Guest Article: I’ve Fallen for You
What does this have to do with the Worlds? Nothing, but it makes me laugh and includes a wicked photograph so this is the guest article today. @roadslave joined the 2012 Keepers Tour for the full week of riding and ranting and he was excellent at both. He rode at the front with a Chris Horner smile and now he admits to only riding for four years. Fair enough, with only four years in, there is still time for a few firsts. Here is one.
VLVV, Gianni.
It should be no surprise that, having grown up in the 80s, one of my favourite movies of all time is Top Gun. There aren’t many situations in life that can’t be fitted to one of the many great quotes from the film, and there are certainly many that can be adapted to cycling (“It’s too steep, I’m switching to guns”, etc). Anyhow, you remember that bit when Shorty gets told off in class for flying too aggressively, (“gutsiest move I ever saw, man”) and gets on his huge, err, throbbing motorbike to be chased through San Diego by Kelly McGillis?
“My review of your performance was right on, in my professional opinion”
“Jesus, and you call me reckless. When I fly, my crew and my plane come first”
“I’m gonna finish my sentence. My review of your performance was right on. I see some real genius in your flying. But I can’t say that in there. I was afraid they’d see right through me. I don’t want anyone to know that I’ve fallen for you.”
Now, I’ve been cycling for a little over four years. I’ve covered tens of thousands of kilometres on six bikes in seven countries on two continents. I’ve bored most people I know with how much I love cycling. I’ve begun to follow the pro cyclists, and have even ridden some of their rides. And I’ve spent too long on sites like this talking about cycling when I could have been using the Internet for useful stuff, like, err, porn. But, up until last month, I’d never fallen for it. I have now, and boy, it hurt.
It was a stoopid fall. A through-and-off at the end of a fabulous long ride, out with a buddy on a cold, crisp winter’s morning in the hills southwest of London. On the drag back into town, a miscommunication – I thought he was going for it, but he was actually sitting up. Our wheels overlapped. He steered the way he thought would get me out of it, but no. A 50/50 chance, and the house won. BOOM! Tarmac, Roadslave, Roadslave, tarmac. Introductions at over 45 kmh are always going to be a little bit rushed, but even so. Helmet was cracked in two, shredded sacred garments out at the elbows (sorry, Frank), leg warmers and gloves in tatters, road rash on face, elbows and knees, and the most sodding awful bruise on my hip.
Amazingly, other than it looking like someone had taken an angle-grinder to my Ergo-levers and saddle, Bike No. 1 was ok. As, by and large was I. Nothing was broken, no concussion, no lasting damage (I hope). Which was amazing, given the physics of the deceleration, the road, my weight, and ending up on my face in the oncoming traffic lane.
Adrenalin is a wonderful thing. I was on my feet in no time, picked up and checked the bike, rode the last 20 km home, and hosted 20 five-year olds, plus parents, for my son’s fifth birthday. It was only later that things went a bit doolalley. The shock came that afternoon. Uncontrollable shaking, feeling faint, wanting to throw up. Mind you, that could have been the impact of the 20 five-year olds. The stiffness came the next morning (written with a straight face… probably the most painful bit of the whole episode was getting out of bed that day.) The whiplash came on Day Three. I still can’t fully look over my right shoulder and there is still bruising weeks after the event. I won’t go into details, but if you’ve ever watched CSI, you’ll know about blood pooling and gravitational effects. Suffice it to say, I’ve had some swelling and discolouration in some strange and unexpected places.
I was off the bike for six days. Irritable, bored, grumpy. I had been planning on doing a big block of training just prior to Christmas. Why?
a) It’s what the pros do.
b) It just sounds cool. “I’m doing a big block now to lay the foundations for the cobbles in April”
c) I was changing jobs, so had the time on my hands but the training was out the window. I moped about the house, lost and forlorn.
When I did get back on, yes there was residual soreness and stiffness, but it made my heart soar to be back in the saddle. I honestly believe that was when the healing process really started. Admittedly, I rode like Nick Clegg/Barack Obama (apply to whichever country is appropriate, insert your own weak politician, etc). I had no power, no stamina, no confidence. As my US cycling sensei told me, my body had basically gone into blue screen mode. But it still felt so good to be back riding again. I (or rather my backside) became a bit of a local celebrity, and we did the round of Christmas parties, gallery openings, and for a few seconds, trended on Twitter.
The Stig, our tame racing cyclist, was pretty matter of fact:
“Bummer. Biggest cause of accidents. Period. You hear the ‘Zippp’, you prepare for the worst. Last time I crashed, it was in the finishing sprint of a big crit and wheels overlapped. Tore so much skin off my thigh that I was in hospital for weeks getting a square foot of skin graft. I was lucky. The other guy lost his thumb, and the third guy fractured his skull and was in a coma for two weeks – he was the only guy not writhing around on the ground screaming like a little girl.”
It was the response of my non-cycling friends and family that surprised me the most: zero sympathy, lots of anger (“how could you have been so stupid? To pick today, of all days, when you knew we had the kids party?”) and much encouragement to take up golf (thanks, Dad). When she saw the bruise, and the red mist had cleared, the wife forced me to go to the ER. The doctor’s response was priceless; “So, you fell off your bike, and you have a bruise and your wife has made you come to have it checked out? Well, it looks fine to me.” He was looking at the small road rash above my left eyebrow. “That’s not the bruise I want checked out… this is.” “JEEESUS!” At which point he ran off, leaving me with my pants down, to get the other doctors into the cubicle. What, you want a second opinion? “No, I just want them to see this.”
The most thoughtful response was from my US cycling sensei via email. I think it’s worth sharing in its entirety:
“The overlapped wheel. No one gets away for long without going down because of that. Ask the pros. It amazes me how often big groups go down in the peloton because of it. For all the riding you’ve done – and challenging riding at that – you can feel good that it hasn’t happened before. As you now know, the worst part of those falls is that you literally get catapulted into the pavement; there’s no sliding or deceleration of one’s body. Of the several times I’ve gone down, about 1/3 are because of overlap. I broke my hand once. Glad to hear the bike is ok – but a shame about the cosmetic damage. I can understand why the wife is upset, as I know you do too. Funny – if you’d gotten injured in a car crash, it would be nothing but sympathy from her. But because you (we), as grown men, choose to dress up in tights like superheroes to pedal half the day on the open road on what most adults see as a child’s toy… well, I think most see it as borderline selfish, risk-taking behaviour… how do you explain to the kids that their dad got seriously injured doing something that was totally voluntary. Hence, IMO, the disproportionate reactions to cyclists on the road (how dare they enjoy themselves while I have things to do!). That’s just my take on it… I know plenty of guys that pretty much stopped cycling after they had kids – not just because of time constraints, but also because of knowing how bad cycling crash injuries can be and how it might impact their families. Personally, I think that was an extreme position for them to take, but then, I don’t have kids.”
Now, I know it’s supposed to be taboo to talk about this stuff – and, indeed, it is in breach of the new Rule #81. (This did happen before its introduction.) But I really don’t know if I’m lucky – after all, it could have been a helluva lot worse. Or am I plain idiotic (see Rob’s excellent article on overlapping wheels), unlucky (proper cyclists rarely fall), or normal (this is just something that happens from time to time, so get used to it)?
Forget the responses of non-cyclists – we tolerate them at the best of times. All of my cycling buddies gave me comradely and knowing looks, as if I’d passed some rite of passage, and was now a proper cyclist. Have I? Am I? Just the other day, @Houdini was describing another rider to me: “He rides like someone who hasn’t fallen off yet.” Before this fall, I would have had no idea what he was on about, but now I get it totally.
As with most things cycling, when in doubt, I look to the pros. And my conviction is that falling is a rite of passage. It’s what proper cyclists do. Getting back on defines the true cyclist. Hoogerland is defined by his fall, Cavendish either wins or crashes and burns. There is no middle ground. Part of our love for JENS! is because we saw him bounce his face down a mountain in 2007, or in 2011 when he went down twice, swore at the camera crew, got back on and up to the front, and rode tempo for the next hour in service of his (undeserving) team leaders.
Then there is the dark side. We know these falls can lead to the bad places where we do not want to go. These occasional tragedies unite cycling like no other event. IMHO there is nothing more noble, more heartbreaking, or that stirs greater pride, than a neutralised, mournful peloton. Self-shackled race horses. Chapeau Millar, the dignified master of ceremonies for the last horror, grew as a cyclist and as a human that day.
So, while a first fall is a rite of passage, it is also a warning of where not to go and what not do to. For each fall we get up from, we have the adrenaline-primed happiness of knowing it could have been much, much worse.
I am a cyclist, today is a good day, today I rode on.
[dmalbum path=”/velominati.com/content/Photo Galleries/j.andrews3@comcast.net/Nigel/”/]
Glad to hear you’re feeling better! Picture #2 is a shocker! No wonder the Doc called others in!
A bad fall is indeed a rite of passage no one wants, but it’s a risk we take to do something we love. Get better soon.
Fucking awesome read! Totally laughing out loud and your line about “That guy rides like someone who has not fallen off yet” is perfect! Totally lexicon worthy in my opinion but perhaps too long. Thanks for sharing.
this is now the second time Ive seen a fellow Velominatus’ purple ass!
Great read, @roadslave.
Rite of passage is right, and so is the notion of “riding like someone who has not fallen off yet.” I know that I rode differently after the first time I went down hard. I ended up with a herniated bursa that created an enormous black and blue lump on my hip for the entire summer.
Oh, and, “We regret to inform you that your sons are dead because they were stupid.”
Really great article @ roadslave. My god, that second photo looks like you fell in the purple finger paint at the birthday party.
Great write-up, @roadslave – Chapeau! I’m curious here: did your buddy on that ride remark on the fact that you got back on your bike almost immediately, and rode on? The reason I’m asking is this: when I took a pretty bad fall on a gravelly patch in a downhill corner at some point, my immediate reaction was to check my bike for damage, use the water from my bidon to wash the worst gravel out of the fresh road rash and get back on – and I did, but my 2 buddies at the time kept asking “Are you OK?” and “Are you sure you can ride on”? Etc…
There was a strange sense of… urgency about the whole thing: as if I was in a hurry (too much of a hurry, perhaps) to move on. I’ve often wondered if there was an element of “If I don’t get back on right away, I’m afraid i’ll loose the guts to do so” or something… And another thing. Is it just me, or does hitting the deck actually trigger a strange feeling of embarrassment/shame in a cyclist? Did you experience that? Apart from worrying about bike and kit, I’ve had this weird sense of humiliation, almost – and an urge to get away from the scene of my downfall as quickly as possible. Anyone else experience that?
That didn’t look too bad really
‘how dare they enjoy themselves while I have things to do!’ – spot on motorist analysis.
@roadslave Great article, glad you’re okay.
@ErikdR Yes, embarrassment. The last time I fell I had hired a mountain bike from a rental place near where my parents live so a buddy and I could go out on a freezing late December day. As I left the shop one of the members of staff told me cheerfully, ‘Be careful out there, it’s icy,’ to which I responded in my mind, ‘Ha! I’m an experienced cyclist, no need to give me advice.’ Next thing I know the bike has come out from underneath me as I attempted to go round a corner at about 20kmph. Definitely experienced the urgency to pick myself up and move on as fast as possible, so as to avoid getting run over, but more importantly so the people from the shop wouldn’t see me (they didn’t)!.
It’s amazing how the body reacts after a crash, and the different stages that the pain and discomfort come in during the first few days. Getting out of bed the next morning (or worse, in the middle of the first night to pee) is brutal.
BTW, Obama isn’t a cycylist AFAIK. But if he was, I bet he would crush it.
Wow. I’m glad you’re mostly okay & now you can ride like someone who has fallen! Definitely not fun but I think it’s either happened to us or we all know how many times it could have happened. I’ll try to learn from you & ride like someone who has fallen, while not having had the joy of it yet. Fallen during off-road riding & met the tarmac twice thanks to cars crashing into me, but no cross wheel stories.
I do have one question – which is more upsetting, the filed down ring or the scuffed Record shifter? Hmm, and I wonder which costs more to fix/replace…I sure know if it happened to me. Wedding band = free (family heirloom). Right Centaur shifter = not free (and WAY less expensive than a Record right control).
Been at it only four years, eh? That’s good to know! I still feel pretty green compared to most folks around here but I’ve been at it a bit longer than you. Totally going to pull seniority now!
Oh, and “Top Gun.” Two friends have a yearly event. They take a movie & ask anyone they know to take a 2-3 minute scene and remake it, going about it any way they see fit. The movie chosen last year was “Top Gun.” Not until seeing it remade did I realize how much sexual innuendo & man-loving insinuations there were. Jeez. Someone even remade the sex scene with finger puppets and it was oddly pornographic.
@blackpooltower
Yeah, that is pretty awesome & very accurate. I do indeed think some drivers are pissed we are having fun & look totally sweet as doing it. The V-kit, since it adds awesomeness, probably doesn’t help in this regard.
I’ve told drivers through an open window, after they’ve honked/yelled/gunned their engine at/near me, “It’s not my fault your late! Leave earlier next time.”
Ouch! Glad you are back riding and feeling better.
As for embarrassment, it is the slow speed crash. My wfie looked me over a few years ago and said, “Why is there a handlebar shaped bruise in the middle of your chest.”
Since there was not use lying, and I couldnt’ think of a good reason anyway, I told the truth: Pulled over for a nature break and fell down returning from off the beaten path. Bike went straight down under me and chest landed on handlebars.
Not cool. Not smooth. Embarrassing.
There is lots of deep meaning to these words, and you do our community a great service by sharing them. Thank you.
You can be my wingman any time.
I’m afraid that comment on this article will be tempting fate.
It’s great to read this as I too had my first spill a couple of months ago. Glad that you’re OK @roadslave and Holy Moly that is some bruise!
I did feel a bit of embarrassment as I was brought down by a thorn bush overgrowing the kerb and was looking at the wheel in front of me as it slowed and got too close for comfort.
@James
@Erik Yes, exactly. I agree that the low-speed crash can be far more humiliating, but in general, even hard and fast crashes will cause this feeling of “Oh shit; I hope nobody saw that”. It’s OK if your fellow cyclist witness you skidding across the asphalt, I guess – they’re as crazy as you are, after all – but the general public? Ouch…
By the way, @roadslave: I’d say you’re ‘just normal’, and yes: crashing is something that just happens from time to time´. I’m not sure whether you’ll ever ‘get used to it’ though – and as far as i’m concerned, crashing is never going to be cool or ‘Pro’, or whatever – it’s just a royal PITA (pardon the horrible pun). Get well soon, and ride safely
Okay, so this is one post I will NOT show my wife! ;^) Glad to hear you are better and in the saddle again.
I got a little sick to my stomach looking at that.
@eightzero
@eightzero FTW
Yup – I remember the feeling the next day after I crashed (bust my collar bone, elbow and wrist and helmet saved my life). The bruise went from my shoulder to my waist and I felt like I had the flu. For a month I kept crying if anyone so much as shouted too loud near me – weird.
Great article @Roadslave. A month or so ago, I was talking to my teammate, telling him that I was surprised that my ticket hadn’t been punched in the 3 years since I had come back to racing.
Thought I’m not generally superstitious, I should have never said anything. That very night, at our Tuesday night worlds local race, I went into the tarmac at 54Kph. Couldn’t be avoided. My teammate that I ran into, ended up in the ER with a broken collar bone and scapula.
I was the lucky one, and ended up with a bruise much like yours. I’m not going to post up the photo since I’ve already bugged @McSqueak, @gaswepass, @Frank and others with it. Just know I feel for you.
Brilliant read! And I heartily agree having had my first proper fall earlier this summer. I always knew that I loved cycling but I didn’t realise just how much until a 40kph collision with a car turning into the cycle lane in which I was riding put me off the bike for a couple of weeks. No crossing of wheels, granted, but I still think that it counts. I don’t think that the driver was upset at the smile on my face as I rode, he just wasn’t looking in his mirrors. Rite of passage is spot on and I am pleased to have joined the club without having to resort to Pic 2. Great to hear that you are bike on the bike.
I can relate to this article on many levels. I used to be a complete speed demon. I’ve gone 100+ kph on gravity bikes and nearly that fast on a road bike. But then a few years ago when I should have be taping and texturing the newly remodeled bathroom I was out crashing a street luge at 80kph. My wife had left the house because she was pissed that I went off with the boys. When she returned I was in the tub trying to scrub the road rash…
…clean with a broken left wrist. She was pretty mad at first until she saw how bad I was hurt and then the caretaker kicked in. Then I got back into road bikes and I would still go pretty fast until I got a bad case of speed wobbles. That really took the wind out of my sails and that, in conjunction with the wisdom of age, made it so I would not only get dropped going up hill I would get dropped going down hill too. It’s taken me about four or five years to get the speed back up on descents. The recent acquisition of a set of wheels that are rock solid while descending has breathed new life into my descending prowess and I’ve spent a lot of time over 80 kph this year (relatively speaking).
But recent events have reminded me of the tenuous barrier that separates us from harms way. Around these parts everybody rides the LOTOJA Classic. It is the longest sanctioned USAC race in the country. 330k from Logan, UT to Jackson, WY. The race was just a couple of weekends of go and I didn’t do it this year but I had a lot of riding friends that did so I kept tabs on it. Tragically. a rider lost control of his bike while crossing a bridge over the Snake River, hit the guard rail, and fell 35′ into water that was only a foot deep and broke his neck and died. Additionally a rider from the cycling club that I am a member of had his front wheel taken out from under him on a high speed descent and face planted on the pavement. He is currently in an induced coma.
All this goes toward saying that we need to pay attention out there and be REALLY careful. We love our sport but sometimes it behooves us to remember the inherent danger of doing what we love.
VLV
@ErikdR
Isn’t it just the funniest thing? why do we need to get back on so quickly? I thought it was because I’m British: “Terribly sorry to have fallen. All ok now. No need to fuss. Let’s pretend it didn’t happen and just move on, shall we”. Spot on observation
@Dr C You hardman, you
@cyclops @ron the damage to the ergoshifter pained me… but Bike #1 wears the scars with pride – nothing some clear nail varnish couldn’t brush over and preserve, and gives her an air of ‘proud but damaged’… a girl with a past. Luckily, the wife hasn’t examined my wedding ring in too much detail, except to ask ‘why do you put it on a neck chain when you ride now?” “Sweetie, it gets so cold out there riding, my fingers shrink… and in the rain, my ring might fall off… and I’d so hate that”
@all thanks for kind words…. and for the gratuitous Top Gun references. And yes, I do realise the innuendo in the movie. I worked it out when I went round to my friends Fred and David’s, and it was in the DVD player “It’s our favouruite movie” “Why – were you thinking of becoming… [pause]… naval aviators?” “Duh, no! it’s because itis full of Hollywood’s brightest young actors in military uniforms and compromising topless/oiled shots when they were at their hottest and most naive” THEN it clicked
How did you recover psychologically, did you have problems going out after the recovery? The summer before second grade I went over my bars downhill into gravel on my face, and the scar is just starting to fade most of the way. After that I rode with a full face helmet for awhile. I am kinda surprised I don’t have an aversion to descending from that experience. Since starting to really ride, I have only gone down once on a gravelly corner. I probably still ride like someone who hasn’t crashed, even though that did lay me up for a bit.
@roadslave525
I think the get on the bike quick thing is part adrenaline, and part embarrassment. When I went down, I rode the rest of the way home before feeling anything really.
@Cyclops
Me too Yellow bar tape really ???
In all seriousness glad your okay, one of the odd things about meeting a fellow cyclist for the first time is swapping stories about how you got the scars it’s like instant ice breaker.
I did a Rule #5 ride a few weeks back. Dry at the beginning but torrential rain halfway through. By the time I got home the roads were drying up, but still damp. Being OCD, I needed an extra few yards to hit my nice round number of 30 miles. I rode slowly down the block just as an old neighbor wandered out of his garage. We exchanged pleasantries as I made a VERY slow turn. BAM! Down I went, right in front of him. Up like a flash, protesting that I’m ok. Small bruise on hip and a sore left palm. Bruise is gone, palm still a bit sure. Ego permanently damaged.
@Cyclops Wow, that is a particularly gross, puss-filled picture.
A highlight of the Keepers Tour was hearing @roadslave’s stories. He’s a great story teller, even when I asked him to tell the story of the “black bike” for the fifth time. I was like a little child: “Tell it again! Tell it again!”
Being in the unfortunate situation of having ripped a V-jersey during a fall last month, I wonder how a V-jersey should be retired? Should it be cremated at dawn while making the sign of the Merckx? Reused as a shop rag? Saved for use as a tourniquet after the next crash?
@G’rilla Framed and given a place of honor on the shop wall.
Great article. When I went down a year and a half ago I was in a cell phone dead spot and got to ride home with a bloody face. Must have been quite a site to drivers going the other way, if they bothered to notice.
Aside from the visible injuries (roadrash, stitches in chin, tweaked fingers) my body was all out of whack for a while after — achy, temperature regulation off, etc. A few acupuncture sessions helped a lot.
I now have to wear my wedding ring on the other hand because the second knuckle on my left ring finger is bigger than it used to be. Also, didn’t just scuff an ergolever but broke the plastic body of it — had to replace.
That’s a hell of a bruise!!
Amazed that the bike was (relatively)unscathed!
Thanks for sharing Roadslave! A good story indeed, glad you’re no worse for wear it sounds like.
@G’rilla Returned to @Frank for replacement under the “Velominati free lifetime crash guarantee program”?
Great article, kudos to the author(happy you are ok) and the keepers that have considered worth this topic.
@ErikdR, you made an intelligent and true comment.
Here in Italy one of the preferred moment to talk about ‘cadute’ (fall) is just before the start of the races, there you can hear the most horrific stories, I’m curious to know if it’s the same elsewhere.
Looking at that bruise, not only did I think Jesus Christ, I’m pretty sure I can see him in the mottling. It’s been a few years since I last had a big crash; that moment when you know what’s about to happen is possibly worse than the event itself (I ended up being carted off in an ambulance). Kudo’s for the 20km home and the kid’s party; lashings of Rule #5 there.
Pedale – cadute! Far better than fall!
Nate – a Pegoretti & acupuncture? You west coasters are far out! Didn’t realize you went down. Ugh, smashed shifter, no good. I have a fear when unwrapping bars to fix something that I’ll never be able to get it perfect again. I guess when I become rich I’ll always toss on new tape. Have you had any funny queries about wearing your ring on the “wrong” hand?
roadslave – ha! I did and am still pushing to always wear my ring on a neck chain. It feels odd on my finger, could be that I’m only two months in, and I’m always taking it off for cycling and other sports. I like your small white lie…
Ha, yeah, all V-jerseys should have a lifetime crash replacement warranty. But, I do like the idea of a cremation.
My worst crash resulted from a heavy rainstorm and getting cut off by a cabbie. Broke my favorite eyeglasses, have a scar above my eye, and missed a darn good concert while at the hospital getting stitched up. A woman who saw me go down was kind enough to give me a tea towel to hold on my face & I’m guessing she’s the one who called the ambulance. Oh, and for anyone without health insurance – be very careful riding in an ambulance unless you have a solid bank account. I had no idea how much that cost until I got the bill. Thankfully it was covered.
@Ron
Didn’t crash the Pegoretti — my crash was almost 2 years ago. Hadn’t done accupuncture before, but it seemed helpful. I’ve found that with the fizik tape I can re-wrap pretty successfully after tweaking lever position or whatever. But after a crash you’re likely to need new tape. No one has ever asked me about the ring.
Touching on @Ron‘s comment about ambulances and insurance. With 2 little kids this kind of thing is pretty much my nightmare scenario. A riding friend recently got hit by an uninsured motorcycle. She has been unable to work and has no way to hold anyone accountable for it. I just did a lot of questioning of my insurance agent on this subject. What is covered and what isn’t. Thankfully I am covered for almost all of it, but it does keep that creeping feeling in the back of the mind of whether it is worth the risk to throw a leg over the bar. Fortunately there is Rule #11 to keep me thinking straight, but its a bit easier to make that leap when you know that crashing is not going to leave your family wanting.
@roadslave525
Solid. Gold. Never knew it was so hard to get Trappist ale off a keyboard. Live & learn, I guess…
@G’rilla
Left at the shrine of a fallen cyclist as an offering.
@The Oracle
I think you are being a bit harsh toward his gravatar.
For getting up and riding home after that Roadslave, you get my vote for hard man of the year. This is an unforgiving sport when it goes wrong and yet we love it so much it’s possible to keep that to the back of one’s mind and go on. Chapeau mate!
Well, this certainly is a timely thread! I had surgery yesterday for my fractured clavicle. Last Saturday, I had a great ride with my bike club. I decided to get a few extra miles in, and branched off on my own after the ride was through. I don’t remember hitting a bump in the road, but I do have a sickening memory of losing control and crashing hard. A Good Samariten stopped and called 911 (he also pointed out the bump I must have hit). The inventory?
* Fractured right clavicle
* Bruised ribs
* Pneumothorax (partially collapsed right lung)
* Road rash all over my right side
* Crushing headache for two days (CT scan was negative). Until I got home from the ER and sorted through the belongings the paramedics had collected, I didn’t realize I had indeed
hit my head–that’s when I noticed my dented, cracked helmet. (That helmet undoubtably saved my life).
Wednesday, I had a chest tube inserted to vent the air and reinflate the lung. Yesterday was the surgery. My orthopedic surgeon is a great doctor. I’ve known him for years, and he’s even a cyclist. After the surgery, he told me the damage was pretty extensive, and he had to put in a lot of hardware.
So, here I sit on the sofa, loopy on Norco with a machine circulating cold water around my shoulder. My wife is already telling me that cycling is too dangerous, and that I should give it up.
As much as I love cycling, the pain I’ve been through in the last six days has given me pause. For the rest of you–were you temped at all to hang up your cleats? When you did get back on the road, were you apprehensive of every car, every piece of debris in the road? How long did it take for your confidence to return?
I have an acquaintance that is on a conti-pro team that had his front wheel come of on a 80kph descent early this season. He’s done. He rides a little but he’s having a hard time reconciling the danger with the benefit.
@doubleR
Ouch, scary. I’ve had nothing like that. Even so, I was off the bike for about a month, and it took another 3-6 months to get comfortable on the bike after.
@roadslave525
Like this?
Great article mate, but really don’t need to see that arse ever again…
Gentlemen, breathe deeply; we are in the presence of The V.