Today, May 8th 2008 marks exactly 1 year since I started racing again after just coming off of a blood thinner, Coumadin (essentially the rat poison known as Warfarin) that I needed to help dissolve blood clots in my right lung.

Long story short, the clots were present on account of me being genetically prone to getting them (Factor V Leiden), a surgery on my saddle area to remove a wretched saddle sore, and a long journey just after the surgery from Colorado Springs to Pittsburgh.

The crazy thing is, Coumadin affects the vitamin K cycle in the liver and last year before this very race (4 Jours de Dunkerque) I had to eat loads of spinich and leafy green vegetables that contain vitamin K to offset the Coumadin in my system.

It’s been a long year haha, with many ups and downs. Various lung pains from built scar tissue in the early stages of racing, eventually fading away to a few minor results here and there last season, and growing into this year with races such as Het Volk, Kurne, Milan, De Panne, Flanders, Roubaix and back again to Dunkerque.

It’s ironic, but last year, May 8th was a rainy hell hole of a day. I crashed going into 1 km to go while in 10th position. Prentice Stephen told me, “Friedman, just 4 days ago you probably would have died from that crash”.

It’s a beautiful day here this May 8th. A tad windy, but not a cloud in the sky.

There is no Fate, but what we make.

No more riding with the Flag.