I made it.
I completed the Prouty century bike ride, my first with the new hip. As in past years, it wasn’t all that hard, it just took a long time. And as I expected, my replaced hip was never in pain. Thank you, Dr. Moschetti.
I don’t claim any special merit for doing this. Many hundreds of others did it, of a wide range of ages, and many of them went longer and faster than me and my carbon-fiber bike.
I was relieved that my average speed of 14.4 mph was better than I typically did in recent training. Not as good as in the past. I’m slowing, but the decline is not dramatic.
I have had to get used to getting passed by more people—not just fit young men, but some chubby riders and lots of women. My neighbor Heide went past me as if I were double-parked; but that’s no surprise. She’s 6 ft. 2 ins., lean, and until recently a U.S. national team crew stroke. The only passers I took hard were the white-haired women. One silver mane was on the second hundred-mile day of her “ultimate” ride. We chatted about my “crash-test-dummy jersey,” and a few minutes later she disappeared over the next hill.
The weather was close to ideal: little wind, overcast, cool, drizzly at times. Thunderstorms were forecast, but never arrived. Coolness made it easier to stay hydrated.
The ride was impressively organized, with nine food and refreshment stops, some with bike mechanic trucks, others with volunteer cheering sections. Signs along were informative or amusing. My favorite was the one staffed by a white-haired cheering section at the senior living community at the top of the last steep climb before the finish line: “You’re over the hill and so are we.”
The best news for hip replacement patients is that biking–even long distances–is easy on your hips. For more information, click on <www.gethip.info>
A few details on the ride preparation, see “pushing the envelope.”
Rob
GetHip! 