I ended up with a total of 4,014 miles ridden in 2022. That’s a whole lot less than I rode in my strongest years, but it’s a lot better than the 2,800 miles I had the year before. I got a shot in my left knee, and was pain free for a few weeks, but the pain and swelling has returned. I’m getting an MRI next week to determine what’s next for my knee. I’m still just doing flat routes at old man speed on the bike. I’d still like to try and get stronger when my knee is enough better to let me.

And my knee isn’t my only health issue these days. Thanksgiving week, I was at the ER twice with vertigo so bad I was completely incapacitated. I have patches and pills to help me with it, and I’m getting MRI’s next week to eliminate brain or inner ear tumors as a possible cause. I’ve been getting out for some fishing, but I’m not hiking creeks to fossil hunt, and I’m not riding anything other than my bike on the trainer, until I’m satisfied that I’m not going to crash and burn with the vertigo again at an inopportune or dangerous time. I’d had a better stretch of health since early in 2022, had been off my Wixela inhaler since June with no wheezing, and had no other major health issues, so these bouts of vertigo were a big setback for me, health wise.

The really flat virtual route I’ve been riding lately on the trainer.