018, and a 55 mile > ride before turning 52 in 2019. I found my fitness dropping unexpectedly in > 2020, but eventually figured out that it was due to working from home and > no longer walking or biking to work (which is only 2 miles each way, but it > adds up). I added a neighborhood walk to my morning routine and improved my > fitness, but wasn't able to get in a 53+ mile ride for 2020. Then, in > November 2020 (Friday the 13th, of course) I found out that my cancer had > returned in a single tumor in my liver. That (along with 1/4 of my liver) > was removed at the end of December. > > 2021 was the year of regrowing my liver, so no long ride that July! I > still got in some medium rides, but didn't make 54KM, much less 54 miles > for any of them. > > I set out this morning to do a variation on the same 53 and 55 mile ride I > had done in 2018 and 2019, just with a little more at each end. For the > locals, this is Cañada road to the end, then meander through Woodside, > Portola Valley and Los Altos Hills, then Foothill Expressway/Steven's > Canyon Road and turn around at the Lakeshore Picnic Area then home. It > totaled 56.62 miles! Eventually, I'll have to switch to kilometers. > > "Pics or it didn't happen": > [image: 2022-07-15_09-18-35_568.jpg] > The turnaround at Cañada Road and Hwy 92 (uppermost part of Lower Crystal > Springs reservoir) > [image: 2022-07-15_09-27-30_001.jpg] > The famous Pulgas Water Temple from the fence (it looks better up close) > [image: 2022-07-15_09-54-51_607.jpg] > The Woodside Store, a fine place to stop for a snack and refill the > bottles. The glowing blue stuff is Gatorade. That's a very early (Duluth > patch) "banana bag" in the back and a "candy bar bag" in the front.[image: > 2022-07-15_11-38-41_948.jpg] > Last snack stop at Lakeshore Picnic Area selfie. Yes, Oscar is a > Retrogrouch! His trash can is STEEL, not plastic! > > Drew > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/faf56346-6f99-46a3-8c4f-33e569e5d6c5n%40googlegroups.com.
