I finally took the front wheel off my bike as it needed truing from the crash 5 weeks ago. I’m still a long ways from being able to ride but the bike needs some maintenance.

I was really surprised to see the sidewall completely shredded. In fact the sidewall was torn all the way through the tire. I knew I hit the asphalt hard as evidenced by my broken hip but I was surprised to see that much damage. I thought I’d hit and bounced but obviously I slid more that I thought. No wonder I had a good bit of road rash.

There is also some scuffing at the top of the brake tracks but I don’t think it will affect overall performance. I didn’t see any cracks in the carbon rim but I guess time will tell if there are any structural issues.

Retro-one of our bike club members was just up the road in his pickup truck. He was going to take some video of us as we rode by. He heard their was a crash and was onsite in minutes. They put my bike in the bed of his pickup and helped me get in the cab. He was so nice, I was bleeding pretty good and in a good bit of pain but he made a point telling me to know worry about blood getting on his upholstery. Another stranger also stopped in his car and offered to take me to the hospital but our buddy showed up right afterwards.

My my van was at the starting point of the ride so we stopped by there and put the bike and all my bike gear in my van which was most helpful to not have all that at the hospital. I was also able to get my wallet and medical insurance cards from my van. The hospital was just a few minutes away and my wife was waiting on me at the entrance to the ER when we arrived. She and my son shuttled my van back to the house around midnight that night.

Logistically it couldn’t have worked out any better. I was not going to leave my bike out there!!!!

The sidewall shredding does give the appearance that it was under inflated but I don’t think that was the case. It is a 23 mm tire and I was running 100 psi of pressure. The brake pads were aligned correctly on the rim brake tracks so that shouldn’t have been an issue. I was riding with a group and hit some large rocks that had washed out into the road from a gravel driveway. I never saw them. The bike went airborne and then flipped sideways to my right while I was up in the air. I landed really hard on my right hip and the bike and I slid a ways. The sidewall shredding must have happened as I was sliding across the asphalt.

I later learned that the fella riding behind me ran over my front wheel. I suspect the weight of him on the front wheel contributed to pushing down on the front wheel while we were sliding thus all the sidewall damage. Fortunately he was able to stay upright.

Recovery is ongoing but seems to be tracking okay. The fall broke my right hip and I had a total hip replacement the next day. I’m hoping the surgeon will give me the go ahead to get on a stationary bike soon.