I've been wearing earplugs while riding and racing since the late 80s. (I also wear them when flying and sometimes when sleeping in hotels.) But the giro really puts some extra stress on the earplugs. I end up wearing them much of the day and then sometimes all night in the hotel! The problem is, the foam earplugs really seam to push out on your ear canal, and it can actually really hurt when you pull them out after a couple days of use. One solution I have found is to use smaller diameter ear plugs. You can get a sample kit of cheap disposable foam plugs of all different sizes from a place called the earplug store. I found the Mack's "Safe Sound Jr." to work best for me. They are soft and smaller diameter than most.
But this year, I've decided to try some custom made earplugs. Technically, they do not offer the same sound reduction as the disposable foam plugs, because the are made of a more solid silicone material. But they are cast to the shape of your ear and thus I hope will not be trying to expand my ear canal for hours like the foam ones do!
I made an appointment with Linda at EarPlugs USA. She made a set for myself and for Lorraine very quickly and professionally. She seems to be a pro at this, and that made us both more comfortable with the experience. In short, she puts a tiny cotton ball in your ear as a safeguard to prevent and of the silicone from going to far into your ear, and then fills your ear with silicone goop. You wait a bit while it hardens. Then she removes the plug and and the cotton ball. She does some cleanup work to the plug and you can get the plugs later. I was really happy with the attention and work Linda did to get our earplugs right.
I'll report on how they worked after the giro!
Carl
Jumat, 09 Mei 2008
Selasa, 06 Mei 2008
Packing!
It's time to get packing!
The one good feature of last year's pre-race incident is that I brought all my gear home untouched. I put all that Motogiro specific stuff in it's own cardboard box; so this year all I have to do is get out that box and it has all that stuff already organized.
After 5 trips to the giro and being an engineer, I'm pretty organized. I actually have a list of every item I need to bring. From a spark plug gapper to my riding shorts. So between my list, and the giro specific stuff being all ready, it shouldn't be too hard.
The problem remains, it is a mountain of gear. Helmet, boots, full leathers, tools plus all the regular stuff for two weeks holiday... it's just heavy and takes a lot of space! And managing multiple gear bags while running between hotels is a major drag. So what many of us do is get one giant bag. The "bag of choice" has been the gigantic Ogio 9800. Many of the riders use it. It swallows all the gear easily and is really tough. The problem is, it's technically too large to be allowed on the flights as checked baggage without paying a big baggage penalty. But so far I haven't had anyone measure it and complain. One year they almost stopped it at SFO, but the couldn't find a manager to check it, and they just let me through. If I encounter a problem, I intend to make it clear it's spoting equipment... most airlines let skis bicycles and golf bags on, even though they are too big. Also, the last couple years the weight limit has gone down, most airlines only allow each checked bag to be 50 pounds maximum (check your airline and bag, don't trust me!). And they stick to that rather vigorously. So I always weigh my bag before I head to the airport. And on the return trip, I always pack some heavy items in a separate bag inside the main one, so I can pull it out if it's too heavy.
At any rate, the problem for me has been weight, the Ogio 9800 is plenty big (9800 cu in) for 50 pounds of gear. This year I'm going to try a new bag because it's on sale at my sponsor, Cycle Gear. Its the Ogio 7900. This bag is significantly smaller, at 7900 cu in. Thats about 30 liters or 8 gal smaller, if that helps you visualize it. However, in the past my problem has been weight not volume. Another benefit is the 7900 is lighter by about 5 pounds. That's 5 pounds more gear you can bring, a big help. The 7900 is also narrower, which will help maneuvering.
The negatives of the 7900? While the 7900 is significantly less volume, its actually 2.5" BIGGER in L x W x H dimensions! It's actually a bit trapezoidal in shape, so it's volume is less while it's measurement is bigger. This could be a technical problem at the airport. But I'm betting since it looks smaller it will be easier to get through. And since a soft bag, you can always smush it some, I hope. ;-) Ther other negatives of the 7900 are that it has fewer pockets to organize stuff, but the ones on the 9800 were never that useful to me. And it's not built quite as robustly as the tank -like 9800.
But the positives of the 9800; lighter weight, narrower and looks smaller make it worth a try for me this year.
The Ogio 7900 has a nice compartment at one end for your helmet, and another for your boots at the other end. I put my helmet in a "Scorpion RaceCase Street", which is the only hard case I've found that offers some bump and bash protection and that whole case fits right in either Ogio bag. I plan to load all the Motogiro gear in the bottom of the bag, and then my regular stuff on top. That way the giro stiff just sits while I vacation the week before the giro starts.
(As an aside: I have never found a bag that fits the 62" maximum the airlines state that can hold my helmet and gear safely. The Ogio 7900 comes in at 67.5 inches, but as a soft trapezoidal bag, I'm betting it slides right by. )
That's more than enough about gear bags!
Carl
The one good feature of last year's pre-race incident is that I brought all my gear home untouched. I put all that Motogiro specific stuff in it's own cardboard box; so this year all I have to do is get out that box and it has all that stuff already organized.
After 5 trips to the giro and being an engineer, I'm pretty organized. I actually have a list of every item I need to bring. From a spark plug gapper to my riding shorts. So between my list, and the giro specific stuff being all ready, it shouldn't be too hard.
The problem remains, it is a mountain of gear. Helmet, boots, full leathers, tools plus all the regular stuff for two weeks holiday... it's just heavy and takes a lot of space! And managing multiple gear bags while running between hotels is a major drag. So what many of us do is get one giant bag. The "bag of choice" has been the gigantic Ogio 9800. Many of the riders use it. It swallows all the gear easily and is really tough. The problem is, it's technically too large to be allowed on the flights as checked baggage without paying a big baggage penalty. But so far I haven't had anyone measure it and complain. One year they almost stopped it at SFO, but the couldn't find a manager to check it, and they just let me through. If I encounter a problem, I intend to make it clear it's spoting equipment... most airlines let skis bicycles and golf bags on, even though they are too big. Also, the last couple years the weight limit has gone down, most airlines only allow each checked bag to be 50 pounds maximum (check your airline and bag, don't trust me!). And they stick to that rather vigorously. So I always weigh my bag before I head to the airport. And on the return trip, I always pack some heavy items in a separate bag inside the main one, so I can pull it out if it's too heavy.
At any rate, the problem for me has been weight, the Ogio 9800 is plenty big (9800 cu in) for 50 pounds of gear. This year I'm going to try a new bag because it's on sale at my sponsor, Cycle Gear. Its the Ogio 7900. This bag is significantly smaller, at 7900 cu in. Thats about 30 liters or 8 gal smaller, if that helps you visualize it. However, in the past my problem has been weight not volume. Another benefit is the 7900 is lighter by about 5 pounds. That's 5 pounds more gear you can bring, a big help. The 7900 is also narrower, which will help maneuvering.
The negatives of the 7900? While the 7900 is significantly less volume, its actually 2.5" BIGGER in L x W x H dimensions! It's actually a bit trapezoidal in shape, so it's volume is less while it's measurement is bigger. This could be a technical problem at the airport. But I'm betting since it looks smaller it will be easier to get through. And since a soft bag, you can always smush it some, I hope. ;-) Ther other negatives of the 7900 are that it has fewer pockets to organize stuff, but the ones on the 9800 were never that useful to me. And it's not built quite as robustly as the tank -like 9800.
But the positives of the 9800; lighter weight, narrower and looks smaller make it worth a try for me this year.
The Ogio 7900 has a nice compartment at one end for your helmet, and another for your boots at the other end. I put my helmet in a "Scorpion RaceCase Street", which is the only hard case I've found that offers some bump and bash protection and that whole case fits right in either Ogio bag. I plan to load all the Motogiro gear in the bottom of the bag, and then my regular stuff on top. That way the giro stiff just sits while I vacation the week before the giro starts.
(As an aside: I have never found a bag that fits the 62" maximum the airlines state that can hold my helmet and gear safely. The Ogio 7900 comes in at 67.5 inches, but as a soft trapezoidal bag, I'm betting it slides right by. )
That's more than enough about gear bags!
Carl
Rabu, 26 Maret 2008
Heading to Roma!
This year motogiro took a bit more work to decide on. Long time readers will remember that last year in Sicily we had a car accident days before the giro and we had to withdraw from the event. So this year it is very important for us to go and have a great trip to clear the slate!
For 2008 though, there appear to be two motogiro type events in Italy. One is the "Motogiro d'Italia", organized by Dream Engine (which has had a close relationship with Ducati). Another event is the "Motogiro Race" run by MotoClub Terni (which had been running the competition part of the Motogiro dItalia since the early 1990s). Apparently this year Motoclub Terni is running their own event. While I would love to run in both, I must pick just one.
I really like the Club Terni guys and would love to see them again and their event is significantly less expensive. And the route looks fantastic. But Club Terni has not announced a specific "Motogiro" type class, it appears (from the Italian regulations posted on their website) their oldest and smallest class is 50cc to 400cc for bikes made in 1974 or earlier. I'm not sure that I want to be competing against bikes 20 years newer and twice the size of mine! They would have a big comfort and speed advantage.
The Motogiro d'Italia still has their premier "Historical Commemorative Class" for bikes 175cc or smaller and made before 1957. This is a class that truly represents the original Motogiro to me, and my bike best fits it. So that decided things for me and I signed up for this years Motogiro d'Italia today!
This year's event starts in Rome and runs east to the coastal city of Pescara. From Pescara we ride to Vieste and spend an extra day riding in that area. Then we head back to Pescara for another night and then back to Rome. It will be the usual 5 days and approximately 1000 miles racing through the back roads of Italy. Frankly, I'm not a big fan of starting and ending in Rome, I expect the traffic to be horrible. But they have found us a nice hotel there rest of the route looks very nice!
So now my preparations begin for the Motogiro d'Italia 2008.
Carl
For 2008 though, there appear to be two motogiro type events in Italy. One is the "Motogiro d'Italia", organized by Dream Engine (which has had a close relationship with Ducati). Another event is the "Motogiro Race" run by MotoClub Terni (which had been running the competition part of the Motogiro dItalia since the early 1990s). Apparently this year Motoclub Terni is running their own event. While I would love to run in both, I must pick just one.
I really like the Club Terni guys and would love to see them again and their event is significantly less expensive. And the route looks fantastic. But Club Terni has not announced a specific "Motogiro" type class, it appears (from the Italian regulations posted on their website) their oldest and smallest class is 50cc to 400cc for bikes made in 1974 or earlier. I'm not sure that I want to be competing against bikes 20 years newer and twice the size of mine! They would have a big comfort and speed advantage.
The Motogiro d'Italia still has their premier "Historical Commemorative Class" for bikes 175cc or smaller and made before 1957. This is a class that truly represents the original Motogiro to me, and my bike best fits it. So that decided things for me and I signed up for this years Motogiro d'Italia today!
This year's event starts in Rome and runs east to the coastal city of Pescara. From Pescara we ride to Vieste and spend an extra day riding in that area. Then we head back to Pescara for another night and then back to Rome. It will be the usual 5 days and approximately 1000 miles racing through the back roads of Italy. Frankly, I'm not a big fan of starting and ending in Rome, I expect the traffic to be horrible. But they have found us a nice hotel there rest of the route looks very nice!
So now my preparations begin for the Motogiro d'Italia 2008.
Carl
Kamis, 25 Oktober 2007
Giro d' California Report
I wanted to publicly thank the organizers of the Giro d' California, Harley and Deb for another great event. I really
thought the whole thing was very professional and can only admire the
effort they both put in to make a great event! Thank you Harley! And
thank you Deb!
Here is the story... I was running well in the morning Monday (although not as well as Hans!). We were running north
on 25 looking for the turn on Bitterwater Rd to head toward King City.
Unfortunately, I didn't realize how far off my odometer was, and when
I reached Bitterwater Road, I was not sure it was the turn as I
thought I had more than 2 miles to go. So I kept going on 25 North.
When my odometer ran down to what I thought was the turning point, I
realized I had missed the turn. So I reversed direction and headed
back South. Of course when I finally got to Bitterwater Road, I
thought I was well behind schedule and was zooming as fast as I could
go. And I was totally confused as to what to make of my mileage. At
any rate, I zoomed down Bitterwater. Harley had arranged a gas stop,
with it's accompanying 10 minute break, just before the final check in
front of the lunch stop. When I got to the gas station, I didn't
recognize it, as I still thought the gas stop was a mile or so ahead!
So I rode right by, and turning the corner in town I saw Deb and the
checkpoint right ahead. Knowing I couldn't (by the rules) stop ahead
of the checkpoint, I drove right up to Deb, with her looking at me
with dismay! I was 17 minutes early! I must have been ahead of time to
begin with, and then flown down Bitterwater road, and then gained
another 10 minutes by skipping the gas stop. Sigh. I was "cooked". I realized right away that I was way out of the running.
I was significantly disappointed, but it's hard to stay sorry when on
such a great event and surrounded by such nice people. So I perked up
during lunch.
Actually, the ride after lunch was great, it was nice to enjoy some
time on the Rumi without worrying about my timing!
But then in the evening while cleaning my bike, I found one of the
rear struts that holds my seat above the rear tire had broken. I made
a search for a local welder, but didn't find one open. Frankly, the
Rumi is a real prize for me, and I was very hesitant to just let some
muffler shop have a go at it. I have almost 4000 miles on it since the
restoration, and I'm not hurting to put in miles on it. So after
considering the situation overnight, Lorraine and I decided to work
checkpoints the next day. We worked one right before lunch and one
right at the end of the day. Both were emergency checkpoints, so I
guess our extra help was useful. Regardless, it was much more fun than
I expected. Lorraine and I got to know Dean and Patrick better, and it
was really neat seeing all of the gang come through!
My congratulations to all the winners and especially to Hans. Hans
rode VERY competitively and his commitment to his pace was to be
admired. I can only hope to give him a run next year!
I'll be back in 2008 for sure.
Carl
thought the whole thing was very professional and can only admire the
effort they both put in to make a great event! Thank you Harley! And
thank you Deb!
Here is the story... I was running well in the morning Monday (although not as well as Hans!). We were running north
on 25 looking for the turn on Bitterwater Rd to head toward King City.
Unfortunately, I didn't realize how far off my odometer was, and when
I reached Bitterwater Road, I was not sure it was the turn as I
thought I had more than 2 miles to go. So I kept going on 25 North.
When my odometer ran down to what I thought was the turning point, I
realized I had missed the turn. So I reversed direction and headed
back South. Of course when I finally got to Bitterwater Road, I
thought I was well behind schedule and was zooming as fast as I could
go. And I was totally confused as to what to make of my mileage. At
any rate, I zoomed down Bitterwater. Harley had arranged a gas stop,
with it's accompanying 10 minute break, just before the final check in
front of the lunch stop. When I got to the gas station, I didn't
recognize it, as I still thought the gas stop was a mile or so ahead!
So I rode right by, and turning the corner in town I saw Deb and the
checkpoint right ahead. Knowing I couldn't (by the rules) stop ahead
of the checkpoint, I drove right up to Deb, with her looking at me
with dismay! I was 17 minutes early! I must have been ahead of time to
begin with, and then flown down Bitterwater road, and then gained
another 10 minutes by skipping the gas stop. Sigh. I was "cooked". I realized right away that I was way out of the running.
I was significantly disappointed, but it's hard to stay sorry when on
such a great event and surrounded by such nice people. So I perked up
during lunch.
Actually, the ride after lunch was great, it was nice to enjoy some
time on the Rumi without worrying about my timing!
But then in the evening while cleaning my bike, I found one of the
rear struts that holds my seat above the rear tire had broken. I made
a search for a local welder, but didn't find one open. Frankly, the
Rumi is a real prize for me, and I was very hesitant to just let some
muffler shop have a go at it. I have almost 4000 miles on it since the
restoration, and I'm not hurting to put in miles on it. So after
considering the situation overnight, Lorraine and I decided to work
checkpoints the next day. We worked one right before lunch and one
right at the end of the day. Both were emergency checkpoints, so I
guess our extra help was useful. Regardless, it was much more fun than
I expected. Lorraine and I got to know Dean and Patrick better, and it
was really neat seeing all of the gang come through!
My congratulations to all the winners and especially to Hans. Hans
rode VERY competitively and his commitment to his pace was to be
admired. I can only hope to give him a run next year!
I'll be back in 2008 for sure.
Carl
Senin, 24 September 2007
A few Secret Tips for the Giro D'California
Next week I take my 1955 Moto Rumi Bicarburatore to the premier California vintage Italian bike event, the Giro D' California. This is the third running of the event and competition is going to be fierce. I've managed to win the past two years and have really enjoyed some good luck.
But now I'm going to tell a few anecdotes and give away a few secrets. Frankly, there are more than a couple guys who really know what they are doing and are gunning for the win this year. But there are also riders who are new to this kind of event, and a few tips might help them understand the fun of the competition!
- Read the rules and the tips that Harley provides for the event. Harley provides this info directly:
- Know what is happening regarding time, speed and distance (TSD) right from the very start. Last year I realized that it would be hard to make the first checkpoint on time, and so I flew out of the gate. I was late to that first checkpoint by a couple minutes but everyone else was much later. The lead I made on that first checkpoint brought me the win, even though I was beaten on other checkpoints that day as well as the second day. (Note that my Rumi is far from the fastest bike out there; that wasn't why I did so well. It was my being aware that I had to really get moving right from the start that was most important.)
- To track the TSD, I just took Harley's roll chart and penned in the time I was supposed to be at each turn, estimated from his time sheet. (He suggests you can write the mileage for every mile of the route, but I don't do that much.) If it looked like I was going to get somewhere too early, I'd slow down. And I sped up if it seemed I was going to be too late.
- You can also guess where the surprise checkpoints might be, and where they are unlikely to be, by looking at the rules and the map. One time last year I pulled over right before a major town, guessing the checkpoint might be there and knowing I was ahead of time. Lots of people passed me and arrived early... when I was back on schedule I started again, finding the surprise checkpoint only about 100 meters in front of me over the hill! It was a just a guess on my part, but an educated one.
- Have a strategy. You can try and ride the exact speed noted, but on these old bikes that might be hard. Typically you can't go fast enough uphill. And sometimes it's easy to be going way too fast. How are you going to keep on pace? Can you see a big mountain ahead? Maybe you should be going faster to get ahead of time before it, etc.
- Watch your competitors. Last year Lorin and I had a fantastic run for one of the checkpoints. Being next to each other in the starting order, we only had to hit the checkpoints 30 seconds apart. We found ourselves riding together, and we both knew if we stayed together, neither of us could pull a significant lead on the other! It was hilarious as we tailed each other, sometimes riding slow, sometimes fast while watching our time speed distance charts. We knew we were both watching each other's every move! Finally we stumbled on the next checkpoint. I made a point to quickly get it done and zoomed off without waiting. And I never saw Lorin again after that due to the curvy roads.
- Watch your competitors, version 2. If people are following you, essentially keeping time with you, find a way to break them off of your tail. I've been known to hide down a side road or behind a parked truck to let people pass.
- Watch your competitors, (version 3) but DON'T follow them. We left town at the start, and as I had to make a bike adjustment, I stopped for a minute right after the start. I was caught by the next pack of riders and followed them. This was the second day, so people knew roughly where the route went, or so they thought. The leading rider went down the ramp for the highway, and I knew immediately that was wrong. Harley doesn't run us on the major highways, and more importantly, we hadn't reached the mileage for the next turn. But, the rest of the pack followed down the ramp. I stopped for a moment and considered, and then I continued on my way. At lunch several of those riders were asking about why their mileages were all off and why they hit the checkpoints early. Ends up the detour they took cleanly merged back on the route, so they never knew they took a wrong turn. And I didn't answer Ivan's questions about what I thought of the supposedly messed up mileages! ;-).
Best luck to you!
Carl
But now I'm going to tell a few anecdotes and give away a few secrets. Frankly, there are more than a couple guys who really know what they are doing and are gunning for the win this year. But there are also riders who are new to this kind of event, and a few tips might help them understand the fun of the competition!
- Read the rules and the tips that Harley provides for the event. Harley provides this info directly:
The rules are posted on girodcalifornia dot com and explain where checkpoints can be located, scoring, etc.:There is some additional info on the AMA District 36 web site on Enduro Timekeeping, which is what the T-S-D of the Giro is based upon:
- To track the TSD, I just took Harley's roll chart and penned in the time I was supposed to be at each turn, estimated from his time sheet. (He suggests you can write the mileage for every mile of the route, but I don't do that much.) If it looked like I was going to get somewhere too early, I'd slow down. And I sped up if it seemed I was going to be too late.
- You can also guess where the surprise checkpoints might be, and where they are unlikely to be, by looking at the rules and the map. One time last year I pulled over right before a major town, guessing the checkpoint might be there and knowing I was ahead of time. Lots of people passed me and arrived early... when I was back on schedule I started again, finding the surprise checkpoint only about 100 meters in front of me over the hill! It was a just a guess on my part, but an educated one.
- Have a strategy. You can try and ride the exact speed noted, but on these old bikes that might be hard. Typically you can't go fast enough uphill. And sometimes it's easy to be going way too fast. How are you going to keep on pace? Can you see a big mountain ahead? Maybe you should be going faster to get ahead of time before it, etc.
- Watch your competitors. Last year Lorin and I had a fantastic run for one of the checkpoints. Being next to each other in the starting order, we only had to hit the checkpoints 30 seconds apart. We found ourselves riding together, and we both knew if we stayed together, neither of us could pull a significant lead on the other! It was hilarious as we tailed each other, sometimes riding slow, sometimes fast while watching our time speed distance charts. We knew we were both watching each other's every move! Finally we stumbled on the next checkpoint. I made a point to quickly get it done and zoomed off without waiting. And I never saw Lorin again after that due to the curvy roads.
- Watch your competitors, version 2. If people are following you, essentially keeping time with you, find a way to break them off of your tail. I've been known to hide down a side road or behind a parked truck to let people pass.
- Watch your competitors, (version 3) but DON'T follow them. We left town at the start, and as I had to make a bike adjustment, I stopped for a minute right after the start. I was caught by the next pack of riders and followed them. This was the second day, so people knew roughly where the route went, or so they thought. The leading rider went down the ramp for the highway, and I knew immediately that was wrong. Harley doesn't run us on the major highways, and more importantly, we hadn't reached the mileage for the next turn. But, the rest of the pack followed down the ramp. I stopped for a moment and considered, and then I continued on my way. At lunch several of those riders were asking about why their mileages were all off and why they hit the checkpoints early. Ends up the detour they took cleanly merged back on the route, so they never knew they took a wrong turn. And I didn't answer Ivan's questions about what I thought of the supposedly messed up mileages! ;-).
Best luck to you!
Carl
Kamis, 30 Agustus 2007
14 Weeks Later
It's hard to believe it's only been 14 weeks, it seems like the Incidente was years ago to me. I feel completely healed physically from the accident. But emotionally I am still very disappointed to have missed the 2007 Motogiro. Lorraine has recovered well physically too. After much therapy, her neck is completely healed and her hearing is almost normal, she just suffers from rare tinnitus now and it continues to improve every month. It's still been a bit hard to admit to myself that I missed the event. I still haven't been able to convince myself to find time to unpack my box of gear in the garage. I'm tempted to leave it all packed for next year!
I've looked through all the photos of the race that others have posted on the web, and I have spoken to a few of the competitors. They all say Sicilia was wonderful and the organization of the event was very good. As usual the special tests have gotten harder, they seem to make the event a bit tougher every year! I looked through the results and it appears that only 14 riders (of 75 in the vintage class) finished the 5 day event on the same minute as the leaders! It must have been very tough. If you are curious, you can find the complete results here.
The organizers announced that the 2008 event will be in Sardegna (Sardenia)! I'm really looking forward to that. It's just my hope that all the great Italian racers come again. I think it's much harder for the Italians to make it to the island events as it is a longer and more expensive trip for them. I heard Giuliano Maoggi and Remo Venturi made it to Sicilia, I really hope they can make it to Sardegna with their comrades in 2008.
I want to thank one more time all my friends for their support for my Sicilia effort. While we were unsuccessful with the Motogiro, we did make a great donation to the Lance Armstrong Foundation! And that is something to be happy about!
I've looked through all the photos of the race that others have posted on the web, and I have spoken to a few of the competitors. They all say Sicilia was wonderful and the organization of the event was very good. As usual the special tests have gotten harder, they seem to make the event a bit tougher every year! I looked through the results and it appears that only 14 riders (of 75 in the vintage class) finished the 5 day event on the same minute as the leaders! It must have been very tough. If you are curious, you can find the complete results here.
The organizers announced that the 2008 event will be in Sardegna (Sardenia)! I'm really looking forward to that. It's just my hope that all the great Italian racers come again. I think it's much harder for the Italians to make it to the island events as it is a longer and more expensive trip for them. I heard Giuliano Maoggi and Remo Venturi made it to Sicilia, I really hope they can make it to Sardegna with their comrades in 2008.
I want to thank one more time all my friends for their support for my Sicilia effort. While we were unsuccessful with the Motogiro, we did make a great donation to the Lance Armstrong Foundation! And that is something to be happy about!
Kamis, 17 Mei 2007
L' Incidente
Things have gone way off course...
I write this from Rome, having left Sicily and abandoned this years Motogiro competition. Lo and I are OK, but the last couple days have been rather hard!
Here is the story.
We spent a couple days in Siracusa, enjoying the city and getting used to the time zone. And then we left in our car to go exploring. We drove to Noto, a simple but beautiful town. It is the town with the same name as that of close friends and so it was especially interesting for us. Then we headed to Ragusa and went to the old town for a late lunch, a great meal in a small piazza. We left Ragusa and we were unsure whether to go to Caltagirone or directly to our at a small farm in the countryside...
There was an intersection of two highways, and we went the wrong direction at first so we turned around to correct our turn. Lorraine was driving. The intersection of these two small highways required us to turn left, across the oncoming lane onto an on ramp for the other highway. Lo turned... and we were hit hard from behind! Apparently the driver behind us attempted to pass us on the left in the intersection. She hit us very hard (she was probably traveling at 60 mph or so) and we then bounced into the guardrail of the on ramp. The shock of the impact was giant, setting off the curtain airbags on both sides of the car. It was amazing how loud these airbags were. I was momentarily deafened. Our car was essentially destroyed and as we could not exit either side, we ended up climbing out the passenger side window. Los neck hurt and she could not hear from her left ear. My left temple hurt; I assume I hit the center mirror with my head. The driver of the other car was hurt. Witnesses came to our aid and the ambulances arrived to take us all away.
I wont detail all of the rest of the story, but in short we escaped the rather inadequate Sicilian medical system, spent a day recovering in Ragusa and then fled to Rome for modern and expert medical help. Between Los hearing loss, whiplash and my banged up head we decided "discretion is the better part of valor" and we should withdraw from this years Motogiro. We spent several days recovering, talking to doctors and drinking and eating here in Rome. Today, an ear specialist has told us Los hearing will return in her left ear after 10 to 20 days and she should be fine. A good regular doctor says her whiplash should recover but that she should continue to wear a neck brace. My temple injury should be OK, but I should not risk another impact for a while. We will return to California early, but we think we are healthy enough to spend a couple days more in Rome salvaging a bit of vacation from this trip.
I'm extremely disappointed that Ill be missing this years Motogiro. Its the 50th anniversary of the final 1957 race and sure to be special for the original racers who still come back for this revival. But taking enough care so Lo and I can healthily return next year is the priority.
I must thank all of you for your great support and the donations to the Lance Armstrong Foundation! Obviously I'd hoped to honor those donations with a great effort in this years race, but regardless, it is a great cause. Thank you all very much!
Carl
I write this from Rome, having left Sicily and abandoned this years Motogiro competition. Lo and I are OK, but the last couple days have been rather hard!
Here is the story.
We spent a couple days in Siracusa, enjoying the city and getting used to the time zone. And then we left in our car to go exploring. We drove to Noto, a simple but beautiful town. It is the town with the same name as that of close friends and so it was especially interesting for us. Then we headed to Ragusa and went to the old town for a late lunch, a great meal in a small piazza. We left Ragusa and we were unsure whether to go to Caltagirone or directly to our at a small farm in the countryside...
There was an intersection of two highways, and we went the wrong direction at first so we turned around to correct our turn. Lorraine was driving. The intersection of these two small highways required us to turn left, across the oncoming lane onto an on ramp for the other highway. Lo turned... and we were hit hard from behind! Apparently the driver behind us attempted to pass us on the left in the intersection. She hit us very hard (she was probably traveling at 60 mph or so) and we then bounced into the guardrail of the on ramp. The shock of the impact was giant, setting off the curtain airbags on both sides of the car. It was amazing how loud these airbags were. I was momentarily deafened. Our car was essentially destroyed and as we could not exit either side, we ended up climbing out the passenger side window. Los neck hurt and she could not hear from her left ear. My left temple hurt; I assume I hit the center mirror with my head. The driver of the other car was hurt. Witnesses came to our aid and the ambulances arrived to take us all away.
I wont detail all of the rest of the story, but in short we escaped the rather inadequate Sicilian medical system, spent a day recovering in Ragusa and then fled to Rome for modern and expert medical help. Between Los hearing loss, whiplash and my banged up head we decided "discretion is the better part of valor" and we should withdraw from this years Motogiro. We spent several days recovering, talking to doctors and drinking and eating here in Rome. Today, an ear specialist has told us Los hearing will return in her left ear after 10 to 20 days and she should be fine. A good regular doctor says her whiplash should recover but that she should continue to wear a neck brace. My temple injury should be OK, but I should not risk another impact for a while. We will return to California early, but we think we are healthy enough to spend a couple days more in Rome salvaging a bit of vacation from this trip.
I'm extremely disappointed that Ill be missing this years Motogiro. Its the 50th anniversary of the final 1957 race and sure to be special for the original racers who still come back for this revival. But taking enough care so Lo and I can healthily return next year is the priority.
I must thank all of you for your great support and the donations to the Lance Armstrong Foundation! Obviously I'd hoped to honor those donations with a great effort in this years race, but regardless, it is a great cause. Thank you all very much!
Carl
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