I DIDN'T Ride My Bike Today, Cuzz....

I have them for everything except my cell phone and they suck for all of it around here. Sure glad they don’t make bikes or those would probably suck too...

 

I didn’t ride my bike today because...

 

Great excuse....except that you can ride your bike around the valley floor and it's outstanding. Wife and I have done that a bunch. Beats driving.

 

First day with staff today - arguably the most important day of the year for the CEO. Let the games begin!

Speaking of which - first football game tomorrow night. Clear eyes - Full hearts - Can't lose.

Ride Saturday (MtB or Surfboard - or both).

 

And I've always wanted to ride up Glacier Point Road. Yes, I'm a sick individual.

 

@Runs with Scissors I’ve thought about as well. But, I think it would suck cause all the traffic. I’ll take four mile trail from the valley floor up any day and twice on Sunday.

 

Nice – a summer like none in decades. Normally most falls are a trickle by now...you scored!

Everyone should put the Half Dome cables high on their list of completely dumb, rad, out-of-the-way things to do.

Trails like Four-Mile and others would make a crazy MTB run. They all have been poached.

 

My daughter and I usually hit Mondos or somewhere close to it every Sat, today was different because we actually got the Mr to join in on the fun!
#oceantherapy #thankful

 

That's cool!

Wish you could bring the fam this direction. Don't need no stinkin' wetsuits!

 

He really didn’t need the wetsuit , the daughter and I didn’t use them at all today. Also we had some really kookie waves for boogie boarding later in the day!
But yeah, we do need to head south sometime

 

I rode 4 miles yesterday, so today is recovery day.

 

No ride today, yesterday or since Monday. My rotator cuff ain't getting any better, can barley move the arm sometimes, most likely because I keep riding as the time on the bike it doesn't hurt. But hurts more the next day after the ride.

So went to the Doc yesterday and got an X-Ray, then if needed anMRI. We'll see what they say.
I think if I can just manage to not ride and baby the Rotator for a few weeks I'll be good, but we all know that's not happening. Especially because I'm finally in good shape for riding and having a freaking blast up and down! Priorities...pain or fun, pain or fun...it's a fine line...
If @Faust29 can ride and get better, I can too....

 

Uh oh! Hope it can resolve itself and you don’t have to do much downtime!

 

That sucks, Dan... I hope you can get there without the knife.

Contrary to what my doctor (and his resident...) predicted, I believe I'm healing. There are a couple movements that still feel wrong, but it's probably 85-90% there. I'm starting to get the strength back, as well...

 

It's a poorly engineered joint – problematic for many in later life. I've seen a lot of rotator cuff damage at close range, including my own. Unless yours is dire (doesn't sound like it), you could get some great results with PT. A good PT really knows how to deal with it. I doubt you have to stop riding, though your doc might reco it.

A different h-bar could make a difference. Maybe one with a bit more backsweep than typical moto-style. Lowers the elbows by turning your wrists a little. 23° backsweep feels pretty nice, and not extreme like a Jones bar etc. It certainly will not impede your radness. When uphilling with a normal bar, I often hold an imaginary bar end. It turns your wrist the same way more backsweep does, and it lets your elbows hang more and you shoulders relax.

Coffee drinker by chance?

Pulling for the best outcome!

 

Funny that you ask about the coffee! In my experience coffee/ high caffeine intake excaberates joint pain. That’s why I cut back yrs ago to mostly tea, and it helps a lot! Don’t get me wrong..I love a good strong cuppa coffee now and then, but only when I need it bad!

 

This is pretty much spot on I think. My hand has started to go numb while riding too, this is fairly new.

And coffee, oh yeah a fair amount. I also work out of Starbucks often now...sip sip gulp.
Why?

Edit: just read @mountaingirl sara reply. Hhmmm....less coffee..hhmmm

 

FWIW, I like the Salsa Bend bar (23°), but it's not produced in carbon. Carver has a sweet looking backswept carbon bar. That's what I'd get if I was feeling issues.

Caffeine, big subject. I was literally wearing out my body with caf. Bruxism, poor sleep, suppressed breathing, increased alcohol use. I can run nitrous in my car, but why????? Strong coffee made it harder to relax for best performance. Now I can actually use caf when I need to drive/ride/climb a long time. One green tea in the AM, no headache if I don't have it. Everybody has their chemistry.

 

Like @mike and @mountaingirl sara I've learned to limit my caffeine intake. I'm down to 3-5 espressos in the morning and maybe 1 or 2 later in the day... I really haven't noticed any benefits yet.

 

I haven't been riding at all this week as I'm saving myself for Cannell!

 

While I am hardly an expert, I have suffered a good bit from joint inflammation, and have subsequently gone down a lot of rabbit holes in a quest for relief. I'm not convinced that caffeine, in and of itself, is that problematic. For me I think it even has a mild analgesic effect. I think the problems come more tangentially. The delivery mechanism can get you. Sugar will absolutely ravage you in terms of inflammation, so if you're getting your caffeine via sugary coffee drinks, sodas, energy drinks etc., that could definitely be a problem. I tend to believe that the chemical sh!t storm that is artificially sweetened energy drinks and diet sodas has a similarly deleterious effect. Poor sleep will also rack you, so if you're jacking up your circadian rhythms by having coffee later in the day, that could also get you. But black coffee, or better yet, unsweetened coffee with healthy fats (MCT Oil, etc.) at the right times of day, I say game on. *It should probably be noted that I am a full blown caffeine addict, so it's possible that there is some confirmation bias in the research I've done, and of course everyone reacts differently to different stimuli.

All this said, inflammation and injury/mechanical deficiency can be two very different things, and shoulder mobility/stability is it's own rabbit hole. If you have some time, it might be worth looking up Range Of Motion fitness on Facebook. I have no affiliation whatsoever, but the guy who runs it has posted a ton of free videos, some of which I've found pretty helpful with my shoulder issues. He's kind of like a poor man's Kelly Starrett, but I can actually understand what he's trying to say. He's also based in Riverside, and does personalized mobility assessment and plans, though I haven't partaken in that yet.

 

I haven't had to deal with too much joint pain, and joint pain I did have for years went away when I took up Yoga. So now with the rotator cuff I can't do the Yoga as it really aggravates it, and I miss the Yoga classes

I do drink coffee, but have become more sensitive to caffeine so now it's more out of habit than much else, and I do like the taste. Sugary things...nope..ain't happening... unless it's chocolate or good ice cream
The Dr did prescribe a topical NSAID which surprised me and seems to work somewhat. And I forgot about topical CBD/THC that's in my med cabinet, but don't think I'll apply that except on weekends. It makes me smell like I've been smoking out with Cheech y Chong in their Van. Not good when seeing clients.

 

Me too! Oh wait....

 

To each his own

 

I didn't ride my bike either this morning (I'm fibbing).

 

Funny - but please modernize your references. We all know the most recent stoner depiction is Jeff Spicoli.

 

Yeah, but cheech y Chong included a giant rolling paper in their album. That alone is worth a lid of commercial!

Although spicoli from the 70s was my generation.

 

No Flooping for me. Just in this neck of the woods for meetings- no bike

 

https://www.worldwidecyclery.com/bl...V.3&utm_content=Ask+Jeff+V3,+OneUp+Bar+Review

At 8:00 a poignant question was raised, and the answer left me with much to be desired.