For those looking to stock up before injury, or just want images of the stuff so you know what to look for in the future when you're bleeding on the carpet in Duane Reade here are some of my favorites in the Wound Care isle:

You know it's for cyclists because it has a picture of one on the box.
http://www.drugstore.com/nexcare-tegaderm-waterproof-transparent-dressing/qxp140261?catid=184298

The stretchy mesh that makes you look so PRO
http://www.drugstore.com/curad-hold-tite-tubular-stretch-bandage-large/qxp209765?catid=184291

For smaller wounds these work just as well and significantly cheaper:
http://www.soap.com/p/nexcare-waterproof-bandages-one-size-255674

This is for serious wounds that require the healing power of Hello Kitty!
http://www.drugstore.com/band-aid--childrens-adhesive-bandages-hello-kitty-assorted-sizes/qxp149709?catid=184302

Don't forget the ibuprofen and ice.

Thanks for all the advice. The 3 sites on my arm and elbow are still totally raw and a pain in the ass, luckily I still have my pain killers from my wisdom tooth fiasco. Hip is more or less the same, back and shoulders are healing quite quickly it seems and the bruising is not causing so much bother anymore.

Definitely going to order some of the stuff, proved a bit of a jip to find much locally.

Did someone say something about team helmets on Saturday? My prevail is cracked all the way though at the back, looking at options.

Ashley,

Go to the Sponsor thread and look there for the Rudy Project Sponsorship discount. There you can find out how to get your hands on a sweet Rudy Project helmet.

Good point Dan, thanks!

Hello All,

Lately, I've been trying to push a big gear (53-15 or bigger) for extended periods of time (20 minutes or more). Eventually, my feet feel like knives are being driven into them and it totally kills my ability to put out power. This happened even yesterday at Floyd.

The Lake CX401's I've been using are heat-moldable, but the moldable area is essentially the heel cup and my pain is in the front of my feet - mostly the outer sides and the ball of the foot. I turned to store-bought orthotics for a while, but they weren't the ideal shape for my flat, wide feet.

Now, I'm considering seeing a podiatrist for a custom orthotic with a metatarsal button built in. Has anyone done this to ameliorate their foot pain? If so, were you satisfied? Would you recommend the podiatrist you saw?

Any answers/feedback would be greatly appreciated.


Thanks,
Christian

Christian,

I have the same problem, though it only gets me after about 100 miles in the saddle.

Is the pain constant or does it gradually build up, hurt for a few seconds and then gradually go away?

I got a pair of superfeet and they seemed to help a little bit. I recently replaced my shoes and went with a size larger and it helped a whole lot. Possibly your shoes are too small/ not wide enough?

W

i pulled both quads playing softball last night

I say Doctor!, you such a silly woman!,
Put the lime in the coconut, drink them both together,
Put the lime in the coconut, then you feel better,
Put the lime in the coconut, drink them both up,
Put the lime in the coconut, and call me in the moooooorning,

Stretching, the number 3 thing I wish I had time to do more (any) of...

http://manualforspeed.com/2012/07/stretching/

softball is a tough sport.

everybody on my team is a meathead

Hey all - I got in an accident Thursday night whilst riding home on Riverside Dr. Collided with a cab because I ran a red like a dummy. Now I have a couple of cracked ribs (no lung damage and apparently my kidneys are fine too) and I'll be off the bike for at least two weeks.

The doctor said there aren't any measures to take to promote rib healing (eg foods to eat or avoid) but that I should make sure to take a series of deep breaths while sitting up every few hours to keep my lungs from collecting fluid. Any other thoughts about ways to heal as quickly as possible?

It kills me to be off the bike right now, just as the summer is ending, and I'm pretty pissed at myself for being so careless; as usual, I didn't crash in an epic race but rather alone, commuting home, for no good reason. Argh.

Sorry to hear the bad new tito. Heal up soon buddy. Did your bike fair ok? 

Sorry to hear that Tito. Heal up. I have no useful advice except that you should drink lots of beer. It helps me in similar situations

Bones are made of calcium, so it would seem sensible to take a calcium supplement, if only for the placebo effect. Just know that the citric acid in OJ prevents absorption of calcium. Also know that Tums is a perfectly good source of calcium.

Ouch.  Two weeks ain't so bad.  Just do what mike said and get re aquainted with your true best friend television.

Heal up, buddy.

Tito,

Thanks, all - good advice. TV, beer, trainer - all in the same evening, right?

Grace is going to pick up my bike from the very kind lady who took it into her apt the night I got hit - how lucky was it to have one of the onlookers at the scene be the head of the neighborhood watch? - so we'll find out then how tough Italian steel is.

broken ribs suck. I broke a rib at the harlem skyscraper. I agree with what's been said: sleeping is the worst part for sure. I found what helped was to wrap an ace bandage around my chest to compress it a little. Be careful not to overdo it though because then you'll actually restrict your breathing, I would suggest doing that a few hours at a time and re-evaluate afterwards. I was given percocet but hated taking it so I took ibuprofen before going to bed also when the pain really was unbearable.
Hope this helps.

Thanks Norm and Aly - good advice. I don't like the percocet either - makes me nauseated - but the pain has been so acute that I've had no choice. The pills run out today, though, so it'll just be ibuprofen and rest from here on out.

Anyone in my neck of the woods have a spare trainer they'd want to lend this week? Rollers are not a good idea.

Biology professor last semester stressed that you only need 1 hour a week of sunlight (not sure how much the intensity matters to length of exposure and how much of your body needs to be exposed) for your body to synthesize enough vit-D from it.  This is b/c while it's essential, skin cancer rates have skyrocketed like 500% in the last 50 years or so since tanning became so popular, so I guess she's erring on the conservative side. I'm going full Reiners next season with these solar sleeves.

I'm not sure your biology professor is right there as I'm out in the sun a lot and I only sometimes put on SPF 10 sun cream and i was recently found to have very low D levels. Citracal max+D is what I'm taking

I can lend you my kurt kinetic tito...im in bk though.

Yeah, it's also dependent upon nutritional factors.  If you're not getting enough of the other factors, 50 hours of sunlight won't help.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_D

and genetics

Beer, chocolate and plenty of sponge baths.  Tell her the doctors told you so!

 

Just got the second round of x-rays - once I get the (hopefully positive) results from those, I'm gettin' back on the bike!

 

 

...and riding really, really slowly.