Rest and recovery

I was down, but I'm not out. But boy, it sure the heck felt like it. I'll explain what that all means in a minute.

Fat biking at the farm.

Today's photo shows me fat biking at the Vaughans' Elm Hill Farm on Feb. 12. No big deal; it was just a nice day to cruise around the open fields and soak in the warm sunshine. But I haven't even touched a bike since that day. The reason? The dreaded flu bug latched onto my body and knocked the stuffing right out of me.

So no bike riding, inside or out. No working at the bike shop. No time at my other part-time gig at People Plus. No nothing. I even missed posting a regular blog entry last week. I'm just spending my days and nights resting and recovering, which at my age seems to take a little longer.

Anyway, hopefully I'll be back up to speed — health-wise and on my two-wheeled machines — here pretty soon. Being off bikes for so long is never a good thing for me.

Just one last thing before I go and take another nap. A 57-year-old cyclist here in Maine was killed the other day while fat biking on groomed trails at a state park. Authorities believe he lost control, was launched from his bike, and died from a neck or spinal cord injury. Not in a million years would I ever think of something like that happening, especially on a bulky, usually low-speed bicycle. And being off-road. So sad and so sorry. Prayers and good thoughts to his family and friends.

It also puts a little different perspective on complaining about my silly sickness. Be safe out there!