Injuries of stupidity that have kept you off the bike
 

we were at a friends house for a backyard BBQ over the weekend.

in one of my trademark moments of monumental stupidity, i transferred red hot burning coals in a starter chimney from my friends weber grill to his smoker in bare feet (we were all hanging out around his pool).

unknown to me, one of the coals fell out the bottom of the chimney and onto the concrete patio. after dumping the coals into the smoker, i turned around to set the chimney back on the weber and i stepped directly onto the glowing red coal with the ball of my foot.

H-O-L-Y C-R-A-P!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the coal cinders burned into the skin on the bottom of my foot, i couldn't shake 'em off. so in extreme agony, i hopped on one foot over to the pool and jumped in.

after the immediacy of the intense pain subsided, my first thought was "goddamnit, this means i'm not gonna be able to bike commute for a while".

now i have a nice blister the size of a ping-pong ball on the bottom of my foot. the interwebs said 2nd degree burns like this usually stake about 2 weeks to heal.



so how about you? ever done something really, really dumb that resulted in not being able to bike commute for a while?

Well that puts the saddle sores I got from trying a new saddle without using compression shorts after years of not needing them on my Brooks into perspective.

Earlier this year I installed a new screen door. Had to put all the screws in by hand to make sure I didn't over tighten them and strip out the door frame.

Every screw was hard to turn and there were like 25 of them.

Used a screw driver.

Didn't use gloves.

Had a huge blister right on the palm of my hand that broke open during the process. Suddenly I had fresh exposed skin that was....not fun.

Couldn't hold handlebars on the bike for 3 days.

No, I've never done anything that stupid.

I'm also not lying through my teeth. :innocent:

I haven't done that, but if you're not diabetic, the feet should heal fairly quickly. I try to leave blisters intact for a couple of days before popping them (which may not be possible here).

Good dressings, and perhaps some antiseptic cream for the first couple of days.

You might look at corn donut pads... really big ones?

Good Luck.

As far as being knocked off from riding the bike... I've had a couple of minor spills on the bike. Sore elbows, knees, etc. But, none have completely stopped me from riding (although, perhaps deciding whether a trip is absolutely necessary), or taking a couple of days off.

It is hard to stop riding when one is "car-free" with minimal public services.

One quickly learns to minimize the pain. For example, with the foot ailment, you may be able to pull up with one leg (with cleats), while doing a full stroke with the other leg. That is, assuming you've gone clipless.

Or, perhaps change your foot position with that peal, and perhaps even seat height, so you can pedal with the heel.

This was a few years ago.

I was home by myself, and was taking the garbage and recycling out to the garage while wearing flip flops. Was going down the stairs when I caught the end of a flip flop, and it curled underneath my foot. I fell down the stairs and knocked myself out. When I woke up, I couldn't walk on my right foot. I broke my foot, and couldn't ride my bike for 6 weeks.

^^^ Well, I feel almost a camaraderie with that, because I got so mad at a walk-behind string trimmer that I punched a wall-- right on a studline, of course-- and snapped the 5th metacarpal in my right hand. Off the road for 41 days. I did put 500 miles in on Zwift during that time, and was actually thankful I had punched the wall and not kicked it. Because not being able to turn pedals at all would have been insult to injury.

i tried to keep the burn blister intact, but i lanced it last night. the pain/pressure of having half a ping pong ball of puss sticking out of the ball of my foot was simply getting too intolerable.

the relief was instant. now the battle is to keep infection at bay.

the tissue is still way too tender and sensitive for me to attempt an 8 mile bike ride.

I've been off the bike for a badly sprained ankle from playing ultimate, or from a pinched nerve, but can't think of any 'stupid' reasons.

5 weeks ago my wife and son and I went on a 'quick' trail ride before he was going to head off for a party. At the bottom of a hill he hit an unexpected erosion-control bump with way too much speed and got launched, breaking his collar-bone. So he's off the bike and basically whole summer shot to hell.

In April had a slow speed fall off the bike trying to make a too fast, too tight u-turn on very rough pavement. Sprained my left hand and likely cracked a bone; when I press on the outside edge, there's still a bit of pain. Bone-headed, amateur move. Couldn't ride for the best part of a week.

A couple years ago I did something stupid on a low-speed descent and ended up dumping myself (and my bike) into a ditch. I finished the remaining 65 miles of the ride. The next day, I rode to the store to get Icy Hot. The day after that, I could barely move (sprained some kind of back muscle) and was off the bike for a bit.

This is acceptable. String trimmers have a special way of inducing rage and should probably be banned.

Many decades ago, in Gastown, Vancouver, after work during my summer job, I got on my bike to ride home like I had done so many times before. Only this time, I rode my bike on the railways tracks. I slipped on the gravel and suffered a big gash on my left elbow that required seven stitches.

Last Friday, I went on a fairly strenuous shakedown ride of a carbon uberbike I've built. Both the stem and carbon aero handlebar reach were too long, so the ride was very stretched out. Not uncomfortable at the time, but off by nearly 2cm.

So I rode hard, and then I played 36 holes of disc golf. I began to feel tightness in my lower back. It twinged a few times, but I ignored it.

Then, later that morning, I got out the hedge trimmers and re-sculpted to tall holly bushes on the corners of our house. I bent to pick up all of the trimmings, stuffing them into lawn bags. Then I carried the bags down to the curb.

By evening I was pretty sore. By Saturday morning, I was really spasmed in pain. It's taken 5 days of stretching, ibuprofen, and rest to begin to feel better. I haven't been on a bike yet this week, although I've fixed two for neighbors.

It started by riding hard on a bike that clearly is not dialed in to fit. My bad.

Last night I kicked a door frame.

I swear the darn thing moved 6 inches from where I left it. Jumped right out at me. Ripped the nail off my little toe. Hurt like a SOB

I drove into work this morning.

i did it! despite my injury of stupidity, i rode to work for the first time this week!

it didn't exactly feel awesome on my burn wound, but the pain was tolerable (i pre-gamed with some ibuprofen).

i was all set to ride yesterday, but we had some pretty hellacious t-storms rolling through (my co-worker's car was totalled by a toppled tree).

being back on the bike after 4 days off is such a glorious feeling!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i can't even remember the last time i went 4 work days in a row without bike commuting.



feeling kinda tough and proud at the moment. today is supposed to be the hottest, most disgusting day of the year and it would have been very easy for me to throw in the towel and coast through the weekend, but i didn't.

urge to ride > the pain.

I can relate. Late 90's, I had got my Schwinn Mesa GS mtn bike and was using it to commute to work about 6 miles. Something happened at work and I had ridden that day. I was extremely frustrated/angry. I tried going for a walk to cool off. Didn't work. I wanted to leave for the day it was that bad. Unfortunately I was not able to because my coworker (1 source of my extreme frustration) had something going on that meant I couldn't leave early. That added to my anger/frustration as I felt trapped in situation that had come up. I decided to try to walk it off some more after coming back inside office...and headed toward side door...which was a heavy steel door. I punched it in my anger and OMG...PAIN. I broke same in my right hand. I tried to deal with the pain but it was too much and I ended up getting ride to ER. Also needed a ride home after ER. Hand in cast for 6 weeks. No bike riding (didn't have a trainer at the time) and no softball. I'm right handed and job involved typing and writing. I managed.

I tore my rotator cuff and bicep connecting tendon in my shoulder doing overhead bike pose at halfway point of AIDS/Lifecycle 2018. Putting bike down and reaching it out to get past the boulder I was precariously standing on...I felt something in my shoulder. I just figured I strained it. Got home from ride which was in June 2018 and when I would go for rides...my shoulder was extremely painful. Finally saw ortho in Fall. Rotator cuff surgery 11/2 and off bike for months. Cleared to ride late Feb. Not even allowed to ride trainer unless I wanted to ride sitting straight up and not use bars. Finally got out for ride in March.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4df93f926c.jpg

I'm imagining this happened just after the water bottles fell out of the cages onto your head

Gee...since there aren't water bottles you assume they fell out? Duh....I took them out pre photo. :rolleyes:

I can see where they crumpled your race number on the way down :p