Mill Valley, Helmets and Ice Cream

I have a thing about helmets. Or, I should say, wearing a helmet properly. It stems from the crash I had a couple of years ago. I don't remember what happened before I work up at Marin General. I know I wasn't going very fast, but I sustained a pretty serious injury. Aside from a concussion, I had a very nasty gash above my eyebrow, and damaged the fourth cranial nerve, which left me seeing double. I had to wear prism glasses for six months.

If my helmet had been on properly I may have avoided all of my injuries. But the strap was loose and it was sitting too far back on my head. Thus the gash, and a more serious head injury than I would have sustained.

To this day, I am afraid to ride my single bike. I'm slowly working on it and hope to get back on the single. At some point. But not quite yet. I'm happy on the back of the tandem.

Today was the AIDS Lifecycle Kickoff ride. Jerry and I opted to do the shorter Mill Valley ride. We had ridden Tiburon Loop twice in a row recently, plus we wanted to sleep a little later.

During warm ups I was a bit horrified at what I saw. Helmets, many helmets worn improperly. I even had Russ, one of the Cycle Reps adjust the helmet of a Training Ride Leader. These people are supposed to be our role models and I saw at least three of them with their helmets not adjusted properly.

I saw a couple of young kids wearing helmets, but their straps were either not fasted or WAY too loose.

Maybe I'm a little obsessive about this, but I can't help but think of what happened to me, and how it changed my life for the not better. And I know not all that many people read my blog, but if you do, and if you are a cyclist, please please please make sure your helmet is forward and secure.
Okay. I'm done now.

The ride today was quite pleasant. I opted for shorts and I was perfectly comfortable. Jerry and I usually do the kick off ride as our annual ride across the Golden Gate Bridge. We hate riding across the Golden Gate Bridge. Too many tourists on rental bikes, tight turns and crowded sidewalks. We usually pick up rides north of the bridge, but since today was a "special" occasion, we opted to start in the city with everyone. And since we needed a couple of things at Sports Basement, which was where the ride started, we figured we'd brave the bridge.

The other things we braved were the hills that lead to the north side of the bridge. By picking up rides further north in Sausalito, we avoid those hills. But they really were not as bad as I expected today. We were slow, but we spun right up them. My new knee is behaving well and as long as I don't stress it too hard, I'm fine.

On the way to Mill Valley a rider ahead of us got a flat, and he was not prepared. I'm guessing he was a newbie, so Jerry and I stopped and Jerry gave the guy a lesson in tube changing 101. Jerry's a good teacher and the guy was a quick study, and the tube was changed and pumped up in no time. Then we made our way to Mill Valley, hung out a little while and headed back to Sports Basement.

Sports Basement had lunch for us accompanied by an assortments of sodas and beers. I snagged a fizzy lemonade and was a happy girl.

We arrived back home still kind of hungry, but managed to last until 5 before we made chicken blts. While I don't eat beef, pork has recently started playing a larger part in my diet. The bacon was uncured, so we avoided nitrates, and it was applewood smoked. And it was good.

After the sandwich I swung into my evening routine of ice cream. It is not a good evening routine, and when this container is gone, I really should refrain from buying more. But two of my passions are coffee and ice cream, and I really don't want to give up either. And tonight, I had both. First, a cup of coffee with my sandwich, and then Breyer's vanilla with King Arthur espresso powder sprinkled on top.

Jerry and I say we could either get a Calfee $20,000 tandem or each lose ten pounds. If I keep buying ice cream I will never lose weight, and the Calfee tandem is a wee bit out of our price range.

It may be time for me to make a return visit to Weight Watchers. But I'll wait until I'm finished this container of Breyers.