The injuries are awful, but the first couple of doctors were worse (and made me worse). In my mind, sports medicine is now just a euphemism for misogynistic pig. I finally found orthopods at LSU Medical Center who are not only awsomely good, but the knee man was the first to ever actually talk to me and find out that before I wasn't able to walk anymore and got fat and couch potato-ey looking I was a more accomplished athlete than any of the lameo ball players these neurotic sports medicine guys are so worked up over. I think emotionally they're still trying to make the high school football team and be a BMOC. He did a beuatiful job on my knees too. Now I try to ride and the legs are so smooth I go out too hard and fast and catch cold the next day. No training progress this winter at all, though I'm doing well at the gym and maybe I just need more basic conditioning. It's a shock to be in the habit of spinning fast in a big gear range and then suddenly not be able to push the big ring at all! Mentally, one stays eternally 27 or so but the body doesn't always cooperate.

Be VERY careful with orthopedists- a lot of them are brass plated jerks. The good ones are worth the search.

missliz