Half a year ago I got an unpleasant surprise: sudden onset of painless hematuria in a previously healthy 87 year old male! The customary medical workup failed to reveal a cause, but a careful review of my diary suggested that I had fallen victim to that sleazy villain: “Mountainbiker’s hematuria” 1. For the past six years I had been slaking my need for exercise by virtually crossing Swiss mountain passes on my bike three times a week with the help of Rouvy 2. Since those early days, my equipment has expanded to the point, where I can enjoy genuine shortness of breath while conquering a steep climb.
A literature review was called for to better understand the pathophysiology of this impairment, and how to prevent it. 3 But unfortunately, changing the bicycle’s saddle on the basis of this sophisticated research did not help overcome the challenge. The urologist insisted, that my days as mountain biker had come to an end. After a short period of sulking, I started looking for a way to still reach for new heights, without getting back on a saddle. And I found it:
The answer was: CATRIKE Villager:
Converting the road-ready reclining tricycle was trivial. Instead on the rear wheel, the back of the trike is now mounted on my my trusty Wahoo KICKR CORE:
And the trike’s two front-wheels are replaced by two simple wooden supports, holding the original front wheel axles.
The apparent disaster has led to an unexpected result: Climbs that had previously taken me four legs, are now easily conquered in two, and hematuria has become just a bad memory, almost forgotten! I should probably be grateful for the lesson.
References:
1. Albersen M, Mortelmans LJ, Baert JA. Mountainbiker’s hematuria: a case report. Eur J Emerg Med. 2006 Aug;13(4):236-7. doi: 10.1097/01.mej.0000206197.69824.f9. PMID: 16816590.
2. Bloch R. Conquering the Alps Virtually. Papa’s Blog. June 16, 2021
3. Spears IR et al. The effect of saddle design on stresses in the perineum during cycling. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2003 Sep;35(9):1620-5. doi: 10.1249/01.MSS.0000084559.35162.73.PMID: 12972886