As longtime blog readers know, when I'm not cartooning, remodelling, or doing dad stuff I bicycle. Last year I bought a Canondale recumbent to ease chronic neck, back, and hand pains on long rides like the STP, which I had ridden a couple of times before. I rode the first half of the STP last year on my new bike and it worked - unfortunately I made the beginner's mistake of not checking my tire pressure and it turned out to be woefully low. I hurt my knees peddling hard enough to compensate for the massive increase in friction.

This year I started training early and did a good job building up strength and endurance. Unfortunately my right knee, thogh much better, is still hurting too much for comfort. So I've decided to forego this year's STP rather than risking causing more damage. It's very disappointing. Want an extra STP ticket? Drop me a line.