1. a car cuts into the bike lane a bit.
2. My spidey sense tingles and I swerve toward the curb a bit more.
3. I hit a fairly big rock in the bike lane with the front and maybe the rear wheel.
4. This jostles the bike a bit and derails the slightly too loose chain on the IG hubbed raleigh twenty
5. Just as I pedal hard out of the saddle
6. Causing me to flip neatly over the bars.
7. Land on my right hand hard
8. Give me enough time to look at the front handle bars under me and wonder where the rest of the bike is.
9. And then have the saddle hit me in the upper back and the rest of the bike pile drive into me.
Result 1:
Former Cateye opticube well shattered. Also handlebar mounted white reflector broken. Also later that evening the striker broke off the incredibell when I tried to use it. I did continue my mission and retrieved precious milk for the baby.
Result 2:
Sore wrist Monday night evolves to swollen immobile wrist on tuesday morning evolves into morning in ER. Conclusion: no breaks, some sort of contusion on the outer right wrist with swelling bruising in the carpal tunnel, effectively ennumbing the pinky and ring finger as well as preventing most of the useful bending movements.
Analysis:
Shit happens. I am not too pissed at the car as it was shoddy driving, but shoddy driving happens all the time, but it took the trinity of the swerve, the rock and the power stroke on non-engaged chain to cause me to crash. I am pretty sure clueless driver did not even see me go down as it took more than a couple beats between the pass and the fall. My chain should have been tighter and the rock should have not been there. Eh.... I did ride to the hospital and work on tuesday, walked in and back today, probably will ride in tomorrow. Coaster brakes enable nearly manual dexterity free riding.
Coworker reaction amuses me. In order of popularity:
1. As much as you ride, you still fell off?
2. As much as you ride, I am surprised this does not happen more often.
3. You drove today right?
Fortunately it feels much better already and doc claims I will be just like new by next week. The bruise on my shoulder from the saddle and the tweaked pec/ribs hurt more than the wrist. I will be better soon. I will then continue my hella training blocks.
21 comments:
Ahhhh, I see.
That sucks; glad you're mostly ok.
Are you getting the requisite, "Were you wearing a helmet" questions???
CT,
Yep FDGB (fall down go boom). I am not sure if anyone asked me the helmet question outside of the ER room nurses and maybe the ER doctor. I think they ask that to see if they should be more worried about cranial injuries. Or maybe they were trying to judge me. I was wearing a helmet, but I foolishly neglected to hit my head in the crash, negating the "Thank god was wearing my helmet" aspect of the story. I am at a loss what to do now. Maybe the helmet kept me from hitting my head? I will ask over on BL or the boblist to be sure.
That is always a good conversation starter!
Standard response to #2 is: As much as you drive, I'm surprised you're not fatter.
Is your bike OK?
Scott,
Yes, I will use that next time. thanks.
JRA,
Thanks for asking! Actually, over the last two years, I have had a number of PIA mechanicals and a different random crash (two wheel slide on dry pavement while cornering on studded tires) on this bike. I can only conclude that it hates me. I don't care how it is right now. I will probably totally overhaul it to punish it.
Glad you're OK man!
Sorry to hear about the striker on the incredibell. I thought those things were bullet proof...
Yiks. I'm glad it ended mostly ok. I hate reading those kinds of posts -- I usually go to the end to make sure it ends ok, but you had me pretty engaged with the blow-by-blow.
Wow. You have a lot of little bones in your hand.
Glad to hear that you are OK. Yeah, that's true: one usually doesn't crash unless multiple things screw up at once. The Unholy Trinity, in this case.
Sucktacular. Glad it was the kind of landing you could walk away from.
Even though it's entirely superstitious, I say put the Twenty out to pasture. Plenty of other fish in the sea.
uhh,
i'm also glad that you're ok.
in germany we have an adage for that:
Glueck im Unglueck.
I don't know an english translation for that.
Loose chains always come off at the worst times!
Glad you're OK, Tarik.
Lee
I hate the trifecta.
It's gotten me twice, once a sprained wrist,and once a broken collarbone.
Heal well and quickly.
Wow! Glad you're okay!
Do take a good look at the helmet. After my dooring last summer, I thought I hadn't hit my head, but close inspection of the helmet revealed ripples in the outer shell and cracks in the foam inside. My predisposition to being decidedly odd kept anyone from noticing any possible brain injuries.
Thanks for the comments all. I feel much much better already. I tweaked something in my chest that hurts more than my wrist. But I did go and do a slooow 22 mile ride today with no evil after effects.
John, I am also impressed with the sheer quantity of tiny bones in the hand, what a terrible design.
Joe, definitely did not hit the helmet. I did check.
Khal, It would have been a better story if it had happened on Trinity Drive...
MoBabo,
I think I may just overhaul the hell out of it, maybe repaint it. Definitely take a file to the dropouts so I can get the tension adjusted more easily, and finally replace the original cottered cranks and chainring, which I think now has a bent tooth or two.
Nordic68,
I do find the strikers are prone to stretching and becoming less useful, but I have never had one break clean off before. Pretty funny.
Tarik, I know you barely at all, but I'm glad you're okay, and damn that freakin' rock! Glad you were wearing your helmet, and that you didn't hit your head. Having a husband who hit his head hard (hard enough to put him in a coma) when he was doing nothing more than riding down the street to watch friends do drops, I can honestly say helmets rock! (He was wearing his, would likely be vegetized or dead without.)
Worst bike wreck I've ever had was on Canyon, in front of the pool. On my 1989 GT Karakoram "Purple Haze" I thought I would just ride up onto the sidewalk from the street while cruising at about 19 mph. Front tire was successful, back tire not. Flew over the bars through two metal stakes into a ditch, hit nose first and felt my body wrap neatly in half as I did an unintended flip uphill. An ambulance ride, and 24 x-rays later revealed nothing more than a broken nose and a tweaked back. Thankfully I was 19 and not the age we are now. Glad you're not hurt worse, and hoping you heal really fast!!
Kristi B.
Kristi,
Thanks for the note, the downhill on Canyon in front of the pool is probably one of my least favorite places in los alamos to ride. I usually just take the whole lane. If you stay in the bike lane, people drift over on you all the time, not to mention people turing out of rose, canyon or the pool into you, or even worse people who take the left in front of you. You are probably the 5th person I have heard about having a bad accident there. Anyhow. feeling much better. thanks! Also, 1989 Karakoram = nice!
Heal quickly. avoid those wonky drivers (and the rest of the trifecta of disaster)..
you're a far better man than I for not feeling anger for the driver...
ph0, et al:
"Glueck im Unglueck"
(Glück im Unglück really)
Literally, "fortune in misfortune."
True 'nuf.
It's good that you got away with minor injuries and the better news is that the odds of it happening again soon are low--you should be safe for a while. Take care and stay safe.
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