jppe

I bet I know the descent you’re referring to. I was so thankful to be riding disc brakes on that descent, along with several others. I mentioned to some other riders that I bet there were a number of blowouts due to the heat build up. It seems like sections were pretty narrow as well. I can’t imagine descending it like you did.

OP, glad you’re still around to tell us about it. Gives me chills thinking about it. My worst crash was on a similar type descent. I was going way too fast. I was also solo up in the mountains. I went over the handlebars and landed right next to the guard rail. The choices were either that or go over the guardrail and down a cliff.....

Hermes

Sorry to hear this. Heal up fast!

Hondo Gravel

I’m glad you recovered and back on the bike. You’re wreck and recovery is making me think that it is time to get prescription lenses for cycling/athletic glasses and to have an updated eye exam. I find excuses and say I’ll do it next week. I never drive without my glasses but on my bikes I use regular athletic shades.

Hondo Gravel

I might have misunderstood if so have a good recovery and you will be back riding again soon

horatio 

Glad you survived! Lost a friend several years ago. Severed spinal cord from a fall at slow speed.

MinnMan

Oh wow - what a terrible incident and (maybe) a bit of luck.

I lost a friend to a broken neck early last month - He went off the road and into a ditch on a ride and landed just wrong. C6 blocked his airway and he was done. He was 70+ and a very experienced rider - with many tens of thousands of miles through his life, but hit a rumble strip wrong, lost control, and it was over.

Best wishes for a full recovery.

bruce19

On July 24, 2013 I crashed while in a line. We were just cruising at about 17 mph on a state road. As best as I can figure out, my front wheel hit a small pot hole and my front brake hand jammed the brake lever thus an endo. I broke my neck...spent 8 days in hospital...had two 5-hr operations to fuse C1 & C2. I was home on August 1st and back on the bike in mid-November. My best advice is to do what the docs tell you to do. I never had to go to rehab but I have a limited ROM. Now using an Italian Road Bike Mirror.

I should mention that I was 67 at the time. And, strangely, I am more fluid on the bike than I have ever been.

Lemond1985

So people who have had these kinds of crashes, is tucking in your chin a credited strategy? That's how I plan my falls / crashes, as close to a tuck and roll as I can manage, and arms in as much as possible to prevent broken, hands arms and collarbones. I try to stay in the drops too, if a situation on the roads, turns sketchy.

trad

I think yes, particularly for forward falls on road bikes. Tuck and roll, chin down, and keep hands on handle bars (to help with rotation) when/if you can is what I was taught, but its easier said than done. I grew up doing judo and had lots of chin in/tuck and roll practice, but the 90+ year old great grandma hit her accelerator instead of her brakes after initial impact. I got nearly pulled under the car before I went airborne in a strange way, with little ability to contain my landing... For MTB, there's an option to straddle off especially if you are on platform pedals...

BTW, the other tip I'd like to share is for everyone to bump up (or max out) your uninsured motorist insurance and to have a rider to connect this to an umbrella policy if you have one. The 3 days I was in trauma/icu for scans/MRI's/monitoring cost $140k+. Thats before cost of any of the multiple surgeries or rehab. Minimum auto liability in CA is $15k per person/death (~ $20k in most states) and woefully inadequate if you are hit by a car while on a bike. Uninsured motorist coverage not only covers uninsured drivers, but also can come into play when someone that hits you is "under insured".

curbtender

Maybe the word should be "prepare" and not plan...

Lemond1985

Planning becomes instinct. I don't mind falling down every now and then, the only thing bad about falling down, is when you fall down, and get hurt doing it. If you aren't hurt, no harm no foul. I like falling down unexpectedly now and then, so I stay in practice. YMMV.

downtube42

I have no recollection of the time between skidding and lying head down in the briars. So I don't know what I did.

curbtender

Ha, ok, I guess when I get up when I fall I do say "Well, that didn't go how I planned it".

Heal well downtube42

Nachoman

Something tells me that you'll at least be back on a trainer in no time.

Wileyrat

Wow.....That sounded rough, heal up soon!

Definitely put my scraped knee falling off my mtn bike last weekend into perspective.

downtube42

That's funny as heck, since I literally have fb marketplace open right now with an indoor trainer search going.

canklecat

After my injury last year, a friend gave me an old Cycleops magnetic trainer that had been gathering dust and rust in his garage. Cleaned up nicely, works great.

Looking back at Strava, I was hit by a car the end of the first week of May and mostly walked for exercise for the next month. My first trainer session was June 12. As I recall the hardest part was mounting the bike on the trainer! My shoulder actually felt better with pressure from leaning forward a bit onto the handlebar tops. I raised the stem a bit for comfort, easy with a quill stem.

But at that time I still couldn't lift anything heavier than a coffee cup -- even that was risky. I started using paper plates and plastic cups because they were lighter and I was dropping stuff with my right hand. I remember it was November before I could use my right hand to reach in my right side front or rear pockets, and another few weeks to put my hands in "parade rest" (or handcuff) position, on the lower back.

For the next couple of weeks I did indoor sessions including some high intensity intervals, while binge-watching Orphan Black on TV. Helped maintain some cardio fitness.

On June 23 last year I tried a tentative ride around the parking lot. I remember my handling and balance were pretty bad.

On June 25 I rode my comfort hybrid errand bike to REI and back, to get a new helmet. My old one had a light impact. Probably still usable but I wanted a better helmet anyway. That ride wasn't bad.

I took maybe one outdoor ride a week on the comfort hybrid, but mostly used the road bike on the indoor trainer. And walked, a lot, up to 5 miles a day.

Looks like I took my first drop bar road bike ride July 7, 2018, almost exactly two months after the injury. I recall it was okay for the first 10 miles, then uncomfortable the final 5. That was also the day I test rode a recently model Specialized Tarmac on consignment at the LBS. Really nice, very light, stiff, responsive yet comfortable. Took me maybe two minutes to get the hang of brifters. I recall it was still a bit painful to use my bike's downtube shifter on the injured right side.

By the end of July I was riding the road bike outdoors a couple of times a week, 15-25 miles, fairly leisurely effort, around 14 mph.

Then I had a setback due to thyroid cancer and had zero energy, so I didn't do much for the entire month of August. It was a combination of my thyroid level being low (half my thyroid still sorta works, the other half was surgically removed), and terrible advice from a nurse practitioner at my former health care center. For who knows what reason she told me to discontinue my prescription thyroid supplements. To someone with low thyroid, that's pretty close to fatal. I switched health care networks pronto and have gotten excellent care through the VA.

I never really got heat adapted for Texas summer in 2018 so I continued using the indoor trainer for harder workouts, then a few easy rides outdoors in the morning or evening. For that matter, my heat adaptation hasn't been the same since the thyroid problem. This summer I also struggled a bit with heat. And indoors in a/c my body thermostat is all over the place. The indoor temp can be 70-72F but throughout the day and night my feels-like temp ranges from freezing to 110F.

Anyway, the indoor trainer was crucial to my recovery, and overall well being. Well worth the investment. The only reason I've put the trainer away the past month or so was to force myself to get outdoors more often. My friends told me I was becoming a hermit, so I try to show up for group rides at least once a week now.

canklecat

Incidentally, one other thing to watch for with a broken neck -- weird reactions due to nerve pressure.

In my case, between the neck injury and thyroid, my blood pressure and heart rate have been all over the map, just crazy swings. Unfortunately my GP and various specialist doctors don't really communicate all that well -- typical of most medical situations -- so there's no consensus on whether the BP and HR are due to the neck injury, thyroid or ... mostly they don't seem worried about it.

The chiropractors seem convinced the nerve pressure from the damaged C1-C2 are causing the BP and HR swings, but my medical docs don't seem impressed by anything chiropractors say.

Usually my BP is right around 120/70 and HR around the mid-60s to low 70s. But throughout the day the BP can peak higher than 160/100 and resting HR can be in the 90s, even hours after a workout or bike ride. Other days my BP and HR quickly return to normal.

I had a really bad experience with one chiropractor this year, which caused my BP to spike and caused pain, dizziness and nausea for days. I had assumed the chiropractor and I were in agreement on a treatment plan because he carefully reviewed my X-rays, CT-scan and MRI and pointed to the cervical vertebrae damage. But without warning me while I was on the treatment table he did a forceful neck manipulation. Felt like my head exploded. That was incredibly reckless and potentially fatal.

My next chiropractor seemed thorough and got my consent on everything. But all he did was use the clicky-pen doodad. The sessions lasted all of 5 minutes. It was an hour long trip to the clinic and I ended up stiffer and in worse shape just from too much travel time. So I discontinued those after four visits.

Never allow a chiropractor to do neck manipulations after a neck injury. Even with otherwise healthy folks it's risky. But if you go to a chiropractor, masseuse or physical therapy clinic that offers hands-on traction, be very careful to discuss this thoroughly and get specific agreements on what may or may not be done.

In my case, a PT at the physical therapy clinic had magic hands for gentle neck traction and it helped a lot. And we discussed it very carefully and he got feedback from me throughout those traction sessions. That actually improved the coordination and strength of my right hand.

At home I use a foam neck collar on days when my neck feels achy and strained. But overusing it causes other problems. And I do a lot of careful stretching, including hanging my head off the edge of the bed and gently bobbling it around. And a percussion massager -- I've used it so much I've already worn out the first one after three months. I'll pony up the bucks for a better massager next time.

I think I already mentioned Ted's Pain Cream. Great stuff, the only topical analgesic I've used that really works. That includes CBD balm from a favorite CBD supplier. Their orally administered CBD is fantastic, but the balm doesn't really seem to do anything for me. I suspect most topical analgesics seem to work because of the massage action. But after almost 20 years of using every topical I could find, I'm persuaded that Ted's actually does what they claim because the relief lasts longer than others, even accounting for the physical massage.

downtube42

Pretty good day today. Off work (I worked Monday through Thursday) with appointments. CT scan showed the previously collapsed cervical artery is now partially open, so now my brain is running on 3 1/2 cylinders out of 4, rather than just 3. The vascular doctor was quite happy. There's always something though; since the artery is open there is a non-zero risk of stroke due to clots breaking free. So far no indicators of this. They have me on baby aspirin.

The trauma doc removed the stitches and drain from my thigh wound, which is healing up well. I'm going to have quite a scar - "L" shaped, presumably from the guard rail upright. It's just above the tan line, which is good because it's going to be gnarly. Friends joked that since I'll have an "L" scar on the left leg, I need to carve an "R" into the right leg. I'll pass.

I don't see the spinal guys for a while. I guess things don't move as quickly with the hard parts as with the squishy parts.


What would be really nice would be to get the expenses handled this year, rather than after Jan 1 when I start afresh with the deductible and out-of-pocket max.

JanMM

You could go with an “R” tattoo on the right leg?

Keep on healing.

eja_ bottecchia

I thought I was tough because I once rode home with a broken finger and ribs following a bike crash on PCH.

BUT YOU, my friend are one tough hombre.

Get well, heal well and “enjoy” your rest days.

I predict that by the time that you are able to ride again, your bike (s) will be clean and shiny. I had so much free time during my recovery that I nearly polished and waxed the paint off my bikes.

John E

This gives a new meaning to "risking one's neck." Best wishes for a speedy and thorough recovery.

bruce19

My experience with bicycle and motorcycle crashes is that a lot of people have a plan but, unless they see it coming, they are on the ground before they know what happened.

canklecat

Exactly. All that stuff about tuck and roll, blah-blah-blah, is BS.

If Eddy Merckx, the most skilled and accomplished cyclist in history, can't avoid striking his head when he falls, what hope is there for the average 70something y/o MUPpet to tuck and roll?

The problem is that sometimes we get lucky and credit our imaginary skills for minimizing injury. But if we saw a video of our falls and crashes, we'd probably be embarrassed by how slow we were going and how much time we had to react... if that were even a thing. Getting lucky =/= skill.

This summer I video'd a poor 60something y/o fellow crashing during a group ride, smacking his head on the road, then sliding into a curb and striking his head again. Fortunately his helmet minimized the damage. He quickly went into shock with the obvious signs of concussion. Fortunately we were accompanied by emergency medical personnel so he got medical attention within a minute.

Reviewing the video showed several common mistakes made by most cyclists. And rather than feeling smugly superior about it, the incident just reminded me how lucky I've been to avoid crashing when I've made similar mistakes -- inattention to pavement conditions, situational awareness of my surroundings including other cyclists in groups.

And, a problem I see often among older cyclists, emphasizing strength in the pursuit of speed over basic bike handling skills and courtesy toward other cyclists, some of whom are just as reckless. Over the last few years a once-good club ride has devolved from emphasize on group riding skills -- including drafting safely, working a paceline, etc. -- and camaraderie, into a testosterone fueled free-for-all of middle aged and older men indulging in a heedless hammerfest, blasting through intersections without slowing, weaving all over the road, often into oncoming traffic lanes, and generally endangering other users of a popular MUP, a narrow, winding trail that twists through a wooded park. It's basically an alleycat race for old dudes with pricey carbon bikes, rather than young messengers on fixies.

A few of us broke off into another group that confines ourselves to some safe sprint zones and longer time trial segments and climbs, but otherwise observing the usual safe Idaho Stop method for intersections, and regrouping to retrieve slower riders and encourage them to keep showing up. But that subgroup is diminishing in participation, for various reasons. One problem is the route -- it's still the same route and time as the alleycat race group, so the two groups will occasionally overlap or conflict. Another problem is not really a problem -- there are so many local cycling groups now for folks at every level and desire for participation that folks tend to gravitate toward their comfort zones.

Very few athletes, and fewer non-athletes, have the reflexes and instincts necessary to reaction quickly enough to prevent or minimize injury. Watch enough bike race crashes and it's obvious that even most trained athletes can't react quickly enough. Even guys like Peter Sagan with superhuman reflexes will occasionally crash.


And the older we get, the more we fall or take impacts, the more cumulative brain damage we get. Even falling without a direct head blow can cause brain damage. Meanwhile, other folks can withstand multiple head blows and remain relatively unscathed. It's a mystery.

bruce19

I love it when I hear the typical Harley guy describe his accident with "I had to lay it down." Total Bull.