bruce19

In recent years I've had the feeling twice that I can remember. Once I set off on a 38 mi. solo ride and about 8 mi. in I wiped out on some sand in a hard down hill right-hander. Road rash on arm and leg and bleeding pretty good. Bike undamaged. Got back on and finished the ride.

Then on 7/24/13 I crashed and broke my neck. Carted off to the local ER and later transported to the major hospital and, after 5 hr & 4 hr operations, came home on 8/1/13 with C1 & C2 fused. Back on the bike on 11/1/13. I was 67 and I felt like I could still come back from adversity. Several months later I had occasion to go to the ER for some minor thing unrelated to the crash. A doc came up to me and asked "Remember me?" He was about 28 yrs old and looked like he just got out of HS. "Sorry, I don't", I responded. He then explained that he was on duty when they brought me in from the crash. Asked how I was doing and was stunned that I was back on the bike. He made the comment that people my age just don't come back from that kind of injury then said, "I'm proud of you." Thought it was kind of funny but good to hear.

Just wondering if others have had those moments.

BoSoxYacht

my C1,C2,C3 fractures recovery was a few weeks longer, but the day my doctor said my bones had healed, I was back on the bike.

bruce19

You've reminded me that my surgeon said that if you fracture one it usually means there are others. Sure enough I had 3 others.

chaadster

Thankfully I can say no, not quite! I have [knock on wood] managed to avoid major injury since I took a tib/fib compound fracture when I was hit by a car while riding when I was 15. It took me 9 months to get rid of all the medical devices, but I was riding again by month 6 or 7.

Most of my badass sensations come from those rare, strong rides, where I get these magical boosts of power that let me stave off challengers and maintain a withering pace at the front!

Doug28450

No.

hyhuu

No. But I sure feel like a dumb-ass from times to times.

bruce19

The examples I used were injury related but the type of rides you mention qualify in my mind. And, now that you mention it I recall a club group ride where two ex-racers went off the front hard. They are both 20+ yrs. younger than me. I jumped on a wheel and when the first guy started to rotate back he saw me and was shocked. He said, "Where did you come from?" (We are also good friends off the bike.) "You think you're the only one who can go fast?", was my reply.Several miles down the road we eased up and waited for the group. As we started down a slight incline my friend came from behind and went flying past. I heard him coming and jumped on his wheel. He flew and I sat in. He had no idea I was there. After about 1/2 mi. he eased up. I went outside his draft and shot by him. As I went by I said, "When are you going to start pedaling?" He caught up to me at a traffic light and said something like "You *******." We both had a laugh and I also felt badass 'cause I could run with the big dogs. FWIW he and I went out last Thursday and he kicked my butt on some hills. Not so badass. FWIW, he's 47 and I'm 69.

Dan333SP

Only when I pass triathletes in full aero gear/position.

PepeM

I once passed a rider on a crabon bike and those tight shorts they wear on my hybrid.

RollCNY

Why do people wear tight shorts on your hybrid?

Jim from Boston

Ever felt like a "badasss?"

I consider my two badass credentials as: an eight-week cross-country tour in 1977, and a rear-ended crash with a fractured sacrum and some other injuries in 2012 -- hospital for six weeks, off work for three months, and off bike for five months.

Meeting the Velominati's criterion is just an incidental:

PepeM

Something about a rulebook.

BoSoxYacht

I like passing triathletes in their aero bars, when I'm riding my FG bike.

TheBlast82

I feel like a badass when I'm out doing 25+ mph... then I change directions and the tailwind is gone.

BoSoxYacht

Do you remember the trip to the hospital?

bruce19

Tailwind is a myth.

RJM

Every solo ride where I'm pushing it I win a stage in the Tour de France (in my mind) because I'm that badass.

Jarrett2

I have to admit as a 275 lb rider, when I pass these guys on 65+ mile T-shirt rides, I get a little charge.

Especially when they have that iron man tattoo on their calf. I passed several on my first century and that certainly kept me fired up to keep going

RR3

I finished a 600K Brevet with an elbow that broke at around 200K.

banerjek

Nothing anywhere near that intense, but I must admit I smiled when I realized I'd melted my tights during a high speed washout. Miraculously, I was practically uninjured aside from the second degree burns from the tights.

banerjek

Nonsense -- they're everywhere. They just blow the wrong way 98% of the time.

indyfabz

Yeah. When I pulled up to the beach in Ocean City, NJ having ridden there from Seattle via Bar Harbor, ME on a bike with gear that weighed 90 lbs., to name one instance. Snow crossing the North Cascades Highway and Sherman Pass. Going to the Sun Road. Blistering heat and high humidity in the Midwest. Steep climbs in NY and New England. Hurricane Floyd heading down the Atlantic Coast. Mosquitoes nearly everywhere. I had conquered it all without ever once getting a ride.

EastCoastDHer

In August 1998 I was doing a downhill race at Killington. Coming into the last stretch before the finish was a loose off camber turn. My right foot got bounced off the pedal and whilst my right hand left the bar. I somehow was able to grab my seat while my foot was dragging on the ground and I pulled myself back up and onto my bike. All before entering the final rock garden, of course. I honestly thought I wasn't going to make it. My dad was watching and after the race asked me "Nice save, how long have you been practicing that move?" I said "I haven't. Ever."

In August 1999 I was racing at Plattekill, had "win,win,win!" going through my head perhaps a little too much. I realized mid air that just maybe I had carried too much speed into the second drop on the upper half of the course. I was looking at a tree top and branches. Suddenly I was on the ground, standing. My bike between me and a tree trunk. I looked up and noticed the missing branches and leaves starting at the top ending at level with my bars. I'd managed to land in the upper portion of a small tree (about 10-12" diameter). "Too much speed" I told myself as I straightened my bars and climbed back on my bike. At the finish my buddies noted "You had a longer time than usual" I had to tell them "Yeah, I over cleared that second drop and thought I'd literally hug a tree."

During the summer of 1999 in high school I worked at a local shop. We sold specialized. It was time for the executives to do their east coast shop tours. Mike (The President of the company) ended up coming to our store. I briefly stated I was excited about the FSR I purchased and explained I was looking forward to racing it 2 weeks from that day at Mount Snow. He said "Oh, maybe I'll go and watch." I didn't expect him to with his busy schedule but I added "I'll be on the blue bike with the blue pants and black shark tooth helmet (I'd painted shark teeth on my helmet to customize it). 2 weeks later I'm in VT and as I'm walking from the finish line over to my dad (during practice) I see him talking to Mike. He recognized me and asked "You're racing tomorrow, right?" I said "Yes, sir" and he replied "Great! Well I'll be cheering for you!". My dad was a little shocked. However I explained on the drive up that Mike might be there. The next day I'm finishing my race run and as I come to the finish area I hear my dad and Mike cheering me on. Pretty cool. Didn't stop world hunger or lift any cars but I still felt like a million bucks.

September of 2001....I raced at Plattekill (Located in Roxbury, NY). Probably the most quiet race ever. It was postponed 2 weeks due to 9/11. Everyone was quiet but very very kind. We all had flags on our bikes and helmets. They have since cleared it but there was a step down that we previously had ridden a Ladder over. The infamous ladder drop. I had transitioned from the top to bottom smoothly in practice. My race run I decided to just launch it. It was a good 15 feet to the bottom. I charged it and I was airborne. I over cleared it and landed on flat ground, I could hear my suspension bottom out as I felt the lower plates of my back compress. "Gonna hurt in the mornin!" I told myself. Someone managed to get a great picture of me taking off from the top of the drop, however I still had to crawl out of bed and use the door knob to pull myself to my feet the next morning. One of those moments you feel like a superhero only to prove to yourself the next day that yes, you are, in fact human.

Of course, there are the few occasions over the last few years I've charged packs of coyotes head on....

EastCoastDHer

It's not our fault you don't eat enough beans.

EastCoastDHer

No dying on my shift! I'll always help but don't be surprised if we take a scenic detour to Norwich Agway on the way to the ER! (Red Chevy with the rooster on the tailgate is the one to blame)