Saturday Update
To sum it up, I am fucked up. My leg ended up infected from the crash at the crit. I will post later on how I think it got infected, but I am short on time now. I went to the hospital last night in Salzburg and they cleaned up my leg and told me I probably need antibiotics, but they wanted to see if cleaning it up would work first. They also told me to come back on Sunday. I told them that I have had many of these abrasions and that this one hurts like a bitch. I am in serious pain and there is an obvious problem. Hopefully tomorrow they will give me some antibiotics so I can get rid of the swelling and pain in my leg.
My back is feeling better, but it is still sore from time to time. I am in a mental crisis as far as training goes. I have not done anything since crashing over a week ago. I went from being in very good form for early season to being infected and spending over a week off of the bike. It is totally depressing. My coach told me just to work on getting well and we can adjust my training when I return. Even so, it just sucks.
Today we did some sightseeing around Salzburg. This area in my opinion is one of the most beautiful areas in the world. I could see myself living in a place like this. However, I want to get home to see the boys. I keep asking my wife about them and Angelo keeps asking her about me. She is tired of being the middle person
The view of the Alps from my colleague's patio.
Someone with my last name has built an ice cream empire in Europe.
My colleague Klaus on the left and his family. They are great people and great hosts. I enjoy visiting them annually.
We went up to a ski resort in Germany not far from Salzburg and had lunch today.
My back is feeling better, but it is still sore from time to time. I am in a mental crisis as far as training goes. I have not done anything since crashing over a week ago. I went from being in very good form for early season to being infected and spending over a week off of the bike. It is totally depressing. My coach told me just to work on getting well and we can adjust my training when I return. Even so, it just sucks.
Today we did some sightseeing around Salzburg. This area in my opinion is one of the most beautiful areas in the world. I could see myself living in a place like this. However, I want to get home to see the boys. I keep asking my wife about them and Angelo keeps asking her about me. She is tired of being the middle person
The view of the Alps from my colleague's patio.
Someone with my last name has built an ice cream empire in Europe.
My colleague Klaus on the left and his family. They are great people and great hosts. I enjoy visiting them annually.
We went up to a ski resort in Germany not far from Salzburg and had lunch today.
posted by Chris at 10:13 AM
24 Comments:
Although your leg makes me want to throw up, you look really hot in that ice cream picture. ;-)
We miss you lots and lots.
That stinks. All you can do is get better, and the fitness will return. It sucks to feel like you've lost all the time invested in training, but that's how it goes in bike racing. Infections are nothing to screw around with, so keep it clean and be good to your immune system. If that means eating ice cream, you can make that sacrifice.
Hey Chris, Sorry to read about your leg. I guess it was worse than it looked in your pictures from last week. Take it easy and get some triple antibiotic cream for it, that's what my mom (a nurse) gave me for my race crash last year when I had a huge road rash all over my leg, and it did a pretty good job that I always have a tube of it in my cycling bag.
Don't worry about the training. I read in a bicycling magazine that it takes twice as much to get back to your original fitness as you were off the bike. So if you can get back on the bike in a few weeks, it won't take long for you to get back, and besides. Look at me though, I got hit by a car, couldn't ride my bike for 12 weeks! I'm on my 14th week right now since the crash and I already feel "almost" back to my original state, so if I can bounce back that well and I'm still a newer cyclist, I'm sure you can get right back into it. Another thing, being off the bike for 12 weeks has motivated me to work 5x harder and I let NOTHING hold me back once I got back on the bike. I'm sure you will do the same thing!!!
Those pictures of your stay make me want to leave the country. It looks like a very beautiful country. I plan to go overseas at one point in my life for a year or so, just to hang out, work, race, etc. I want to know what life is like outside of the USA, and the experiences I can get that you can't learn in a classroom! Enjoy being out of the country!
oh man. that looks yucky.
take care of it. can you get tegaderm there? that's stuff works like magic on road rash.
although i'd guess you need yours to settle down from the infection before you put it on.
hope you feel better soon.
Man, that is fugly. Take care and heal fast!
Ouch. Get better soon, mate. Don't worry about your fitness too much. It comes back quickly. I was off the bike for five days. Five rides since and I posted a new best time up a 7 km climb! Sometimes the legs just need that rest.
Mmmhhh, Cornetto! The ice cream that is. :-)
And I agree with you on Salzburg! Such a beautiful place! Don't forget to eat Mozartkugeln!
Hi Chris,
Sorry to hear about your bad experience and don't worry about your training. Eat well and get plenty of rest, you will heel up quick. Your coach will get you back in shape in no time!!!
Take care!
AMR
Watch the red part and if it starts to grow get the 'biotics immediately!
perhaps you're the unknown heir to a mega-euro ice cream estate...
may sound funny and po-dunk but whenever i'd get cut or scraped up and it started looking like that my mom would make me soak it in the hottest water i could stand with tide detergent. i still do it cuz it seems to work.
anyway, take care of it!
don't forget about the beer...
peace out, yo!
Hey, Chris - I SO know how you feel. Well, not the infected leg part, but the being prevented from training by being f***'d up. It totally SUCKS to go from fit 'n frisky to f***'d.
Best wishes to you. Hope you're back to 100% soon! Hope we BOTH are!
Your Comrade in Pain -
EclectChick
Yeeeouch! I thought you were just showing off how much your calves had bulked up...then I read "infection". Oooh. No bueno. Don't worry about a week off from training. Just get better. You won't loose much in a short time. Just stay on top of your mental game!
Enjoy the rest of your time there.
That leg looks nasty. I'm sorry that you are having so much trouble with it. Hopefully the docs can get it cleared up and get you back on the bike soon. Your name is Chris Choco? LOL!! Just kidding. Enjoy the rest of your trip.
I'm with your wife.
Well, on the throwing up part!
At least your in a country where you can get good medical help without a HMO card.
Seriously, infections can be deadly man, so focus on getting that treated.
If I had a choice to be an heir to a fortune, I think Ice Cream would be my first choice.
Have a great time there, but get better soon!
I did it again; using my wife's address.
Anyway, get better and get home!
Yee-ouch! Get a few leeches and do some blood letting. And perhaps a few maggots to feed on the decayed flesh. Seriously though, that thing needs some treatment.
And maybe the rest will do you some good. I felt better on rides this weekend, after a week of little time on the bike,than I have in a while.
Ah, put a band aid on it and stop whinning :)
Alison
Those are some sick views of the Alps. Too bad your legs in bad shape, atleast you aren't pro or anything that you'll demand a quick recovery. It does suck though to spend all that time training and coming to this.
That does suck! BUT don't stress too much. The stress works against your recovery. The week off the bike won't set you back too bad! Just get well and you'll be back on form before you know it.
Your leg is one big oozing sore.
On the other hand, you're in the Alps eating your very own signature ice cream. Life seems to have a way of balancing itself out, huh?
Extra Credit: Write this as a mathematical equation when you have some downtime on the airplane.
Ouch Chris. Get better mate. It is the most important thing.
But secondly, I was off the bike for 2 weeks with my crash. I came back stronger and a better rider. I needed the time off the saddle. If you have been putting in the hard yards in training, a week or so of the bike can help.
Get well, Scott.
Fendergal - I ate both of those. I figure if I am going to be out of shape, I may as well be fat too.
Zach - Run ins with cars are a bad deal. I am glad to hear you are back to a good place.
Lauren - I have mixed feelings about Tegaderm. I will post more on that later.
Rick - Thanks for the advice. The doctor in Austria said they quit using leaches 150 years ago. It was worth suggesting though.
Groover - I know it will come back quickly. Good job on the PB.
AMR - I have the eating well part covered at least. Is it possible to gain 5kg in a week? If so, I may have done that.
About us - did you buy a house in Iowa yet?
Blue - I will have to give that a try. When we were kids I gave my brother a bath in Tide powder. He broke out in some kind of rash. My parents weren't amused.
Eclectchick - how is your back? How was the trip back from Texas?
Chatterbox - I wish my calf was that properly pumped.
Jahowie - You are the only one that realized that my last name is Choco. HA!
Oldman - ice cream taster would be a solid job.
Alison - thanks for your European perspective. :)
Ron - the Alps are one of the most awesome sites I have ever seen. I think the only thing we have in the US that rival their ruggedness are the Tetons.
Donald - if stress hurts recovery, I am really screwed. HA!
Jeff - yes, there are upsides to all the downsides in life for sure.
Sev - thanks for the wishes.
Ouch. Ouch. Ouch.
Don't worry about taking a week or two off. Rest can be a good thing, and ice cream helps all heal all injuries :-)
That just looks nasty! Take what you need to get better as mentioned, it's early in the season....get better soon!
Ouch, that sucks. I agree with your coach, even though it's hard -- you have to focus on health first, fitness second, 'cause if you're not healthy your fitness isn't worth anything.
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