Bicycling
The family also enjoys bicycling. In 1967 Dave took a European Summer Trip after graduating from Hicksville High School on Long Island, New York. (It was the payoff from father Sam who promised the trip when Dave got into college.) Dave bought a bicycle in Luxembourg (an 8-speed Gitanes bike with rear paniers) and took off for Germany, Holland, and Belgium. (Here's a link to Dave's route on Bikely.com.) You can read about this trip through most of Europe on the Travel Page (not written just yet though.)
Dave got back into cycling in New York on one of the most common of the "ten-speeds,"a Peugeot UO-8 bought back in about 1974 (Mary got one too). He never rode very seriously back then by comparison. (He still rides it occasionally.)
Since moving to Springfield, daughter Danielle shamed and challenged him to go for the MS-150. He bought a Trek 2500 and did it back in 2001. Since then he has ridden a Cannondale R600, and most recently a recumbent through the Ozark hills and 'hollars. The 2006 total miles totaled 2,500, a personal best. He's slacked off a little bit since.
He rode the 2009 MS-150 (his tenth), a benefit ride to help raise money for people with multiple sclerosis and their families, and Dave was brave (dumb enough?) to go on day two amidst severe thunderstorms. (This was probably because Dave skipped day 2 in 2005 when the weather was pretty much the same!) If you will sponsor Dave in the MS-150 by donating to the Multiple Sclerosis Society you will get a (at least one) free Bromeliad or other tropical plant. Click here to go to the plants page.
Mary has recently started riding again after many off-years (but has since blamed a recurring inner-ear balance problem for not staying with it.) But she's now a gym regular working the treadmill and a regular walker on the sidewalks she helped to make happen.
Linda now has the triathlon bug and is an Ironwoman! She rides a Cervelo tri-bike complete with the aero bars and she's flying low across Kansas. She completed the Ironman Wisconsin in 2010 and the Ironman Louisville in 2011. Danielle, Linda, and a co-worker of Danielle's won the Downtown Orlando Ladies Team Triathlon in 2006!
Unfortunately on October 2, 2001 (just two weeks after that first MS-150) while on one of his standard training rides, Dave was struck head-on by a car. The bike was smashed on the front of the car and Dave did a superman imitation, his cycling shoe cleats having been ripped from the clip-in pedals. After flying over the hood, bouncing off the windshield and roof of the car, he finally came to rest later about 20 feet behind the car in the ditch. Fortunately (?) the car was a small sporty model with a front end shaped like a ski-jump. Of course Dave was wearing a cycling helmet that limited his head injuries to a concussion. His left forearm was shattered (a distal radius fracture) necessitating surgery to install an external fixator and six titanium pins. The fifth metacarpal bone on his left hand was also fractured and the medial collateral ligament (MCL) was damaged in his left knee. Four front teeth were broken off. There were several chunks of carbon fiber that punctured his right leg and road rash was everywhere. His left ankle was sprained and there were blood clots in his left leg.
If you think you can stomach some pictures click here (be warned, they aren't pretty).
Dave spent two full weeks in the hospital and took four months of physical therapy on the knee and wrist.
If you or anyone you know cycles (certainly your children), please insist they wear a helmet!
| Dave switched to a under-seat-steering short-wheelbase recumbent in 2004. (Yes, it's radical.) |
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 | Dave is the current President of the Springbike Bicycle Club (webmaster too). Come ride with us! |
Is there any hope for the boys? Well, at least they play lots of soccer to keep in shape.
All four kids ran the Disney Half-Marathon a few years ago... FUN!
Click here for some cycling links...