Southern California - Sunday Morning Ride Report (12/17/2006) - Helmets Save Lives!

Finally, after missing out on a ride yesterday due to rain, i was able to get out today.

Here's my route:

Krispy Kreme Run (http://routeslip.com/map.php?map=16221) + 7 Mile Loop (http://routeslip.com/map.php?map=15726)

Left at about 7:10AM and it was a nice 38 degrees F, a mere 6 degrees from freezing... I wasn't very thrilled about it but i had plenty on to stay warm (cycling shorts, PI knee warmers, Novara leg warmers, Under Armor cold gear long sleeve shirt, semi form fitting cotton t-shirt, jersey, PI arm warmers, some American Eagle winter gloves, Novara skull cap, windbreaker, and nylon track pants). Threw on my camelbak with some water, a water bottle with cytomax, my new rear SKS clipon fender, and i was ready to roll. :D I was also testing out my new Adidas Durango MTB shoes (yes, MTB shoes on my roadbike) which i plan on using if/when i commute to work on my bike and for cyclocross next year. However even without any mesh panels or ventilation holes, my feet were still freezing...

Made it to Krispy Kreme without incident and picked up 2 regular glazed and a creme filled glazed. I ate two of the donuts before heading back out. You always get some interesting looks when you're sitting in there fully bundled up with your gear next to you while munching on some of the worlds greatest junk food. :lol:

After heading up milliken to 16th i dropped by my friends house so he could join me on my ride. Being the crazy dude he is (and due to the fact he couldn't find his knee warmers) we hit the road with him wearing just his cycling shorts and a long sleeve t-shirt (he's got his share of natural insulation but it was still effin' cold outside, only 50 degrees or so by the time we left).

We made it down 16th street to Euclid where it was going to be all downhill for most of the ride home. Streets were starting to dry up though the gutters still had some water flowing in them from the rain last night. Just as we passed Foothill, my friend was about 100 feet in front of me where he hit one of the concrete gutters (it was a good 2-3 feet from the curb), loses control, and eats the pavement... Not good. Apparently he landed on his left side right on his hip, shoulder, and head... Fortunately there was no blood but 2 of his knuckles were skinned, his left hip and shoulder were banged up, and his helmet won't be seeing anymore rides. The entire back left side of the helmet is messed up with 3 or 4 fractures in the styrofoam. Best $40 he ever spent. We called up a friend who lived close by who came over to take him home (he just started a new full time job but his health insurance won't kick in until March unfortuantely so no ER trip for him). And if you're wondering, his bike looked fine. :) Fortunately his mom's an RN and she said short of the bruises he looks okay for now when i called about an hour ago. However he'll be out of comission for a while (and i'm probably going to have to convince him to wait until his health insurance kicks in before riding).

I was able to finish the rest of my ride without incident (city cycling through downtown Ontario is pretty fun) though i was pretty pooped when trying to finish my 7 mile loop route.

I'll be going over to my friends place later this afternoon to see how he's doing.

Geez, glad your friend is going to be ok! I ride up Euclid during the week. UP to the tunnels or just a few loops up to 24th street. On the way down, I see those gutters all the time. Just looking at them makes me cringe, thinking about hitting one. They are really hard to see too, unless you know they are there. Real scary

That downhill by the chapel is real scary too. I hit 40 on the short section without trying. The blind curves are way too scary. I just take the whole road though!

You're right, helmets save lives. I never ride without one!

wow...glad to hear your friend is OK...

My wife did the same thing a year ago, she cracked her helmet in two places...and yes, health insurance does come in handy because the Ambulance alone was $1150 :eek:

The best thing for abrasions is to clean the area with anti biotic soap (once a Day) use tons of neosporin, those 3M dressing pads that don't stick and bandages to wrap everything up..."Leave the dressing off and let it dry up" is an old wives tale, believe me...he'll need to keep his abrasions covered for at least a week or two....

But I'm sure his Mum will know all that...

You're right, helmets save lives. I never ride without one!
+1 - only I won't even mount my bike without it! (with my luck, I'd just fall sideways and crack my noggin).

Glad your friend walked away with just a few skinned knuckles! :o

Hmm. My stepson is a trained EMT and firefighter, and his comment on my own fall and crushed helmet (an old story with a happy ending that most readers of this forum know about) was: when EMT's see a damaged bike or mcycle helmet, they recommend that the person go to the hospital, even in the absence of concussion symptoms.

Even with insurance, though, I did no such thing. No fool like an old one, I guess.

I'm glad your friend is OK.

Yep, gotta have the helmet.
I'm interested in seeing what these concrete grates are you are talking about. I don;t ride in Ontario but used to. I still may make some rides with the Cycling connection club.

I put my head through a windshield and dented the A-pillar when I was younger in Pasadena.
It was in the 80's and I had a Kiwi helmet that I hated because it had the hard white plastic shell and was huge! I crushed the foam from 2 inches (yes 2 inches) down to .5 inches. Came away with roadrash and a fat lip. Bike was totaled and they missed my legs by 12 inches.

I'll have to try and get a picture of the scene next time i go by there. They weren't the huuuuge gutters that are like 4 feet across and 2 feet deep which you find above 16th street/baseline. It was just a small shallow gutter about 6-8 inches wide that was located about 3 feet fron the curb. There was a small stream of water in it and some kind of algae/slime on the concrete under the water. My friend was probably going about 25 mph. It seems he was a bit preoccupied with the traffic around him (some cars were in front of him pulling into the shopping center) and drifted into the water where the back tire fishtailed and eventually slid out from under him. He wasn't braking or trying to pull an evasive maneuver or anything either.

He's doing okay so far, stil bruised and in pain though...

Ohh, the sliding got him.
When i first started riding again I made a turn onto a street and had that happen as i went over a damp concrete transition. Didn't go down but certainly got the heartrate up.