View Full Version : sweet news
Fixed
07-20-2007, 03:07 PM
http://www.velonews.com/news/fea/12831.0.html
bro I wonder how his parents feel?
cheers
Ginger
07-20-2007, 03:09 PM
Fantastic news!
swoop
07-20-2007, 03:13 PM
i kinda think it's bad news. he's a great kid but he's never been too good at staying upright. and i think being back in the peleton is him putting himself in another situation where he's going to land on his head.
he was lucky this last time. he was lucky the time before when they cleared his tongue out of his airway... and lucky before that when all he broke were his teeth.
but i think sometimes having too much heart can get you in trouble and i fear for him...
Ginger
07-20-2007, 03:20 PM
It's fantastic news that he's recovered. It doesn't sound like the whole "gonna race" thing is a clear cut GO.
You suspect he's going to be one of those people who dies young doing what he loves?
Bobbo
07-20-2007, 03:21 PM
i kinda think it's bad news. he's a great kid but he's never been too good at staying upright. and i think being back in the peleton is him putting himself in another situation where he's going to land on his head.
he was lucky this last time. he was lucky the time before when they cleared his tongue out of his airway... and lucky before that when all he broke were his teeth.
but i think sometimes having too much heart can get you in trouble and i fear for him...
Is he really that accident-prone? If so, I agree. The sport ain't worth dying for.
Fixed
07-20-2007, 05:31 PM
bro that is why i asked how his rents feel about him racing again.
cheers
he must love racing and love can be blind ,
each one of us have to ask that
when we ride out on the streets with cars .imho
cheers
Did you see him on the Vs. coverage last night (or was it the night before)? He sure is talkative about the whole thing...
FATBOY
07-20-2007, 09:18 PM
he has come into the store recently and is definitely a different kid than before. He seems a half step off when he is on his feet, walking around he is certainly a guy that had a bad spill....but a LOT of folks have mentioned seeing a guy in CA kit flying like a bat outta hell around town or in the canyons. He competed in a hillclimb locally and did OK, not great, but hey, he woulda crushed me. Having seen him walk, it gives me pause to see him return to the pack. Having seen him ride, I think the kid will be a great story. His physical stats are apparently rediculous, natural talent by the bucket full, I hope they are not the sole reason for people giving him the green light to race again.
Ginger
07-20-2007, 09:56 PM
I hope they are not the sole reason for people giving him the green light to race again.
Probably.
Where's my rope.
It's fantastic news that he's to the point of riding again and to be considering competing at a professional level? Wow.
That said, I have a couple other thoughts. Brains take a long time to heal. When you're that young, I suspect it's difficult to see why you shouldn't do something even if you can, and especially if he has the support of those on his team. The young trust a bit much.
Doesn't matter how much he wants to go out there, doesn't matter how it seems that he's recovered. He probably isn't. The teams shouldn't be entertaining his return. No matter how much he wants it.
After some CHIs in my life that took a long time to recover from...which aren't the same as what he went through...but I'm going to go ahead and say what I'm going to say anyhow...
When you're in the midst of recovery it doesn't look too much different from the inside. Nothing is really wrong, you're just moving through life like you did before. You know there are issues...but they really don't impact you unless they're things that are really frustrating. You adjust. The physical stuff. Yeah...that's noticeable from the inside, but not the gaps in the decision making process. Took me three years to get some of my common sense back, and I made some horrible life choices in that time frame because I was recovered enough that people thought I had my wits about me, besides, I was an adult who was supporting herself just fine. I have a different view of activities now that I have a few more IQ points back in the basket...
Is this another example of a sporting organization taking a trusting eager youngster and supporting him in his effort to return to a sport that's going to do him no good? Why should cycling be any different than pro wrestling or football?
shanerpvt
07-20-2007, 10:10 PM
Probably.
Where's my rope.
It's fantastic news that he's to the point of riding again and to be considering competing at a professional level? Wow.
That said, I have a couple other thoughts. Brains take a long time to heal. When you're that young, I suspect it's difficult to see why you shouldn't do something even if you can, and especially if he has the support of those on his team. The young trust a bit much.
Doesn't matter how much he wants to go out there, doesn't matter how it seems that he's recovered. He probably isn't. The teams shouldn't be entertaining his return. No matter how much he wants it.
After some CHIs in my life that took a long time to recover from...which aren't the same as what he went through...but I'm going to go ahead and say what I'm going to say anyhow...
When you're in the midst of recovery it doesn't look too much different from the inside. Nothing is really wrong, you're just moving through life like you did before. You know there are issues...but they really don't impact you unless they're things that are really frustrating. You adjust. The physical stuff. Yeah...that's noticeable from the inside, but not the gaps in the decision making process. Took me three years to get some of my common sense back, and I made some horrible life choices in that time frame because I was recovered enough that people thought I had my wits about me, besides, I was an adult who was supporting herself just fine. I have a different view of activities now that I have a few more IQ points back in the basket...
Is this another example of a sporting organization taking a trusting eager youngster and supporting him in his effort to return to a sport that's going to do him no good? Why should cycling be any different than pro wrestling or football?
I agree the mind/brain does take a long time to heal. The up side is that, I believe, it heals better or more complete than the rest of the body.
Ginger
07-20-2007, 10:17 PM
I agree the mind/brain does take a long time to heal. The up side is that, I believe, it heals better or more complete than the rest of the body.
First time sure, second time maybe...but as my neurologist said: It's not *this* CHI that's the problem, it's all the ones you've had before.
I haven't had an "official" test lately, but I'd say I'm down about 40 IQ points from where I was *before* I started getting whacked in the head and doing the anesthesia thing. Doesn't seem like a lot, but from this side, it is. (Math processing took a huge hit...dang it...) It's like being a different person. But it takes a while to figure out what's gone from a personal perspective. (Medically, they can tell you what you whacked, but that doesn't help until you see how it applied in your life)
That's just my view. I know there are a few others out here with similar experiences. I'd be interested in hearing what they thought about the situation from an injury/recovery standpoint...
cs124
07-20-2007, 10:33 PM
<snip>... but I'd say I'm down about 40 IQ points from where I was *before* I started getting whacked in the head and doing the anesthesia thing...
wow, you sure must've been smart before!
(said with nothing but respect and admiration, in case anyone wants to "interpret" incorrectly)
Ginger
07-20-2007, 11:35 PM
wow, you sure must've been smart before!
(said with nothing but respect and admiration, in case anyone wants to "interpret" incorrectly)
Yeah...Either that or I'm really stupid now.
Opinions vary.
(Supposedly I was a bright kid if I'd apply myself.)
After going through some very trying tests, you wonder how accurate any of the ones you took in school really are. My guess is that they're just general to give the school system some idea of where to stick you in classes. Plus when you take more tests, you're better at taking tests. So...saying 40 points may be correct, but inaccurate. Know what I mean?
When a brain doc is trying to figure out if you're faking it or if you need to find a new profession, whether you're going to be able to recover enough to provide for yourself...I think things get a bit more rigorous and realistic.
It would be interesting to go back and go through those tests again. Just to see what actually came to pass.
What I do know is that I was still noticing improvement from that point til five years later...
mikki
07-21-2007, 12:14 AM
Ginger,
It sounds like the last bounce you had was the toughest, eh? What happened? It was five years ago, right?
You must have been cycling for many years. Crits and the like?
I've noticed reading your posts that you seem to know the mechanical aspect of working with your own bike pretty well. Did that come by learning a bit at a time like when parts fail on one's car so you learn all about that part, or did you take a mechanics class or just learn from other cyclists?
IMO you are a pretty smart cookie now.
Ginger
07-21-2007, 09:30 AM
mikki,
Nope, it was a mountain bike thing in '95. After that CHI I went back to riding my bike to ride my bike. Centuries and such. Other than working at races, I've watched enough ugly crashes in crits in the lower levels to avoid them.
And, no...I grew up on a farm (where you fix things yourself or you're going to loose money) and I'm pretty mechanically minded. When you're working on a bike if you're patient and don't mind buying a few tools and reading a bit, scanning some charts, and chatting with people who know; it isn't rocket science it's bolts and parts and proper angles. Although...I've only wrapped my bars twice...I need practice with that.
Thanks.
All that said...contemplating the topic of this post...
You can't really sit around and wait until your CHI is done healing, you have to continue doing what you're doing to see if you can, or you have to figure out that you need to do something different. And that can be hard if you were determined to do X. You can't just sit and wait for someone to tell you that what you're doing is the right thing to do or the wrong thing to do...ya just keep on keeping on.
I hope he does well and keeps the rubber on the road and becomes a positive inspiring tale instead of a cautionary tale.
Steelhead
07-21-2007, 10:26 AM
He is marrying Dave Z's sister - pretty cool story in Velonews about how they met.
Ginger
07-21-2007, 10:40 AM
Ok...time for me to be mean...or honest....and this doesn't reflect on the kid, but the organized sport and media...
Media is looking for their next "Lance back from the brink of death never race again but goes on to become a major force in cycling" story. And they want to be able to say that they were behind him every step of the way.
If he can keep the rubber down, he's got a great media ride ahead of him.
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