Back in action

It's been 59 days since I fractured my scapula. Today was the first day back on the bike since August 1st. Yes, folks, I'm back in action. (Well, if you call spinning for an hour back in action.) Two months ago this point was so far away that I had to let the desire to ride leave me else I would've grown bitter. That desire was so far gone, in fact, that I hadn't decided to ride until, I got home from work today. And how could I not? The weather has been so spectacular I could lick it. Not a poof of cloud to be seen. The only breeze would be of my own doing. Ryan asked if I wanted him to come with me. I did but I didn't. I wanted the ride to be my speed and I didn't want to be distracted from seeing and feeling. I was surprised that I felt so anxious, like waiting in line to see Santa. All my gear was right where I left it after returning from that fateful trip. Airing up my tires was a tad painful but I put my body weight into it and managed just fine. I had planned on driving myself to Aksarben Park to avoid traffic, pot holes, etc. but I couldn't lift the thing onto the rack and didn't want to mess with putting it inside so I braved the streets. My legs were pretty pathetic but I didn't care. They're pretty much the size of runners' legs, buy maybe this will be to my advantage next season. Light and lean, maybe? A couple times I stood up on the pedals to test the pain. Hmph, nada. That's good. Up one little tiny climb I rocked the bars. Pain. Won't be doing that for a bit. I purposely went over some cracks and bumps to see if the feedback would bug my shoulder but the only sensation was from my ass. Seems I lost some padding back there during my sabbatical. Once at the Keystone, I turned south for no reason other than I wanted open sky. It didn't matter that I was going into the wind first. I would have ridden into a tornado. (not really). They sky didn't disappoint. That golden, Indian summer light where the sun is lower in the west, casted long shadows across the landscape. The air tasted sweet and just the sound of rubber on pavement lulled me into a state of bliss. Even the annoying clouds of bugs didn't bother me. I rode for a total of an hour. My arms were pretty tired but they'll get stronger over time. The great news is my shoulder took it like a champ. Roxy 2.0 has begun.