WHY?

why havent i made an update in along time? i dont do anything anymore? why? cause i got crushed by a car at work on Aug 4th, and before that i was on vacation doing some bike touring with Hank in Nova Scotia... yes i got hit on my 1st day back downtown.

6 days at GW hospital... and now just lots of time at home organizing my netflix cue, watching episodes of quantum leap, reading, trying to reacquire my coffee addiction, figuring every way there is to cook eggs, physical therapy, constantly being frustrated that I'm off the bike, feeling myself getting weaker and seeing my legs losing muscle, growing lots of hair on those legs, playing guitar again, Ebaying constantly to finishing up bike projects (86 fat chance wicked "no shimano"), doing yard work when i feel up to it, and living vicariously through evil steve and elliot's work experiences...

after about 2 weeks of not wanting to know i finally checked out my bike... i was riding the work road bike... my 98 litespeed nachez... damage done... destroyed front ksyrium equipe wheel, ritchey 1" threadless carbon fork, right hand Carbon Campagnolo Centaur 10speed brifter, and most likely the Ritchey Pro Bars... everything else seems okay... i really love this bike and hope that the frame is in okay condition so i can rebuild it...

decided that i think im going to rebuild my SSCX racer from last year into a messenger bike... replace the full carbon fork with a cromo disc fork i have, put fenders and riser bars on it... make it more worthwhile than a bike that sits on my rack 99% of the year. need to get a 130spaced flip flop hub and rims...

im lucky to have a Physical therapist who is a cyclist, hes a mtn biker but he understands my frustration and we always have good conversations about cycling... i go to sleep everynight with my road racer to my left (with brand new rewrapped bartape that i havent even ridden as i wrapped them the night before i got hit...) and to my right my Kelly Cyclocross bike in the process of being built... need to figure what crankset im gonna use this season. yes i am racing this season...

in nova scotia (see www.flickr.com/henryhank for nova scotia touring pics!) we stayed with friends in halifax, and hung out at Nauss's bike shop, and i read alot about cycling history and am once again obsessing over French Bikes. thanks canada, the land where NOS Mafac Racers grow on trees... and influenced by a rene herse restoration in "the golden age of handbuilt bicycles" or maybe it was the same authors "photographic history of the competition bicycle" i am taking my 1962 raphael Geminiani track bike thats original fork has been long ago destroyed (yeah... it was my fault...) and am going to convert it into a french porteur style racer... seems like a great idea as the book points out this was common practice my french frame builders at the time, to convert a racing bike to a work bike with a longer rake fork, and brazeons... so hopefully with the help of Palermo Bikes in college park i will embark on this project soon.

ill try to update more...