June | 2014 | Steve Tilford

Since Summer Soltice was yesterday, plus I’ve been laying out in the sun quite a bit the last couple weeks, I thought this article that I saw at the BBC is pertinent. The article says that your body produces the same endorphins while sunbathing as it does during exercise. That doesn’t surprise me the least.

This hip fracture kind of makes each day swing wildly in mental and physical feelings. Yesterday was pretty bad on both fronts. But when I went outside and sat in the sun for 30 minutes, I felt much better. Maybe I am so used to getting a few hours of endorphins through exercise, I’m in withdrawal and need the sun, I don’t know. Whatever the reason, I believe the study.

How about Pope Francis excommunicating all the mafia guys? And he did it in Calabria, the southern Italian home of the mafia. I don’t pay too much attention to religion, but I like this Pope. He doesn’t seem to hold back punches. I’m not so sure this is going to work out so well for him, but don’t really know how that works, just thinking it might not be so “healthy” for Pope Francis. Those mafia guys seem to like their religion. At least in the movies.

Anyway, I hardly left the house yesterday. Like I said, I went outside a few times, but didn’t go anywhere. I was hoping to go to Kansas City to watch the Tour of Kansas City, but didn’t feel up to it. I am going to go today. The race is on Cliff Drive, a funky area outside downtown KC. It is a circuit race with a couple climbs. Yesterday, I don’t know who won. My team mate, Brian Jensen was 2nd. He sent me a picture of his Garmin last night. Check it out below. Pretty incredible numbers, if you know about those things. If you don’t, believe me, pretty big numbers for 70 minutes.

I’ve been taking a few steps, sans crutches, each day. It is so strange trying to remember how to place a leg when walking. I didn’t realize that you need to plant your leg with your knee locked, when initially touching the ground during a step. I had never really paid much attention to the knee bend when just taking a step. I don’t plan on having a limp when this is all over, but right now, I limp big time.

There isn’t that much pain in a hip fracture, at least this one, but it is enough to really disrupt sleep. Maybe since I haven’t been training, but I have a hard time understanding how I’m getting by on so little sleep. I do nod off a few times during the day, but it doesn’t come close to adding up to 8 hours. Plus, I’m getting fat. I was super skinny 3 weeks ago and now am back to pre-season weight. Hopefully it will come off as fast as it did before. I’m not really worried about it too much. I think you need food/nutrition to heal from an injury. But, I think you need sleep too, so maybe I should think a little more about that also.

This is from Denmark. Maybe it should of said, unlike Michael (Rasmussen)?

Brian’s Garmin from a 70 minute criterium last night. He must of been in the wind a lot.

The Tour of Kansas City was this past weekend. The race has now been held 51 years. I think it is the oldest race west of the Mississippi.

The format has changed a lot during those years. I first did the race when I was 14 years old. Back then it was an Olympic Developement Race and the best riders in the Midwest came to get qualifying points. I believe the first year I did the race it was a shootout between my friends, Wayne Stetina and Tom Schuler. Wayne rode for Follis Bicycles and Tom for the Wolverine/Schwinn team. That was the first time I’d witnessed, first hand, real bike racers.

It was a big race for quite a while. I’ve never won the race overall. My brother has. I was 2nd in the Pro 1/2 race when I was a junior. And have been 2nd overall a couple other times, but have never won the overall.

Yesterday, was one of my favorite races at the Tour of Kansas City, the Cliff Drive Circuit Race. I’ve won it a couple times. It is held in a weird area of Kansas City, a little east of downtown in an area that was once super affluent, 1890’s and now is just in the rebuilding phase. Huge stone and brick houses are everywhere. The course is less than 3 miles around with two hills, one pretty hard. And it is mildly technical. It was pretty super hot yesterday too, in the lower to mid 90’s. And muggy.

Watching bike races is harder sometimes than racing. Especially when you want to be racing them. That was the case yesterday.

There were about 50 guys at the start. And it looked super hard right from the gun. The climb is maybe a minute long, but it gets steeper as you near the top. The first lap, guys were coming off the back of the pack. After 3 or 4 laps, some pretty okay riders were getting dropped and no one looked comfortable. The race turned into a suffer fest. Most every guy that quit, stopped on the hill, got into the shade and drank a cold beer pretty instantly. That is such a good feeling after such a bad feeling.

A 3 rider break got away eventually and Jordan Ross, from Team Kaos, won the race solo. Brian Jensen, my team mate, got into the next move and finished 6th. A young kid from Mexico, Alberto Covarrubias, won on Saturday and then was 4th on Sunday, so his name goes on the trophy along with Wayne’s, my brother Kris’ and lots of other good riders. Brian has won the race 3 times overall, so he probably doesn’t really care much.

I don’t plan to go and watch any more races before I can start riding again. I usually don’t mind, but for some reason, I didn’t like it very much. I had such good form just 3 weeks ago and now am a mess. It is so strange how quickly form and fitness disappears when it take so long to attain.