I fully accept my limitations, they keep me on the bike tbh. As soon as I start thinking I'm the shiz, landing on my nose tells me otherwise
Aye. I kept to the roads, for the most part. It took a while to get up the nerve to take a ride out to the lake though. It's about 10 miles one-way from my house at the time, and the only ways out there were a few 2-lane roads with 50 MPH speed limits. The landscape was very hilly, so it was a more intimidating trip than it seems like 10 miles would be. Basically, I didn't want to make the trip until I was confident that I could not only make it that distance, over the hills, but do so at traffic speed, AND make the trip back. Eventually I got to the point that I could do it, but it wore me out. It was before cell phones became reasonably affordable for just about every one, so if I got out there, I was my only way to get back out.
I'm sure there are bikers who could do it in their sleep, but I was pretty pleased the first time I actually managed the trip. The first time, I had to spend an hour or two sitting down and stretching my leg muscles back into shape. It got easier and easier, though, eventually to the point that I could do it without stopping between the two legs of the ride.
Making it extra difficult was the fact that my right knee was (and still is) really messed up. At that time, it didn't bother me as much as it does now, but it did hurt a bit even then. Basically, I damaged my knee in the Army. It's basically healed now, but it's definitely not 100% better...maybe 40%. If I hadn't been a stupid 18 year old kid at the time, I probably could have negotiated myself into some manner of disability coverage for it. But they jacked me around for so long after I got hurt, I was too stressed and frustrated to deal with them anymore, so I (idiotically) took the first ticket home they offered.
