In our last episode, we left our hero in a spot of bother. Mike Marchand had withstood a gruesome run-in with the back of a pickup and was recovering from four broken vertebrae in his neck.
The fractures were healing, but a nerve issue was still sending dragon-fire, numbness and weakness down his left arm. Those symptoms made it difficult for Marchand to get back on his basement bike and begin the hard work of regaining his fitness.
He was preparing for surgery to address this issue: an interior cervical discectomy fusion with absorbable plating. That surgery was November 4. I checked in with him to see how recovery was going after that procedure, and the news made my day.
“I feel suspiciously good,” Marchand reported. “If you ever have nerve-related issues, and I certainly hope you never do, surgery works. I’m back on the trainer watching Tour de France videos already.”
Gravel racers, you’ve been warned.
Feature photo credit: Rebecca Wright
Dirt Tan Bike Club 