Sunday, Sept 13, 2015, marked 1 year, 5 months, & 20 days since I last rode a bicycle. Complications arising from my diagnosis of prostate cancer resulted in my oncologist issuing a “cease & desist” recommendation. Subsequent surgery pretty much cemented those instructions. Attempts to get back in the saddle after some time to recover had not been met with success. Certain areas of my anatomy protested with a very vocal NO whenever I sat on a bike.
BUT, yesterday, I met with Jayne at BHS to test a new saddle that purportedly would address my issues. I’ll be the first to admit that I did not have much faith in this test, but vowed to give it a shot. I had so little faith in fact that I didn’t bring a riding jersey, shorts, or a proper water bottle. Just a T-shirt, street shorts, a bottle of water from the fridge, and my riding shoes. My expectation was, if this were any sort of improvement over a standard saddle that I’d only manage to ride down to the stop sign, turn around, and come back with a verdict. This device is very different. For starters, it’s shaped like a C and lacks the long nose of a standard saddle. Hmmmm. After a bit of fiddling, it was on the bike and we were ready to test. But first, I straddled it while in the hangar because I didn’t see the logic in dragging the bike out to the highway to end up not riding (confidence was low!). HELLO! This thing felt good! What a surprise. Fast forward to the road… At the road, I gently climbed on again. Surprise! No discomfort. Hmmm, I’m going to pedal. HELLO again, no pain. This is in fact excellent! A few quick position adjustments and I’m on again, cruising down 903 with my friends in tow. SOOOOOO HAPPY! Now read line 1 of this email again: 1 year, 5 months, & 20 days. No stamina, and weak legs, but my coach wants us to ride a 3 mile loop. This becomes 5, then 7, and ends up being close to 9 or 10. I barely had it in me, and was truly pooped when we got back. But the saddle works, and I’m ecstatic that I can begin riding again. I’ve noticed that all of my recovery has been slower than I expected, but I keep progressing. 6 months ago a 1 mile walk nearly killed me, and yesterday the ride on the bike felt the same. That will pass, and I hope that in another 6-9 months I will be close to where I was pre-cancer diagnosis on the bike. Thank you all for the encouragement, and thank you Jayne for finding that seat! It means a lot to me.