Potpourri Friday: Updates, Observations, and Candy Corn.

Just like a Halloween candy bowl, this edition of RWTD is wonderful mix of sugar coated goodness. So lets dig in quickly before the neighborhood kids show up and trick or treat all the tasty tidbits away.

Personal Update
Since my back wasn't healing as quickly as it should have been, my physical therapist referred me to a Doctor of Orthopedics for further evaluation. From my perspective I could not have been referred to a better D.O. in Northeast Ohio. Not only was he a former team doctor for the Cleveland Indians, he is also an active cyclist that competes in duathlons and (as a plus) totally understands the discipline of cyclocross. So after being pricked, poked and prodded (lines stolen from UNBEATABLE - A Bold New Musical) the doctor said I either had a herniated disk or sciatic nerve damage. Herniated disks and sciatic nerve damage are very slow to heal so basically there's not much you can do for either situation other than taking a regimen of Prednisone and a wait and see approach. The Prednisone did its job but it came with a host of side affects like:


• Bloating/weight gain – There are times when I look like I'm 2-3 months pregnant. And thanks again Dan for noticing this week that I'm starting to get a double chin. I guess that’s what teammates are for, huh.

• Migraine headaches.

• Lack of focus.

• Nightmares – One nightmare was so overpowering that I almost leapt out of bed to tackled Laurie as she was getting ready for bed. In the nightmare I thought she was a burglar coming to do harm to us. Yeah... I guess subconsciously I'm still dealing with the hotel break in that happened this summer in Phoenix.

• Inability to sleep.

• Uneasiness/anxiety.


• Quick to anger – As an example I'm flipping off 80% more hypermilers than usual on the commute into work.

• And as a whole I just don't feel like my normal self.

Still it’s been worth it all because this Wednesday the doctor says I'm healed enough to get back in saddle. Just riding close to home or on the trainer is what's prescribed, but no racing. And for the record John, he was very clear on the NO racing. If things continue as they should the doctor believes that I'll be able to participate in the last one or two cross races of the season. So much for best-laid plans of a full season of cyclocross racing.


Economic Stimulus
To help kill the psychological pain of missing cyclocross racing, I started down the path of pippin' out the Zanconato. Now in reality the bike didn't need one thing. You'll have to trust me on this since most of you haven't seen the bike. But as built the Zanconato was put together with some of the finest cross-parts on the market. Other than killing psychological pain I also felt it was my patriotic duty to help drive our country out of the economic recession by spending some money. Though this could be viewed as being self-serving. It's true that it’s in my best interest to spend the money that I’ve earned now before socialism (and don't be fooled... Obama and McCain are both socialists) is voted into the White House and the redistribution of wealth is enacted. So with the help of Zank putting me in contact with Molly Cameron I was able to score some sweet, hand-made, French tubular tires.


These FMB Sprints will set the bike up for dry, fast course conditions and the FBM SSC wheel set will be used for muddy, nasty courses. The Sprint wheel set hasn't been built yet but it will be very similar to the SSC's set up. Working with Molly was a pleasure too. He was very helpful and friendly. Plus he included a signed postcard with the tires! That for me was icing on the cake.



Political Observation

Speaking earlier of politics, it seems that every Presidential election there tends to be one candidate that gets vilified as the Anti-Christ. And this time around it appears that it’s Barack Obama's turn to hold the pitchfork. All joking aside I really hope that he is the biblical Anti-Christ that's been described in Revelations. It just means that Christ is all that much closer to coming back to earth and I'm one more step closer to going to heaven with Him in the rapture.




Have a happy and safe Halloween everybody!

Personal Update: There's not a jar big enough.

So that I don't have to respond to a ton of e-mails and phone calls about why I wasn't at the first local cross race of the year... Or at any cross races over the next month, here's what’s going on.

Over the Labor Day weekend I slipped a disk in my lower back. But like an idiot I didn’t see a doctor and kept riding the bike, which made the problem worse. Eventually the pain got the to point where I couldn’t ride any more and this past Monday my body had said ENOUGH! The good news is that after one chiropractor visit and three visits to a physical therapist that I now call “Jesus” my back is starting to feel somewhat normal. The bad news is no cross racing until the end of October.

At this point I’m not sure what hurts more… My back or the sick feeling in my stomach from training since the beginning of March, losing 14 pounds, and getting in some kind of race condition so that I wouldn’t embarrass myself in the B’s all so that I can miss a WHOLE MONTH OF CROSS!!!

Trust me on this, there’s not a swear jar big enough for how I feel right now.

The Pennsylvania clothes dryer.

While visiting family in Pennsylvania over the Labor Day weekend I had the opportunity to use a technology for drying clothes that is hard to come by today. This environmentally responsible technology is found in areas considered to be fly over country where the people cling to their guns and God.

Yet these people should never be so easily dismissed. They are the heart, salt, and soul of this great nation. Instead of talking, they are working hard by the sweat of their brow every day to make change happen for their families, friends, neighbors, and community regardless of who’s living in the White House.

Forgive me Devil for I have sinned.

It’s been 93 days since my last blog. Life has finally slowed down long enough to brush the cobwebs off this confessional. And that’s no bullsh*t (CLINK, a quarter falls into the Holy swear jar located in a dusty back corner of the confessional near a pile of empty Budweiser bottles). Truly life at times have been more than I’ve cared to handle.

Now I’m not saying that my life sucks because it’s just the opposite. Just so we’re clear, the life of Donny Frey rocks harder than the 1988 Monsters of Rock Tour. It’s just there have been some potholes along the way that went beyond running out of backstage passes for groupies and Jagermeister. Rather than getting into the nitty-gritty details, like snorting ants with Ozzy Osbourne and Tom Boonen, I’ll just cover a few of the highs (pun intended) and lows.



• Some of you are probably wondering, “Don… Are you even riding your bike?” The answer is yes. Basically I wake up at 5:45 AM and ride indoors on the trainer or rollers until 7:00 AM. If I’m lucky I’ll get in another one hour, indoor ride in the evening after Andrew is in bed. In jest I’ve told Laurie that the most expensive stationary bikes in Northeast Ohio are at our house.

• Life without Dylan (Old Smeller) is not as sweet. To this day we still miss him. He wasn’t ever a dog to us but a member of the family. Even that last statement trivializes the relationship we had. In realty words can’t describe what he meant and the loss I still feel. Maybe this short Dylan story can give some insight to the loss. One of his favorite places to hang out was under my legs when my feet were on the coffee table. And though he passed away in January, to this day I’m still catching myself to make sure I don’t step on him when getting of the couch.

• After 39 years of being on this big blue marble called Earth I’d come to the conclusion that there was nothing new to learn from my father. I was wrong.

• Growing a full beard is liberating. Shaving it down into the classic Zorro porn mustache… Zabriskie-rific!



• There’s nothing better than putting 28’s on the Colnago and riding the dirt roads back home in Pennsylvania. Don’t believe me? Then let’s go on a road trip and I’ll show you a good time in PA. Dear God… What I’m I saying? Oh no! The Zorro porn mustache has taken over my brain!!

• Andrew’s observation of The Smiths while on trip to Toy’s ‘R Us: “Dad, the singer sounds like Barney. You know… the guy that’s on The Simpsons.”



• Some of you are probably wondering, “Don… Are you ever going to race this year?” The answer is yes. If (and the key word here is if) everything falls into place I’ll be racing plenty of cyclocross. The goal this year was to do some local time trials events, race the Westlake crits at least once a month, and of course race cross. As stated earlier those goals had to be adjusted around the real world and now I’m just racing against myself on the trainer.

• Being awaken before the pre-dawn trainer ritual by Andrew to the tune of “DAD! WAKE UP!! GRANDMA NEEDS HELP!!!” is not the best way to start off your day. Going upstairs to find a two-pint trail of blood from the guest bedroom to the bathroom definitely is not the best way to start off the day.

• Let’s be honest. Riding and racing are a lot like the lyrics to the song by Judas Priest, Pain and Pleasure… You give me pain, but you bring me pleasure. So when Campagnolo teamed up with Trojan Brand Condoms to redesign the rubber hoods for the 2009 shift levers I got… well, how would you say… a little aroused.



• Start saving your pennies everyone. Laurie’s book, UNBEATABLE - The Whole Story, will be published at the end of the month and will be available through all major bookstores and Amazon. If asked nicely there’s a good chance she’ll be able to arrange a signed copy of the book for you. But only for a price so start saving your pennies. :-) When more details are available I’ll post an update.

• This is classified information for Dave only. If your name isn’t Dave or your initials are not DS then the information below is not for you. I repeat…STOP READING THIS TOP SECRET, CLASSIFIED INFORMATION IF YOUR NAME IS NOT DAVE!

Hey Dave, you can get the (un)official Riding With the Devil t-shirt at velogear.com.

• Some of you are probably wondering, “Don… Is the Zanconato cyclocross bike one sweet pimped out ride?” The answer is… HELL YEAH!!!


Well this is the abridged version of the past 93 days of living the rock star lifestyle with Donny Frey. The audience is calling for the band to get on stage for an encore so I’m going jump back into the limelight. The show must go on.

Sheldon Brown: 1944 - 2008

Sheldon Brown was cycling's version of the Encyclopedia Britannica. His website was my first reference to the world of troubleshooting bicycle related problems, especially when there was frame shimmy issues happening with one of my bikes. Godspeed Sheldon Brown.

Happy 5th Anniversary Honey!

Today marks the fifth anniversary of my wife Laurie being being diagnosed with Stage 3A breast cancer. Hitting the five-year mark without a recurrence is a big milestone in the cancer journey. To put it in cycling terms, Laurie is still climbing Alpe d'Huez yet she can do some soft-pedaling today.

While going through treatment Laurie came up with an idea to develop a musical based around her cancer experience. With the help of a very talented creative team* “UNBEATABLE, A Musical Journey” has become a reality. The show has been performed in Phoenix and Cleveland in a workshop/stage reading format. And just this past August, UNBEATABLE performed a showcase in Midtown Manhattan.

Yesterday Laurie and Eric Coble had the honor of speaking at Hiram College about the creative process behind UNBEATABLE. Laurie and I both feel that this is just the beginning of the many exciting things in store for UNBEATABLE and the great opportunities for her and us.

Laurie… You are beautiful, courageous, determined, and have a compassionate heart. Keep the turning the pedals over to your next milestone.


* The UNBEATABLE Creative Team
Laurie Frey - Co-Creator, Producer
Michael Barnard - Co-Creator, Director • Phoenix Theatre
Eric Coble - Book Writer • A fresh voice for the CH-UH School Board
Todd Schroeder - Composer/Lyricist • Todd's MySpace Link
Kevin Fisher - Composer/Lyricist • Kevin's MySpace Link
Journey Projects LLC - Everything about UNBEATABLE and more.
UNBEATABLE's MySpace Page

My first bike.

Yes... That's yours truly in his finest cycling moment. And again the answer is yes... All the little ladies in the neighborhood couldn't resist me in those pants. :-)

It's hard to tell from the photo but my dad modified the pedals by adding a few rubber spacers so that I could reach them. Dad has always been great at fixing things or coming up with solutions to make something work better.

It's kinda of cool to look at the younger photo and then see where I'm at now in the my profile photo. It is a weird, wild path that life takes us.

Proof that my head is messed up.

Over the years friends and family have said that I'm "crazy" or that I've got a "screw lose". As reported on Yahoo this past Sunday, I now have proof that my brain is damaged.

My first migraine occurred in the 2002 and I've had a total of 4 since then. In the Yahoo article it's mentioned that migraines are often preceded by "aura" which are a series of visual disturbances that can include flashes of light or black spots. I found this fascinating because I've had black spot visual disturbances since I was 9 years old without having a migraine, though my last migraine did start with a black spot aura.

Anyway... Here are some points of interest if you don't feel like reading the whole article.

• People with migraines also may be suffering from some brain damage as brain cells swell and become starved of oxygen..."

• Two studies, including one published last week in the Archives in Internal Medicine, show that people who have migraines are more likely to have heart attacks.

• A 2004 study in the British Medical Journal found that migraine sufferers are twice as likely to suffer a stroke as people who do not have the headaches.

It's not bad enough that I feel old, slow, and fat after my bike ride to HubBub yesterday. Now I've got heart attacks and strokes to look forward to. This is just the best news ever. Yea for me!!!


On a positive note I got a call from Mike Zanconato this morning to cover any last minute questions. Mike is going to be building for me one of the finest, race specific cyclocross bikes you can own. And of course it's going to be total Euro-trash. More about Zank and the frame build later.

Also check out my bro EPO. He's kicking ass at RATL this year! I can't express how happy I am for him. John has worked extremely hard to become the bike racer that he is today. And it's not like he has all the free time in the world to ride. John is a devoted husband and father to three cool kids, holds down a full time job (I still can't grasp what John does at the Cleveland Clinic other than you've got to be very intelligent to do his job), and is in the process of getting his Doctorate Degree at Case Western Reserve University. He does all this and fits the bike riding/racing in when he can. Now that's Belgian spirit.

The benefits and repercussions of weight gain.

Last year at this time my weight was at 157 lbs. By society standards that’s very good. But according to the laws of cycling I still could’ve lost a few pounds to be more competitive. Now fast-forwarding to today on the scales of truth. My weight was 167, which is 2 pounds less than a month ago from when I started keeping track in 2007. At my height of 5’ 10 5/8”, 167 lbs is a lot of weight for me or any other cyclist. To put this into perspective, on July 23, 2001 I was 142 lbs with a body fat percentage of 6.2.

Now I’m not going to make excuses for the weight gain. I got fat… It’s time to move on. Still there have been some interesting discoveries I’ve uncovered while spending time with my soft, warm friends.

Pros:
1. Not once during the winter did I get sick. On average once or twice during the winter season I’ll be fighting a nasty cold that has me suffering for 1 to 3 weeks. Since tomorrow is officially the first day of spring (and I’m felling good) it’s safe to say that the 10 lbs must be keeping me just a little bit healthier.

2. I’m less likely to be hurt in a bar fight. There’s more padding to absorb the blows. Plus guys are less likely to start a fight with big, fat dudes.

3. I wasn’t as cold this past winter. My wife can testify that there have been many past winters where I’ll be freezing to the point that my teeth will start chattering and I can’t control my body from shaking. Not only did this not happen but I didn’t have to wear as many clothes to be comfortable inside or out.

Cons:
1. My clothes don’t fit anymore, especially the dress pants. Sad but true… I can’t button up any of my pants and have only one pair of jeans that I can button up.


2. By mid-afternoon my chest starts hurting. It’s the same feeling that I had in college when I was carrying a few extra pounds. Though the pain could be stress related too. One thing’s for certain, I don’t have any pain when the pounds aren’t on my body.

3. The first rides and races of the year are going to be flat out painful especially when the road starts to turn upward.

Well… It’s time to do what my bro, John (EPO) Ehrlinger has prescribed for rapid weight loss. “Don, just get on your bike and ride!”