Fifty Plus (50+) - Falling Down on the Road......Hard

Well it finally happened. After feeling rather confident, almost smug because I've only had one minor spill on my road bike versus numerous falls on the MTB, it finally happened. I was waving two other road bikes past me so I could turn left and did not notice that I was veering to the right. By the time I realized it, I was headed for the curb, I tried to correct and got caught in that 1" drop where the pavement asphalt ends and the concrete begins before the curb. I tried to correct, the wheel went sideways and I fell to the pavement HARD. I must have been going about 15MPH when I fell and landed on my right shoulder, knee, elbow and head. I could hear my right ear ringing as my head scraped along the pavement. The other two guys stopped to help as did several other passing cyclists. My major concern was, being dizzy. I could not stand for about 3 or 4 minutes. My mountain biking experience kicked in, so I knew I should just sit there and recover. The knee is a mess, the shoulder feels like I have a hot knife in it but the elbow is the worst, it has a hole in it, about a half inch wide and 3/8 inch deep, almost like a bullet hole.
Falling on a mountain bike is part of the ritual. It's a badge of honor and it usually just hurts for about 5 or 10 minutes. But falling on a road bike is not fun, not a requirement and I don't recommend it. I'll get back on, but not until I take a few MTB rides to regain confidence.
I think it best if I pass on posting pictures. This is a real mess.
But most important, the bike appears to be fine.
Hope you're having a better ride.

Get well soom.

Checking out the bike before you sure that you can walk is a good sign.

The injury to your elbow makes it sound like you should get a tetanus booster shot if you haven't had one during the past five years. Hope you heal quickly and are back on the bikes soon.

Ouch!! Take care and hope you're feeling better soon.

Hopefully the injuries don't give you any further problems.

Makes me hurt just to think about it. Hope you heal up fast and get right back on.

Really sorry to hear about the spill. Human skin is not made to rub against asphalt and concrete. Unfortunately tomorrow and next day you might be even more sore.......

OUCH! That description hurt. Hope you heal fast.

I'm sorry about your fall and I hope you recover quickly, both mentally and physically. It's amazing how fast these things happen, isn't it? I'm a new rider so I haven't fallen.... yet...... but I have injured myself in other ways that happened without warning, and resulted from a split-second wrong decision.

I echo the suggestion to get a tetanus shot, but I believe they are required every 10 years.

May the Force be with you, and heal you quick. Ouch that sounds awful! We're all pulling for you...

Sorry to hear about your fall. Your brain is working very well based on your detailed and gory description. I hope you heal very rapidly.

Ouch! May you get well soon!

Man I know exactly what your going through, because I did the same thing 2 weeks ago today. I think I cracked a few ribs and just about have the same wounds as you. Cracked my helmet, almost in half and shorts and jersey had to be replaced. I read if the pain in the chest moves around you have cracked or broken ribs, if not they are just bruised. I was going down a hill at 25 and all of a sudden the wheels were'nt under me. I just passed 3 woman and they must have seen me laying on the bottom of the hill and took off. I really didn't get dizzy until I got back to the car, which was 10 miles away. After I fell into the car I just stayed there a few minutes until everything stopped spinning and it cleared up.
Anyhow for the deep road rash I used Neosporin 3 times a day. I have a hole in my elbow as well and they say not to use Neosporin on deep cuts because it is toxic. I used it before I read that, and can't believe how fast it heeled up. I still have a small hole but much better. As for the ribs they still hurt a little, and I just started riding again this past week-end. Just 10 mile runs, but it feels good to get out. Anyhow I didn't good to the doctor because I didn't think they could do much more than I did. Good luck and if you can I would get out and ride as soon as you can. I went out the day after and rode and didn't hardly hurt at all, but the day after, WOW.

Yes, you were smart to make sure you were 'normal' before continuing...........hope your recovery goes as fast as the fall........peace

Wow, hope you guys are OK. Whenever I read of other's misfortunes it reminds me to be careful, take it easy and wear my skid lid. I don't have so far to fall on my LWB bent, but I doubt my hide or head would know the difference!

Yikes! Road rash sucks. I hope you have a quick and full recovery.
Be sure to replace your helmet. They are good for one hit.

That pavement doesn't give much, does it? Welcome to the distinguished fraternity of those of us who have unceremoniously crashed and burned. Glad you and the bike lived to fight another day. Get well soon and get back on the bike.

Wishing you a speedie recovery and knocking on wood as in 3 years I haven't had a hard fall. Your description of the fall reinforces my thoughts of maybe I should wear BMX elbow and knee plates. Oddly I ride with no helmet and I'm not bothered about bouncing my head off the pavement, but the elbows and knees just give me the geebies.

Yikes. Here's hoping you don't have any serious after effects and your healing genetics are good. Take some Ibuprofen, it will help pain and inflammation as much as anything you can get over the counter.

Thanks everyone for all the kind, encouraging words. I've taken some meds to ease the inflamation and used Neosporin on the open wounds. I think I'll sign off now and get some rest, tomorrow will hurt, but in a week or two I'll look back on this and laugh............ NAh!

Hi roccobike-

As mentioned earlier in the thread, be careful with Neosporin or any similar topical agent during the healing stages. Depending on the wound, it is absolutely possible for infection to fester beneath the gel smeared on top. At night it is often better to wash the wound, pour watered-down hydrogen peroxide on it, and then dress it lightly or allow it air exposure if it's not draining. It is hard to tell from your OP if the wounds should be examined by a doctor to be safe.

Hang in there rocco. It might be wise to see your doctor, you won't be sorry if you do. Hope the bike is okay.

I think it best if I pass on posting pictures. This is a real mess.
But most important, the bike appears to be fine.
.

Dedication like this deserves a quick and uncomplicated healing. Good wishes for a quick come back...of course you'll keep us posted.

glad to hear the injuries, though nasty, are not longterm serious. here's to a quick recovery and reentry to riding form. Along those lines, there have been a few good threads regarding ways to optimize healing of surface trauma. I won't do the marathon post on some of these concepts; but you might want to do a BF wide search on "tegaderm" and "second skin" and "road rash". I remember there being quite some good info from those of us who have done road sliding way too often.
BTW, you didn;t mention whether you were wearing a helmet, but it sounds like you were. You mentioned head 'scraping' - How did the helmet hold up? Of course its prolly toast, but how did it hold up to 'scraping'? I expect the styro to do its work in a simple impact, but wonder how durable they are when you actually drap it across tarmac for a distance.

Hang in there you will heal. Post accident I always find dizzyness, this generally what they call a vasovagal reaction. A large shot of adrenaline and blood movement causes you to feel like you are going to faint. I always have to sit for a few minutes and if possible raise your legs above your head. Pain generally does not set in for a while so it is always best to clean wounds up quickly before your nerves start working again. Neosporin is the bomb, you can get it with anasthetic in it. The first few showers are always the worst part for me.

Youch!
You do realise that it's not compulsory to hurt yourself badly when you fall - it is acceptable to have minor scrapes and bruises :rolleyes:
Get well quick.

Richard

Oddly I ride with no helmet and I'm not bothered about bouncing my head off the pavement,
:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:!!!

I've had two hards falls in my time. Won't catch me talking tough like this...

Well today I took everyones advice and went to the Doctor's office. She agreed I needed a Tetanus shot and advised that the elbow needed stitching and a course of antibiotics. Turns out, she's a cyclist too, who knew!
As for the helmet, I partially landed on my head, with the helmet on, I could hear ringing in my ears, the same ringing that occurs when you take a shot to the head. I thought the helmet came off, but I was wrong, it was on my head, doing it's job as I slid along the ground. The Doctor said I did not have a concussion but she agreed, it was a good thing I was wearing a helmet.
The meds are doing their work and the shoulder is begining to feel a little better. This is one experience I hope I never repeat. I would rather crash ten times on the MTB than once on the road, something about bushes and dirt yielding where asphalt does not. But all in all, I'm lucky. I should be over this within two or three weeks. Thanks to everyone who posted.

Sounds like reasonably good news no broken bones. After riding now for 10 years and having about 5 crashes I am kind of resigned to the fact that if I want to ride everyday I will end up crashing. I like riding too much to give it up so I just don't let the crashes worry me. My wife on the other hand does worry and I get a be careful before every ride. What she doesn't understand is that I am always careful but that does not mean I ride at 12mph nor that I can control what cars do or what may lie on the rode ahead. Watching the recent races; Paris-Nice and Flanders you wonder why people want to do this sport especially for the low pay they get.

Glad to hear your doing OK. After 2 weeks I feel pretty good ( except my ribs) but,I think, you'll be riding pretty soon, good luck.

This is the sadist showing- Those cuts and rash are going to hurt. Get some surgical spirit on the open sores. It will sting like mad but will give you a couple of hours of relief- once you stop swearing at me for suggesting it. And it will keep the cuts clean.

And another good way of causing as much pain is slamming your hand in a door. repeatedly.

You were smart to sit there recovering before moving on. The one time I had this happen, I got back on the bike too quickly, probably trying to convince myself that it hadn't really happened -- I was basically rattled. Now here's the scary part: I remember the fall, inspecting the bike, putting the chain back on, and then starting off riding again. The next thing I knew, I was standing on my bike by the side of the road, feeling as if I were just waking up and coming out of a dream. I was totally disoriented and it took me a minute or so to figure out where I was and how I got there. Finally I got oriented again and went on home, then to the hospital for some x-rays on my shoulder.

Much afterwards, reconstructing what happened, my "waking up" experience took place 5 miles from where I remember falling and setting out again, but to this day I have no memory whatsoever of riding from the one point to the other! And it wasn't until later that day that I discovered that my helmet was cracked and that I must have hit my head when I went down. I had no headaches or other symptoms -- just that "blackout" period in my memory!

Are you going to have any scars when you heal??...............You know chicks dig scars.:D :D

From someone who knows how you feal, I hope you have a speedy recovery and regain your confidence quickly.

Did you Shave hair and/or now glad you did or didn't.
BTW - OUCH> Good Luck.