Riding Again! Now What?

About 8:30 this morning I got the word from my doctor that it was OK to ride motorcycles again, so at about 1 this afternoon I was headed out on the Honda. Yahoo!! Of course, first off, it was blazing hot in the city, especially with my jacket, gloves, and helmet on, so I did the only thing I could do: I headed for the hills.

helmeted rider and motorcycle

The bike and me in Deer Creek Canyon.

Out to Morrison, up that road to Evergreen, took the turn toward Conifer but turned east again on Turkey Creek Road. Then picked up Deer Creek Canyon Road, out onto the plains over by Chatfield State Park, then C-470 to I-25 and home. About 71 miles. Pretty OK for a first ride after more than two months off the bikes because of bypass surgery. And the Battle Back to the Bike has been won! Today is one day shy of 12 weeks since surgery.

Early on during recovery, when I had no stamina and was very weak, I had concerns over my first few rides once I could do so again and I had asked Alan if he would come on my first ride with me so I’d have back-up in case there were problems. I’m feeling so completely back to normal now, however, that I really didn’t feel a need for back-up but I figured I’d still call him about joining me. He wasn’t able to today, however, and I was not able–had no desire whatsoever–to wait another day. He and I will go ride another day soon.

And it was somewhat of a surprise to me that when I got on and took off it all felt absolutely normal. I might have just been riding yesterday. There was no apparent rustiness or needing to re-familiarize myself with the bike. And this was after the longest non-riding period I have gone through in 30 years. Now, that’s only two months off the bike and I know lots of people put their bikes away for the entire winter. But for me, two months is a long time.

The ride was fun and felt really good. Now I have exactly one month to really, really get back into top form because then we are off on a ride to Canada with some friends. And immediately after we get back from that I’m off again with the OFMC on the annual ride. So just to make sure I’m totally back at my peak, I’m setting the objective of riding 1,000 miles this month. I figure if there is rustiness I’m unaware of, that 1,000 miles will clean that up.

Hot diggety! I’m back on the bike!

Biker Quote for Today

I never really questioned why I ride, because for me it is as basic as breathing.

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One Response to “Riding Again! Now What?”

  1. clif Harper Says:

    Yay! That is great news. I find it amazing that your recovery was so quick. I am sure that it felt much longer to you! Happy that you should be able to make your planned trips this summer. Looking forward to your reports on the rides!

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