Last Saturday I did my duty on sag wagon support for the team. Since I can't ride I figure I will support the team by helping out with the sag wagon. Saggy Bill has things so well organized that there wasn't very much for me to do, but I did bring bags of ice which I was offering at the second stop where I figured it would be most needed. I also figured that I am there if anybody needs transport. This week nobody needed a ride unlike the previous week when there were two of us getting a ride for the last few miles.

It was a beautiful day for a ride. They started in Kent and went up through Black Diamond and Enumclaw. I think they did about 70 miles. I found that the sag wagon involved a lot of time sitting in the car and waiting. It was very nice listening to the birds and I had brought some stitching along to keep me busy. The first sag stop was at Black Diamond so I had time to go in and buy some bread from the bakery. Next week I will do this again

I went to the doctor today and it looks as if I will not be doing the STP. He said I should avoid riding until my knee heals which can be 2-6 weeks and then I should just start out with short rides and if it starts hurting I need to stop. He recommended that I don't do the STP and I know that if I miss that much training I won't be able to catch up anyway. I may be able to switch the credit for my fund raising for another event later in the year. At nany rate I know the money that I have raised has gone to a good cause and I now feel comfortable about continuing to ride which was one of my goals.

Yesterday was a beautiful day for a ride, the nicest weather I have had on a ride to date. We started in Monroe and rode north to Granite Falls. There were two options for the ride, a 75 mile ride to Arlington and back or a 50 mile option to Granite Falls and back. The ride took us through the countryside and then through rolling hills around Lake Stevens and Granite Falls. For part of the ride we were on the same course as the Tour de Cure riders. I did fairly well on the first part of the ride and even made it up a few hills. However the hills took a toll on my knee and I started hurting with the result that I grabbed a ride with the sag wagon at about mile 36 (just about the point where we left the hills for the flat). Today I will be spending the day with a bag of ice.

Yesterday I had a nice long ride on the Foothills Trail between Puyallup and South Prairie. Although there was a head wind (both ways!) it did not rain. It is a nice ride through the countryside past rhubarb fields and cows and along the river for part of the ride. I was using my new clips and did very well until I came to the last crossroad before the parking lot. As I was slowing to stop I did not free my foot in time and fell. I got some lovely bruises on my arm and collarbone but the worst damage was to my knee. I didn't think it was too bad and was able to get up and start walking. I even was able to get back on the bike and ride the little way to the car. By the time I got home I was starting to hurt and getting up from the chair was not any fun. This morning instead of going on the scheduled 70 mile ride I went to the Urgent Care and they said I had a sprain and told me that I should not do any biking until it is healed. They wrapped my knee and prescribed some painkillers. The info they gave me said it could take 3 - 6 weeks to heal. If that is the case I won't be doing the STP because I will never be able to catch up on the missed training. I'll keep you posted.