Southern California - GMR Ride & CRASH Report

I'm the first one back so I guess I'll give you the scoop. JPConrad took a spill on the way up. He's ok but on his way to the hospital. He think she may have broken or fractured his clavicle or shoulder and has some pain in the rib area. Also took a nasty blow to the head when he hit the ground. Thank God for helmets. Very few scratches to his forehead but the helmet is banged up pretty good. He hit the ground hard and was out cold for about 30 seconds.

Nobody really knows or saw what happened. It was windy by the time we reached the gate (8 mile) when we saw several riders heading back cause of the wind. We decided to continue. It happened about 12 miles in. DutchBoy2 was about 10 yards ahead, then Markadam and I, OCR Rick and JPConrad about 10 feet behind us and off to my right.

We hit a slight downhill then a short flat section. I heard the loud dreaded "CLACKSLAM" sound as I saw him out the corner of my eye go straight down and HARD! I knew he hit hard so I jumped off and ran back while he lay still. When I got there he was making sounds so I knew he was alive. I tried to untangle him so that we could lay him back and still. I noticed the scrathes on his forehead right away along with a big damaged area on his helmet. SO I figured the blow knocked him cold and he would be ok as soon as he collected his marbles.

After a couple of minutes of trying to keep him down, he insisted on sitting up. He was sounding ok so we sat him up only to see his eyes roll once again. We lay him down again and insisted that he lay still for a while. He's coming to so we aren't too worried about anything life threatening. For a minute or so , he couldn't remember where we were or what the day. A minute or so goes by then he starts answering the questions correctly. What a relief!

There was a Tahoe nearby that offered assistance and some water. JP inisted he was fine and hadthoughts about riding his bike down the hill. No way! I checked his bike but didn't find a thing. Fork was fine, whells true,pedals/cranks intact, brifters secure, hb's weren't snapped, seat, not a thing wrong that ight cause the sudden fall. He couldn't remember what happended for a while. When I looked back and saw him on the ground, I saw his glasses flying across the dirt so I thought his fork snapped. Happened to a friend of mine but nothing wrong with JP's fork. OCRick says he flet a strong gust that might have blown him over. I thought that strange as JP appears a bit heavier than OCRick.

So we talk JP into resting in the turnout for a while so that I can go down the hill and return with the truck. Dutchboy2 (Rick) sat up there with him while we descended. When I returned with the truck, JP seemed to be well aware of everything and though a bit of naseau, he seemed better. JP had called his parents to meet him at the bottom for a lift to the hospital. Good thinking cause I wasn't going to let him drive home after a blow to the head like that. On the way down I had JP talking about his rides and races so I knew he was in good shape considering what had just happened.

He said he thinks it was the wind that blew him over. He seemed to remember taking his hand off the hb's to zip his vest. When he did , the gust blew his wheel and while trying to counter the move something went wrong and he went down, HARD! Well I suggested that he take the bike in for inspection either way jsut to be safe. Maybe the shop can spot something we couldn't. Get well JP!

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Now the ride. Only a handful of riders. Dutchboy2 (dude is fast on the climbs), VB and his friend Stan, MarkA, JP, OCRRick, and me. Did happen to see Annette again climbing up the mtn once more. Mentioned she did it yesterday too. What a stud that woman is!

I knew it would take me a while to warm up so I just tried to hold onto the back of the group. Dutchboy2 was riding with me but I told him not to worry about me, takes me while but I'll get there. So he flew! I managed to hang on to the group so I was happy with that! I think JP was taking it easy though. Every once in a while he'd sprint ahead then fall back to wait for the group. At about mile 6 I started feeling a little looser, maybe cause there's a lil downhill there.:D

Dutchboy and Stan were at the shack when Mark and I arrived. DB2 said they were there 8 minutes before we arrived. OK, so if I lose the 30 lbs and on my best day, he'll still stomp me on the mtn!:p

Although several riders turned back at this point, we decided to continue on. Well, they decided and I didn't want to wuss! So continue we did. I felt the wind blow on a couple of the tight turns but only for a munute or two at a time. Didn't seem that bad to us but I guess we were wrong. One wrong move at the wrong second can have a big impact on your ride. At the time of the mishap, I was ahead of JP and OCRRick about 10 feet. I think I was sheltered from the gust by a small hill on the shoulder as I didn't feel a thing, but OCRRick and JP did!:(

Ouch! :( Get well soon, dude.

OH NOES!!! Bummer...bummer...:(


heal up soon...

Hope nothing serious and you're feeling better, John.

wow, that sucks. hope he's ok.

hope nothing bad shows up on the xrays.....

Dayum, hope it's nothing serious, heal up JP. I got sidelined with a nasty cold, so I aborted my plans of GMR repeats this morning, looking at the wind, maybe it was for the better.

Get well JP!

Oh crud! Hope that heals up quickly, JP. Thanks for the report, Beanz.

OMG, of all riders, I thought this wouldn't happen to JP. Get well JP, and take it easy. The road will be there when you heal up.

Sorry to hear about the crash. I wanted to go this morning, but had some other obligations today.

Get well soon JP.

Cal

Oh no John!!! :(

Hope you get well quick!

I wrote my "crash report" on the original thread, but the Beanz report is much more detailed!

Rick / OCRR

Get well soon JP!

Hello Beanz,

Thanks for the report.

JP, get well very soon. It was very windy driving to Corona this morning. I can only imagine how windy it was up on the mountain. :(

Damn, that sucks. Feel better, John. Hope everything checks out okay.

oh crap....so sorry to hear that JP....hope everything is ok!!

Yeah, it was gusty all over today.

I'm sorry to hear about the crash. :eek:

Recover well! :beer:

Talked to M.E., who just talked to Sonia. Her cell phone kept cutting out but from what I did hear, John is getting X-Rays and an MRI done right now.

Let's keep our fingers crossed!

Get well soon JP... It happens without much notice and when you least expect it. Welcome to the wonderful world of bicycle induced concussions; I have had my fair share too.

Did you get the barium cocktailed CT scan ? Fun stuff huh ?

I see some riders still not wearing helmets. There was even one yesterday on the charity ride without a helmet. Please wear your gear everyone. I wouldn't be here typing this now if it weren't for the modern helmet. I have destroyed a couple of them and believe me, they work.

Talked to M.E., who just talked to Sonia. Her cell phone kept cutting out but from what I did hear, John is getting X-Rays and an MRI done right now.

Let's keep our fingers crossed!

Thanks for the update, Joy. Keeping fingers crossed.

I hate to hear this stuff. I hope you can bounce right back, John.

BTW, Beanz, VB's friend is Stan.

Very sorry JP, get well soon!!!

Talked to M.E., who just talked to Sonia. Her cell phone kept cutting out but from what I did hear, John is getting X-Rays and an MRI done right now.

Let's keep our fingers crossed!

From what I heard and saw out the corner of my eye, he pounded his helmet into the pavement. He had a few scratches on his forehead, but I think those were from the pads as they were high and seemed to be in an area that would have been covered. I think that helmet saved his life today.

I didn't see a scratch on his face, so it couldn't have made contact in a better place!

I hate to hear this stuff. I hope you can bounce right back, John.

BTW, Beanz, VB's friend is Stan.

Thanx John! You know seeing a guy laying in the road like that is just so scary, and I hate that sound of someone hitting the ground. Makes me think twice about riding.

I can't add much to Beanz' crash description. Awful when a rider goes down and they just lay there, not moving before you get back to them...took forever to ride back up the 25 yards to JP as he lay there.

The Ride
Things got off on the wrong foot...I thought I was running late, so I drove to the start just near the gate overlooking some sort of Dam facilities. Then, I start getting dressed...I had forgotten my riding jersey!! So, I had my under-shirt, arm- & knee-warmers, but no pockets. I should be warm climbing, and later when descending, it should be later in the day, so hopefully warm enough. But, fuel up now, Baldy's only like 22 miles away, I probably won't need the food especially if I watch my pace. I can refuel there, but won't need much anyway as it's mostly downhill back to here. Water bottles full. Credit card goes in seat pack. Car key in seat pack. Tube, levers, spoke wrench, that's all I had room for!! Cell phone stayed at car...I'd be riding with others...they'll probably have one--I hope!!

At first, I thought I'd be the only one riding as the others didn't show until just about 9:20-ish. I was planning on doing 2 or 3 ascents of GMR, which would solve my refueling problem as I could do that at the bottom & my car each time. So, I started riding. I didn't recognize JP, Rick or Rick at first, but fell in behind them at the gate. JP turns, "Are you Mark?" Yep...we hook up and continue the ascent. Beanz & VB were back just a bit, too. (Can't miss Beanz in that orange!! :D )

The ride went smoothly from there. Beautiful day. Saw the snow blowing off the top of Baldy in the distance. Very epic-looking vistas. Climbed within myself all the way--zone 3.3 average for the ascent and only very briefly into zone 4 (my threshold). Took us about 1:07 to get to the top. I'm sure others could have done much better :D Not being much of a climber, I was very happy to stay with JP, Bob & Beanz for the ascent (Rick & Stan had motored away early on :rolleyes:) I rode in my 39/25 most of the way, only getting out of the saddle to stretch a bit. My computer registered an 11% grade near the top, but the average for most of it was right at 5-1/2%.

On the lower slopes, there really wasn't any wind to take notice of. As we got near the top, we did notice it. A couple of corners it punched us right in the face and stopped us momentarily in our tracks. But, we just slowed down a bit and continued on (Beanz is a tank!!).

This was my first time riding up GMR...previously, I had only ever come down it after returning from Baldy & GRR. Very nice. Not too steep over all...a couple of corners were steep, but still not too much. Good workout: about 7-1/2 miles of climbing. Low traffic, especially considering the gates were open. Lots of other cyclists and motorcycles. I tried to make sure to wave to all the cars & motorbikes that passed us...maybe if we're friendly, they'll give us more room. A couple even waved back. Nice. Some guy was even taking pictures of us as we climbed!! :lol: Even a couple trees and very many switchbacks.

If you've never done GMR, do it. Very nice.

Get well soon, JP!

Not much of a climber? Sheesh! I was busting my *** trying to keep up on the first 3 or 4 mile section. You guys were making it look easy!

Nice. Some guy was even taking pictures of us as we climbed!! :lol:

Probably this guy
http://fotos.tlamantini.com/images/misc/GregFotoGuy.jpg

http://fotos.tlamantini.com/pages/calendar.htm

John,
I hope you get well soon. ::crossing fingers:: NO broken bones I hope.

Jon

Get well soon, JP!

Thoughts and prayers to out to you JP. Get well soon!!

Nevermind, just clicked the linky!:D

Talked to M.E., who just talked to Sonia. Her cell phone kept cutting out but from what I did hear, John is getting X-Rays and an MRI done right now.

Let's keep our fingers crossed!

I'll call Sonia again in a few hours as I don't want to bother her too much. But as soon as I know something, I'll let you guys know.

I'm so bummed for John but grateful to hear he was wearing a helmet (which he always does, of course). I have a friend who rides GMR without a helmet and I hope that friend, after hearing this, will finally stop saying, "it's my head." Reality is, when we all know and care about each other, no one wants to hear that a rider was badly injured and/or worse. Suffice it say, based on what Beanz described, that helmet prevented worse news for sure. I'm praying John is okay and suffers very little damage in any way from this crash...one that could happen to any of us at any time.

All around :(:(:(

Get well soon JP

Get well soon, JP.

Mr. Beanz,

Thanks for posting the info related to the ride and JPConrad's spill. This was my first BF ride and I was impressed by the quality of the riders and the way everyone interacted. It's obvious that the BF is a close-knit, caring group of people.

It was good to get to spend some time with JP, just not under those circumstances. He definitely got his "bell rung", and would certainly have suffered a significant head injury without the helmet. My guess is, thanks to wearing the helmet, his shoulder will be the most significant injury he sustained. As we waited for you to return, he was beginning to experience additional soreness and stiffness. Unfortunately that is the way it usually goes. He was already thinking of ways to maintain or improve his level of fitness while recovering from whatever injuries he may have experienced in his fall...perhaps going to the gym to ride on a recumbent exercise bike to take it easy on his shoulder.

To JPConrad, I hope you snap back quickly and get to reach the goals you set for this racing season. To everyone else on the ride, it was nice to meet you, or see you again Mr. Beanz, and I hope to ride with each of you again in the future.

FYI - After you picked up JP, I continued on to Baldy Village. There were a few downhill sections where the headwind was almost strong enough to keep my bike from moving if I stopped pedaling. There was also a Ninja motorcycle on its side up against the mountain about 1.5 miles from Village. The CHP's and LA Co Sheriffs were on the scene. Fortunately, it didn't appear that anyone was seriously injured in that incident.

Rick - DB2

DB2, it was a very small group today, but cool guys. You'd love it if we could get the entire group out. 30 forum riders on GMR is a blast.

Glad you made it safely, I was hoipng the wind wouldn't be too hard on you. But then again, you are a STRONG dude(sandbagger):D

I ran into Vertical Bob on his way down (and my way up) and he told me about the crash. He didn't mention how bad it was, just that JP had been left up there to get picked up.

JP: Recover fast! And use the trainer-- I know coach who's put injured riders on a trainer and had them come back faster than if they'd been on the bike the whole time.

I went up with the club I just switched to. They're based in the South Bay (Team Velocity) but were having a club ride up here so I had to join them. We started down in Walnut and rode up from there to the village, then down Baldy Rd. When we ran into Bob we thought twice about continuing, and decided to go ahead but be cautious and prepare to turn back if the wind got too bad. I think it might have let up a little, because we didn't get blown around too much until we hit the saddle just above the village. We did see a crow playing some interesting games in the wind just above the GMR/GRR intersection.

When we ran into Bob we thought twice about continuing, and decided to go ahead but be cautious and prepare to turn back if the wind got too bad. I think it might have let up a little, because we didn't get blown around too much until we hit the saddle just above the village. We did see a crow playing some interesting games in the wind just above the GMR/GRR intersection.Hey Chris, I'm glad you made it to the Village, I have no doubt that we would have made it there had John not gone down. That always takes the wind out of my sails when someone gets hurt. I must say the traffic on GMR has gotten really bad. Sundays are usually the worst. As we were geting ready at the bottom there was a steady stream of "rice rockets" roaring through that quiet neighorhood, a real shame. :mad:I think the cars racing are even worse, are there no police in this state to enforce the law? The double yellow line means nothing to those people, I suggest we all ride as far to the right as is safe and just try to stay out of the way. I don't want to be "dead right":o

Update on John:

I just talked to Sonia who sounds in great spirits. She just got home from the hospital. Lowdown:

- John did not break anything. However, his shoulder is separated and he is in a good deal of pain.
- His noggin took it quite hard and there is a bit of bleeding on his brain where he hit during the crash (thus, why he is in pain; the docs don't want to give him any pain killers until tomorrow). The doctors have decided to move him to another medical facility with neurological specialists for observation overnight, with the expectation and hopes that he can be released tomorrow.
- He is fully lucid, talking, and in his usual Jpconrad way, already telling Sonia that he'll be back on the bike in two weeks. John still has his riding mojo! That's definitely a positive sign!

Sonia gave me full permission to report all of the above on here and appreciates those of you who are concerned about him and those riders who were with John when this happened. Those of you who've met her know what a strong, wonderful woman she is, and hearing her calm voice, I'm assured that John is going to be just fine. I suspect that he'll be back on here in a day or two planning his recovery rides!

John, when you read this...phew! :o

Glad you're mostly OK, John.

Thanks for the update. Glad to hear he didn't break anything and likely will be released soon.

get well soon jp.

side question: Who is JP? Have I seen him before?

Anyways get well soon dude

Whew!!! I'm so glad for the positive update... thank you ME! JP... sending lots of healing thoughts your way! ;)

Merry, tell Sonia that we all hope JP will get well soon and thinking about her too.
It have to be hard for her... like my wife someties says "Why can't you find some not-dangerous hobby... like knitting :-) "

Merry, tell Sonia that we all hope JP will get well soon and thinking about her too.
It have to be hard for her... like my wife someties says "Why can't you find some not-dangerous hobby... like knitting :-) "

Shai, you are too cute. ;)

Tell your wife that knitting can be very dangerous too!...if combined with drinking...and a cheating spouse. :p

I will give Sonia the message.

"Why can't you find some not-dangerous hobby... like knitting :-) "

http://xkcd.com/

Glad nothing is broken but his vest!;)

Glad to hear you're OK, get well soon JP.

Bleeding on the brain needs to be watched. It can turn into something very bad if it gets too bad or if the brain starts to swell. No room for swelling in your skull.

Hopefully everything goes well and John can return home tomorrow.

A separated shoulder is painful as well but heals in time.

Don't ask me how I know all of this... :(