I quit Ferraris because they are too expensive!



alienator said:
So the reduced lung capacity is transient, not chronic?

With deference to the car crowd there ain't nothin' that amps up a soul like a superbike spec Ducati 1198 or an Aprilia RSV1000: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmsrlCLZ1Xc&feature=related
Man, what's there not to like about Ducati's... apart from the usual crappy Italian wiring? The sound of a good v-twin is hard to beat, unless you happen to have a 502ci big block V8 with pretty much an unrestricted 4" diameter exhaust and no cats to deaden the sound somewhere nearby...

They don't seem to know what the cause is so it's hard to say really whether it's chronic or not. I've had the battery of x-rays and a CAT scan to check for physical problems and all looks clear. Spirometry tests show that I do get some response from massive amounts of albuterol from a nebulizer but not a huge amount - and given the marginal improvement the doc really didn't want me on that dose. Typical COPD meds lead to a small improvement but nothing like someone with COPD or similar lung function issues would normally see. The only real improvement is that I no longer get the worrying chest pains that I was getting around this time last year.

Now they're at the point where instead of spirometry tests every 12 to 15 weeks, it's now every 6 and I get different meds to try but I'm basically out of commonly available meds - so something different is probably around the corner in the next couple of months. I'm considering going elsewhere for a second opinion but that aint gonna be cheap.

This was actually one of the major reasons for getting a powertap - so I could actually have something that wasn't just subjective. "Yes doc, I think I'm going a bit better" is not really useful. My doc is a pretty good runner and finds that info, for comparision purposes, useful. The pulmonologist like it because it shows that I'm actually getting off my behind and trying to do something about it - which is why they haven't just tossed me to the curb and just suck on whatever drugs the feel like handing out. LOL

I don't even know how long I've had this, either. When I first got back on the bike again, I just put the lack of power down to being off the bike for a while and leading the typical 'American' lifestyle. Even with this 'condition' I can still max out a peak flow meter, so that somewhat hindered earlier attempts at diagnosis. I kinda thought that something was up but the doc pretty much said that my peak flow was great so it's all good.

For a while they thought it was a cardiac problem, but thankfully that seems not to be the case. I had a couple of visits to the ER and an overnight stay. Unfortunately seems and looks are subjective and I've learned that what doen't seem important to your doctor may be a revelation to a specialist...

The only "upside" is that I can train as hard as possible and my legs never really hurt the next day.

Ah well...
 
Geoff Vadar said:
You've lost me. We've gone from discussing criteriums to somehow talking about your leisurely charity rides through the hills surrounded by lovely scenery.
rolleyes.gif


Anyway enjoy those hills. You can keep them!
I only brought it up because YOU tried to call me out on doing such a ride...

Hills beat town center crits any day of the week... They were the things I enjoyed most about road racing.
 
Is that a joke JTE? If you honestly ride a cervelo there is no wonder why you complain about quitting road bikes because they are too expensive. You should just go buy a walmart road bike...or better yet, save all the money you are about to spend on BMX bikes...
 
RedRider2009 said:
Is that a joke JTE? If you honestly ride a cervelo there is no wonder why you complain about quitting road bikes because they are too expensive. You should just go buy a walmart road bike...or better yet, save all the money you are about to spend on BMX bikes...

Yeah, I rode my 2006 carbon fiber $9000 Cervelo Soloist Team with Zipp 404's for transportation today, to avoid paying 20 cents per mile driving my 11 mpg city minivan.

I swore off today when I ran through a minor pothole on my $2100 Zipp 404 clincher. When I need to travel fast by a bike, my Cervelos are my Ferrari's!

I got the 2003 Aluminum Cervelo Soloist Team with ULTRABAD HED 3's too. I got such a badass collection of bikes Alienator always has to rip on me in jealously and just be satisfied with his UTRACRAP MOOTS with no powermeter. I also put a powermeter on my best bikes, 5 Polar Powermeters and a crappy Ergomo Pro. Got 7 road bike, 2 mtn bikes, and 8 bmx bikes. Missing a 9th bmx bike my mom gave away...
 
JTE83 said:
Yeah, I rode my 2006 carbon fiber $9000 Cervelo Soloist Team with Zipp 404's for transportation today, to avoid paying 20 cents per mile driving my 11 mpg city minivan.

I swore off today when I ran through a minor pothole on my $2100 Zipp 404 clincher. When I need to travel fast by a bike, my Cervelos are my Ferrari's!

I got the 2003 Aluminum Cervelo Soloist Team with ULTRABAD HED 3's too. I got such a badass collection of bikes Alienator always has to rip on me in jealously and just be satisfied with his UTRACRAP MOOTS with no powermeter. I also put a powermeter on my best bikes, 5 Polar Powermeters and a crappy Ergomo Pro. Got 7 road bike, 2 mtn bikes, and 8 bmx bikes. Missing a 9th bmx bike my mom gave away...
If you have $30,000+ worth of bikes that you really don't like, why not sell them all, sell the minivan and buy a used Corvette, Porsche Boxster S or Lotus Elise... In keeping with this thread, you could even pick up a Ferrari 328GTS at that price - the one that Magnum PI drove but I'm guessing in your case the PI wouldn't stand for Private Investigator but more for Penile Inversion.
 
Geoff Vadar said:
You need help. Lets start with your inept powers of observation. Did you notice the boys out of the saddle effectively climbing into one corner? That is because they are going up hill. It is difficult for us in Australia to maintain 55kmh through these uphill corners.
I watched the video again... and well... did that uphill bit shrink in the last rainstorm cause I aint seeing it. That uphill must be smaller than Nicole Ritchey's tits...


nicole-richie-skinny.JPG


... sorry if I put y'all off your breakfast/lunch/dinner.