LOL, I pretty much have the same attitude. Right now the dangers loom large but my memory is pretty faulty and I forget the pain. Only time will tell this go around.

both my clavicle breaks were bad, like 4-5 pieces and needed plating. I said after the first one that I was going to give it another chance, but another bad break and I was moving to trail running or something.

After my 2nd break, I was on the trainer in the interim between my crash and my surgery. Cycling is addictive, especially when you build a lot of your life around it as I have.

Yeah, biking has always been with me. I have always had a bike. My mom recently told me that when I was 2, I would ride my little bike off the porch all the time causing the bars to bruise my chins. People thought my mom was hitting me! Oh yeah, I was in my first race at 4 years old on a big wheel. Darn it if I didn't get second.

I just got into racing even though I trained and rode hard for a few years prior. Racing just makes it "bigger," like watching a movie at the IMAX versus renting at home. And this year, a switch happened: before, racing was just training. I now prefer the racing to the training.

When I broke my clavicle in November, I never thought for a second that I might not want to get back out and race again. And to their credit, my family and friends know me well enough that none of them suggested that I stop. Of course, I didn't crash because of anyone else!

Damn, that's one hell of a wreck. If someone slams into you that hard in a place that takes away your control of the bars, like you described, you're just going along for the ride. Nothing you can do about it. So early in the race, too.

On the mental side, my advice is to take it one step at a time. First, regain strength and recover from the trauma. Next, get on the trainer. Next, think about when you can ride outside. With two broken wrists I'd suspect just riding is not going to be easy at first. Don't overdo it. Let pain be your guide and try and stay close to home. Racing can come later. For me the joy of riding outside again was a huge boost.

It's funny, I broke my collarbone on a track bike on the street practicing sprints.

Heal up.

I have a question, in the NBA a lot of players wear compression shorts with padding as players take contact when driving in the lane, and some guards use elbow pads on their "sleeves." Is there anything for us cyclists to wear to provide padding like this? If some sort of under shirt with padding around the collarbone area could be made, I think it could be popular.

If only there was some device one could use to search for things.

hmmmm

I got nothing.

~~~~~~

Some guys wear elbow and various pads. They look kinda ridiculous, probably don't breath very well, and I'd guess haven't afforded enough success to become popular.

You don't seem to have much of a handle on how one breaks a collar bone

Instead of padding your collar bone if you could replace everything above your wrist with a spring…

http://image.shutterstock.com/displa...r-25482013.jpg

google cycling pads. they exist, but I've never seen them in person and I wouldn't necessarily want to race against someone wearing pads.

I'd stay as far away from them as possible.

I've heard people say that upper body strength can prevent collarbone injuries -- more muscles to stabilize the bones. I don't know if there's any real justification for that.

Thanks shovel. I realize that a wreck of this magnitude is rare and tempers my thoughts regarding the bizarre nature of it. I hope that I can meet up with the other rider someday just to ask what happened from his perspective.

I am planning to take my time healing. Our race season is pretty much winter and spring here anyway. I told the important people in my life that I will let my body heal for a full year before I consider racing crits or rrs again.

PS: track bikes, I love em but they are finicky

Sure, in that regular upper body strength training will increase bone strength. From a "muscle padding" perspective I doubt it, the shock wave from a straight-arm or elbow impact will travel up through the bones and break it.

all this ^^ bone density yo.

you have a keeper of a girlfriend... get well

Let's not forget landing directly on your shoulder, which is at least as common a way to break it as landing on a hand or elbow. Whatever the case, there's some real force involved in breaking a collarbone, and more muscle doesn't seem likely to help much.

when I crash I like to keep my hands on the bars for some reason.

anyway, now both my clavicles are plated. n=2.

I tried in mine and did the best I could, but it happened so quick:
http://acaurora.smugmug.com/2014-Rac...IMG_4997-M.jpg

^Alex Chiu's handy work.

I ended up hurting my shoulder (ac joint), but it was due to impact from a second rider's bike hitting me. Ultimately, I don't think our bodies evolved to handle hitting the deck at high speed, so sadly, injuries will happen.

Wow, incredible action shot!

Honestly this is part of why I think the advice to not put a hand out is misguided. I think it's a myth that you're going to avoid breaking a collarbone this way (I landed on the back of my shoulder - crunch), and if your hand, elbow, wrist, shoulder absorb or deflect some force that might otherwise end up at your head, that seems like a reasonable sacrifice to me. For my part, though, I can't say I recall being able to get an arm out in the most of the crashes I've had, anyway, and I've yet to really hit my head.

I doubt that this will be productive. It's not like two old friends talking about a stupid argument they had a decade ago. He probably ****ed up pretty badly to slam right into your elbow. I'm guessing he wasn't paying attention. Hearing that wouldn't make you feel better.

My last crash I tucked so I wouldn't break my collar bone, and as a result I shattered my elbow. I'd have taken the collar bone in a do over.

The guys who wear pads don't do it for protection, but as a statement that they don't give a **** and will make contact with you. As Shovel said, best to stay clear of them.

Really sorry to hear of your crash and bad injuries, robabeatle. Good news the doc says you'll be back to full function.

I've crashed a few times and always feel freaked out getting back to the same situations that the crashes happened in, but in time, that mostly went away. Just give yourself time to get through the feelings you have about it, they are normal and will probably fade. I took "baby steps" getting back to crash situations - solo and then group rides before crits, for example.

I've never broken an elbow, but from what I've heard, I would make that trade as well.

Mine detonated.

That said, we need a crash thread merge…I can't keep track of what is in which thread any longer :/