Where Has David Been?

Just wanted to give everyone an update on what David has been doing since his heart surgery....
The doctor told David that he would have to experiment a little when getting back into things. There is no text book answer for what he should and shouldn't do when it comes to this type of exercise. He still has to wait a couple months before he can really go crazy lifting wieghts in the gym like he wants to and he has to be careful when dealing with the elevation. As far as what he has been up to...
Starting at the beginning of August he ventured out on an 1800 mile PAC Tour. They road anywhere from 80-126 miles per day. The elevation gain was around 8,000 to 12,000ft per day that he road. The tour went really well for him he road strong and his heart felt stronger than ever. 1800 miles with no issues other than his bike taking a true beating.
In September he went out to the Hoodoo 500 but unfortunately the elevation there was too much for his heart. He went into atrial fibrilation and was unable to get it back into rythm during the race so he had to pull out. Needless to say he was very frustrated about that.
Following the Hoodoo he decided he needed to find another 500 mile race because he couldn't have that hanging over his head. He looked on line and was granted a late entry into the Furnace Creek 508. The race was going really well until mile 200. As he climbed up towns pass (elevation 5,000ft at the top) he started having some issues with the elevation. Along with that his legs were experiencing severe cramping. He couldn't pedal more than 10 times without his legs locking up on him. So, given the race had a 48 hour cut off we got a hotel at the halfway point in Furnace Creek. He had covered 252 miles in 14 hours and 44 minutes. We checked in and spent 7hours and 30 minutes in the hotel. After eating, and getting rehydrated David was set out to tackle the rest of the course. When he turned right out of the hotel room he turned directly into the same 30+ mph headwind that he had left when he checked into the room. The wind was relentless! He rode stong and hard. From the time we left Furnace Creek until the next checkpoint (around 70 miles) he managed to ride past 28 riders. The wind stayed with him all the way to the last checkpoint. There were reported gusts of up to 45mph. David road his bike amazingly well and was able to overcome all his complications to finish in 41hrs 44minutes. He is feeling great and is looking for his next event. He still has to watch the elevation, but other than that his heart is responding great. He wants to thank all of you for your tremendous support.