Although the crowd was small- there were only five of us- the ride to breakfast was fine. The weather wasn't even too bad despite the cold temperatures; I think all of us were properly attired. Breakfast was fine. I rode with the group back to where they get on the trail and instead of riding back to the starting point with them I set off on my own to ride home.
The first couple miles were fine, but then my left knee started to hurt. No biggie, I thought, I've felt a little pain in my knees before and just rode through it. But this time it got worse and worse and worse. I actually had to stop a few times to get off the bike; at that point I was having muscle spasms in my leg. The up-hills were the worst. I considered calling the wife and sagging home, but pressed on.
Then the achy knee started to get downright painful. When I rested the knee it was hard to put weight on it. Still, I thought I could make it home. I was getting close- about a mile out- and then it happened: the rear tire went flat. I noticed it in the median of of a road.
GRRRRRRR.....
From there I just got off the *@$##& bike and walked the rest of the way home, knee hurting, rim bouncing on every little bump.
I made it home in one piece. I popped some Advil and crashed for a couple hours. The knee's been sore but not very painful after that. Since I'm transitioning job sites and going back and forth, I'm not bicycle commuting right now. Hopefully the rest will let the knee heal.
I think the cause might be some adjustments I made to the bike; I think I may have been hyper-extending the knee on the downstroke. So I lowered my seat a little bit but I still haven't fixed the flat. Maybe over the holidays I'll feel like dealing with it.
13 comments:
That's terrible. Besides the seat adjustment, I wonder if the cold might have played a part in your knee injury. I usually have knee pain and stiffness in cold weather.
I rode all through last year with no problem. I made adjustments to the bike before the ride I took on the day before Thanksgiving and my knee was sore that day too. Let that be a lesson to ya: If it works, don't fix it!
paul, it sucks to have aches N pains. have you considered adding apple cider vinegar to your diet?
feel better my friend!
peace :)
You're getting OLD. Probably the same for your tire...
That really sucks. I'm glad you made it home alright.
Stay warm and stay healthy.
Bummer, hope your knee pain isn't serious and that it heals quickly.
Careful with those knees. After the experience I had last spring, I would advise to stop immediately if you experience pain, don't try to cycle through it. I busted my knees on a badly fitted bike and ended up having to be off the bike for 3 weeks : ( Doctor said this wouldn't have happened, had I stopped as soon as they began hurting.
The older I get the more persnickety my knees and hips are about bike fit. Every time I get a new bike it takes weeks to dial it in... a millimeter at a time til the pain stops. Not sure which irks me more, that or the reading glasses...
How's your knee now?
Okay, just a wee bit sore, but I've been staying off the bike
Aw, a flat and an injury is sorry luck. My rule with knees is to stop as soon as they start hurting. A lesson I learned from running. Kinda hard to do when you're way far from home on a bike, though. Hope you're all better soon!
I had a flat yesterday too. Haven't fixed it yet either.
Also (and I speak as someone who has had multiple knee operations) you can do weight exercises to strengthen your leg muscles to relieve the pressure on your knee (unless you have cartilage damage, in which case you may nneed an operation yourself!)
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