My RAGBRAI Team LIVESTRONG Fundraising Page

Monday, March 19, 2012

WIPE OUT!

The weather in the Madison (WI) area has been beautiful the last several days - temps in the 70s and even low 80s.  Perfect for riding one's bicycle!  And I have been.  With the exception of Saturday, 3/17, I have ridden every day since March 4th.  Mostly these rides have been my bikecommute to work.  There have been a few rides with Olivia as well.  And a solo 25-mi ride.

So, on Sunday the 18th, I took off for a ride in the afternoon.  I was planning on being gone between 2-1/2 to 3 hours.  It was a great ride.  I ride through Madison all the way to Fitchburg before turning west to County M.  From there I head north to go home, via the bike path along Hwy 12 and then east on Hwy 19.

After 42 miles, I was back and about to turn right back into my neighborhood.  Almost home.  Ready to enjoy a cold beer as my reward.
An innocent looking intersection
And as I turned in, at about 15 mph (I'm guessing), I ran over some dirt, gravel, sand.  As I was leaning to the right.  Then I fel my bike wobble underneath me.  "OH SHIT! I'M GOING DOWN!" is all I thought.  I came back upright and then immediately went over on my left side.  Crashing into the pavement.  Landing on my shoulder and hip.  And I slid.  Not sure how far. 
Hidden in the open - dirt, sand, gravel in my path.
I came to a stop on my back.  I was yelling.  Ok, maybe screaming.  I remember that I was yelling but hadn't taken inventory of how I felt.  The first thing I noticed (besides the pain) was that my right foot was still clipped in. And I couldn't get it free of the pedal.

I heard some voices asking what hurt, how they could help, could they call anyone, where did I live, etc.  My eyes were closed.  I asked them to take my right shoe off.  They then moved the bike.  I had some road rash, I knew that.  My shoulder hurt the most.  My legs were ok.  My head fine.

Slowly I get my wits about me.  Two of the women who stopped to help then walked with me back to the house.  (The third was driving and went on her way.)  I wish I remembered their names!  THANK YOU!

I got home (it was about 5:30) and told Carol what had happened.  Then went up to shower.  (And yes, I did grab that cold beer.  But it wasn't as enjoyable as I was hoping it would be.)  Taking off the jersey hurt like hell.  But I was able to shower. 
Road rash visible.  Other injuries not so.
My daughter was at volleyball camp until 6:30.  We decided that we'd go to the ER after we picked up Olivia.  My range of motion was limited.  After x-rays, I was given a pain killer and a sling.  No breaks.  Just a sprained shoulder.  *WHEW!*  And we went home, getting there at about 9:00.

At about midnight, the hospital called.  It was the radiologist.  They had re-examined my pics and identified two cracked ribs.  That explains the pain whenever I took a deep breath.

So today, I am at home.  Resting.  Recovering.  Not sure when I can get back in the saddle.  Next week, hopefully.  At least for bikecommuting.  Next long road ride?  We'll have to see.

Either way, I'll need a new helmet.  I didn't think I hit my head, but the helmet has multiple cracks in it.  I must've banged my head after I landed on my shoulder.  Looking at the damage, I wonder how the cranium would've withstood the impact.
Cracked
Lesson confirmed: WEAR YOUR HELMET!

The bike itself - my good road bike - came through it relatively unscathed.  I have to adjsut the brake lever.  Since I landed on the left side, the deraileurs were saved.  There were but a few new scratches. So that's a win.  (How's that for finding a silver lining for that grey cloud?)

15 comments:

  1. So glad you're okay. Gravel scares me for this exact reason. The helmet pic is terrifying. Thank goodness you were wearing one!

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    1. Thanks, Jules! I didn't think I hit my head initially. Then figured I must have given how I went down. But yeah, that isn't pretty. Better the foam than my skull, though, right?

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  2. Good job wearing your helmet. Good to see that you are okay. Loose gravel and sand at intersections is scary...

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  3. Bob, I hope you recover quickly. One of my biggest fears is turning on gravel or wet pavement, especially downhill. So glad you are ok. God bless you! Marty

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    1. Thank you Marty! I'll be fine.

      It's weird, because that is the only entrance to our little neighborhood, so I ride through that intersection darn near every day. (Generally coming from the other direction, but still....)

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  4. I fell off my bike last summer trying to go up a gravel incline where the bike path was being repaved. No fun. Not too much hurt but my pride. And my bike, too, withstood minimal damage. I always am careful when coming up on a gravel or sandy spot, but reading your story will ensure that I continue to be vigilant. Can you imagine some of the crashes that the pros end up in, as fast at they're going? You know it is a good problem when you want to get back out on the bike and have to wait. ;) God speed on your recovery.

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    1. Thanks, Matt! I can't imagine a crash at the speed the pros go. It took me a few minutes just to get my wits about me. They pop back up and climb back on within seconds, barring a serious injury. I guess I need to HTFU.

      As for the sandy crap in teh intersection, I go thru that corner just about daily - though usually approaching from the other direction. Never a problem before. Guess I was "too hot" coming in.

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  5. I had a crash like that a couple years ago. Took me a while to get back on the bike though - riding with cracked ribs is no joke. What helped me was getting a folding bike, since I didn't want to go back tot he full round trip commute right away. I'd drive until I was pretty close to work, and then ride the last mile or so. That way, I could kind of test it out, and at the end of the day especially, if I wasn't feeling too good, it was only a short ride back to the car. As I got feeling better, the riding portion of my commute became longer, until I was riding both ways, pretty much every day.

    Good thing for the helmet too!

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    1. Thanks, Alex! Not sure when I'll be back out on the road bike for a long ride.

      When I can't bike commute all the way to work (about 10.5 mi), I throw an old road bike on the rack and do a "park-n-bike." I may be doing that for a while until I feel good enough to commute all the way. Much like you did w/ the folding bike.

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  7. Dang man, sorry to hear about this but so glad you came out okay. Yes, helmets are good and it's nice to see you promoting that fact. Hope you recover quickly and are back out there riding faster and stronger than ever.


    Darryl

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    1. Thanks, Darryl! I'm hoping to be back in the saddle next week. (Need to! #30DaysOfBiking starts on Monday!) Follow up visit w/ the Doc is scheduled for Tuesday.

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