No Riding For a Bit

I will be taking a significant amount of time off the bike. It all started at the beginning of the year really.
In January I started feeling funky. So I took a home test which confirmed an outside suspicion that I might have a "parasite". I made an appointment with a doctor who also confirmed the diagnosis. Chris and I had talked and decided that we would let the parasite grow for a period of time--usually nine months or so--at which time it usually extracts itself. I continued to ride as much as I felt I could. The "parasite" continued to grow making me slower and slower. Eventually, we (mostly Chris) decided that it would be best to no longer ride on dirt and stick to paved paths. This likely decreased my potential frustration with being less able to climb.

Notice the bulging parasite filled belly

I still felt well enough to support Chris at his last few races. He raced the USCS Fall Classic Draper 50 last week coming in 7th place. I thought 7th was a good performance but per the usual Chris was frustrated with his finish mostly because he believes/knows he has the potential to do better. I think he is awesome though.

 Then early Monday morning, it felt as though the parasite was getting ready to leave. I started taking notes and both Chris and I called off work. Nothing really happened until late Monday night. Early Tuesday morning, we went in to the hospital for the extraction. My body did not appear to be ridding it of the "parasite" itself, so drugs were needed (lots and lots of drugs). Finally on Tuesday evening after much more drama than I had anticipated, the "parasite" was extracted.
I read up on ways to minimize issues on parasite removal like adequate exercise, proper nutrition, etc, etc. Based on these steps, I really thought it would go much more smoothly. I cannot necessarily say these steps were taken in vain, but they did not have the impact I had hoped. None the less, maybe without taking such measures, the extraction process would have been even more difficult. Because of the extraction process and the accompanying difficulties, it is strongly advised that I take several weeks off of the bike. At this time, I have no interest in sitting on the saddle. I have been up for walks and light hikes though.

On a side note, have you met Maya? She will likely be accompanying Chris and me at races and other outings in the future.