After
my stroke in December of 1999, bicycling was one thing that I missed greatly.
It was an integral part of my everyday life to a greater extent than it might be
for many others. My wife, Linda and I bicycled across the United States for our
honeymoon. We still enjoyed weekend rides along the local bike trails. I prefer
bicycle commuting to driving or riding the bus. Not being able to ride my bike
was as great a loss for me as any of the other post-stroke deficits that I’ve
experienced. My balance is still so tenuous that I haven’t been on my old bike
yet but I’m moving in stages toward riding it again. While still in
rehabilitation, I tried out mounding a stationary bike. With careful spotting
by the therapists, I was able to pedal for brief periods. On my 50th
birthday, the summer after the stroke, we rented a tandem bike with upright
seats and took a ride along the lakefront.
Other
things started to come together at one of our stroke support group meetings
some time later. We had joined this particular group at the suggestion of a
friend from the adaptive aquatics class that I was enrolled in. It’s a midlife
stroke support group. Most of the members are closer to my age than the
predominately older people who I’d played bocce ball and yahtze with in
therapy. At one meeting of the support group Elke, the group facilitator,
complimented a group member named Tom on his suntan wondering if he’d been
vacationing in a warmer clime. Tom explained that he’d been riding his bike
around town. He went on to say that he owned several 3- and 4-wheel recumbents.
Linda began to shop around
for a bike that I could use. The neighborhood bicycle store made a couple
suggestions about specifications and I visited manufacturer’s websites. Tina, a
friend in Madison, reported that she’d seen someone riding a bike of the sort
that I was looking for on a Madison bike path. She even had the presence of
mind to ask where the rider had purchased it. We made a trip to Bargain Bikes
in Madison and asked a few questions. What kind of modifications could be made
to simplify steering and braking and gear shifting, for example. Getting on and
off the beast was another concern. This store had worked with other disabled
riders and was willing to make whatever kinds of mechanical adjustments might
be needed. The manufacturer could do many of these too. My new bike is a
Penninger Traveler from Penninger Recumbents of St. Charles, Illinois. They have
a web site, http://www.penninger.com/.
The bike has its controls wired to a single joystick control on the right side.
At my request, the bike shop welded a grab bar to the front of the frame to
make getting on and off easier for me.
The
bike’s been great fun. It’s enabled me to go a few miles under my own steam. I
can get some sunshine and fresh air and keep pace with my wife and our dog when
they’re out for a jog. I’m the envy of all the little kids in the neighborhood.
I hope to build up to longer solo treks. The fall and winter months have been
mild this year. My legs are getting stronger. When I can pedal over to the
library or the University, I know I’ll feel terrific. I might even pick up a
nice tan.