Guard Rail 1 - Jeni's face & bike 0
09-15-06, 05:30 AM
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Guard Rail 1 - Jeni's face & bike 0
Thought you all would like to hear my crash story. I had written this up Sunday, after the accident. Since it's Friday now, I'll say that I'm pretty much back to normal (although I don't think I've ever been normal). I must have taken a pretty big bump to my head, as I now find myself dating one of Sunday's riders! No offense to all the great women riders out there, but I'm glad I went down in the company of four guys. Some of my girlfriends would probably have had me aircared out of there!
It was all great, weather was perfect, was having a great day on the bike, fast as ever, doing hills that a year ago would have put me into cardiac arrest. It was our favorite 40 mile 4000 ft route. Eight of nine hills done and sailing down this beautiful downhill. Yeah! Only one more hill to go. I've done this descent before, no biggie. Sunglasses on, shade trees, and up comes one of those shiny pieces of pavement. It has holes in it. Next thing, my bike has become possessed and I'm riding a Tasmanian devil. Bucking and weaving, skidding, stuttering, I'm trying to wrestle this beast into the tame, gentle being she once was. I recovered quite amazingly only to find my bike headed straight for the guard rail. Hitting the gravel before the rail, induced more wild riding. How the hell do guys stay on bulls eight seconds? I couldn't manage one!
I danced closer and closer to the rail, my bike spun a great 180 degrees and I was now facing the hill I had just come down. Approximate speed was 20 plus. My bike started to lean over and I realized I was going to take the full blow with MY FACE! Ahhh! Wham, I went down and hard too! You know those "caught on tape" shows where they show speeding cars coming straight for the camera.Next thing you see is the sky, then the grass, then the sky again, as the camera comes to a stop. Yeah, I lived it first hand. It happens just like the movies, kids.
Our group of five riders were decently spaced out on the descent. Geoff (guy that I ride with a lot) and Scott were far enough ahead to be clueless to the amazing show I had just performed so kept on trucking. The maker of this death march, Dave, was ahead of me but within ear shot to hear my sliding tires, gravel, and crash. He quickly turned around. One poor sole, Dan, was fortunate enough to watch the happenings'. He's one of those older & wiser types, would rather get to the bottom in one piece a little slower versus balls out and bloody. Next thing I know, he's on top of me, squeezing my face together. Hmmm, guess I was cut. Hmmm, must be decent enough to be of concern that he would apply pressure to stop the bleeding.
Wiggled my fingers, shook out my legs, everything seemed fine. Well fine if you're used to having Sammy Sosa wind up and hit you with a baseball bat as hard as he could in the face. Okay, so it wasn't "that" bad. I wiggled my jaw around, ran my tongue over my teeth to see if they were all still there, yep everything normal. Well normal I guess is debatable, I had blood pouring out of my face.
First order of business, "how's my bike". Dave said, "Ummmm, well I think you're going to need a new water bottle". I asked to see my bike and he replied "which half?" It's NEVER good to hear "which half". "I think you're going to need a new fork" Oh, I was crushed. It was like someone had ripped out my heart. Geoff had put a new wheelset on my bike (one worth half of my bike's original price) over Labor Day. I had trashed my rear wheel and he had these "laying around". If I needed a new fork, I'm sure I had taco'd at least my front wheel. Brand new expensive wheels, now headed for the dump. Also realized that being a 2003 model, I wouldn't be able to have a matching fork. Boo Hoo, I started to cry. "Mustang Sally" was injured, broken, while I lay bleeding. My poor bike. Amazingly, my fork had a clean break all the way across. My wheel wasn't damaged, in fact it was still true. (had to do some minor tweaking)Yes! Did I tell you I was laying in a pile of ants?
Yes, those little ants, and they were biting me all over. I wasn't allowed to move yet, dammit. Dan cradled my head in his lap, while Dave flagged down the first car. Very rural road with little traffic. The driver was sent to catch Geoff and Scott and tell them "Jeni was down". For whatever reason, I didn't have my cell phone on me. I never leave without my cell phone. Geoff's number was in it. Had to call Geoff's dad (who I also ride with) to get ahold of them. Speaking to Geoff later, he said he knew something was terribly wrong before picking up the phone. Why would his father call on a ride, and what the heck was taking the three of us so long? They had waited at the bottom of the hill for awhile.
Back up the hill Goeff and Scott came. Surprised at the dozen or so cars that passed us with no regard to the fact some chick was laying on the side of the road and her bike was in two. I know none of us would EVER do that! Scott went on ahead to retrieve his car. We joked about duct taping my bike back together and making me finish the ride. We only had a few more miles and one last hill. My pride said sure as it was my ego that hurt the most on my body. Loaded bike into car and waited for Geoff to get back to Northgate. Went back to the bike shop and he cleaned me up. His parents convinced me to go to Urgent Care as we couldn't stop the bleeding, plus we're talking about my face!
I had one thing to do before going to Urgent Care. I had to go to Marianne's and leave my front wheel on her doorstep. See, she was being a good mother and had gone to her daughter's soccer game. I wanted her to pull up to the house and see my broken fork with wheel attached. She'd know it was mine. Who wouldn't know their friend's bike, even if it was just part of it. I slipped a piece of paper underneath the wheel that said F***! Geoff convinced me to put another one under there stating I was okay, as she might freak. Called her cell phone to tell her she had a package waiting for her. I would have done anything to see her face. Well, she surprised me be calling back to say she had heard about my wreck and six stitches but MOST IMPORTANTLY How is your bike! Gotta love it, eh? She's a true friend. Cares about what I care about - the bike. I told her she'd have to wait and see. She asked if there would be a mangled frame on her porch.
Urgent Care was good. Very nice people. In and out quickly. We went back to the shop to rummage through parts. Found a Raleigh fork that is the same white as the white on my bike. It will do, although Geoff want's to paint it like a candy cane! I had just put new bar tape on yesterday. Yes, it's less than 24 hours old, and now ruined. Jokingly asked if I could buy it on 100 ft rolls. My front derailleur cabling is all screwed up. At least I went down on non drive side. My week old saddle is trashed also. I can't think of anything else at the moment.
All day long, new bruises emerged. Just an hour ago, I felt a knot on the right side of my butt, you can just start to see the bruise forming. This is different from the bruise on the left side of my butt, as he showed up almost immediately. There is a line across my chest ending at my collar bone that is bruised. It's reminiscent of a seat belt shoulder strap injury. I must have hit the guardrail with my face AND my chest. Road rash on my right calf, skinned knuckles, elbows, etc. I'm just starting to get a pain in my groin area. My back is sore and my neck is starting to stiffen up. Oh yeah, I forgot the six stitches and little ant bites. When retrieving my front fork from Marianne's she loaded me up with muscle relaxers and pain meds. I think I'll need them in the morning.
Pictures, right? I know you want them!
Here you go!
crash3email.jpg
crash1email.jpg
crash2email.jpg
It was all great, weather was perfect, was having a great day on the bike, fast as ever, doing hills that a year ago would have put me into cardiac arrest. It was our favorite 40 mile 4000 ft route. Eight of nine hills done and sailing down this beautiful downhill. Yeah! Only one more hill to go. I've done this descent before, no biggie. Sunglasses on, shade trees, and up comes one of those shiny pieces of pavement. It has holes in it. Next thing, my bike has become possessed and I'm riding a Tasmanian devil. Bucking and weaving, skidding, stuttering, I'm trying to wrestle this beast into the tame, gentle being she once was. I recovered quite amazingly only to find my bike headed straight for the guard rail. Hitting the gravel before the rail, induced more wild riding. How the hell do guys stay on bulls eight seconds? I couldn't manage one!
I danced closer and closer to the rail, my bike spun a great 180 degrees and I was now facing the hill I had just come down. Approximate speed was 20 plus. My bike started to lean over and I realized I was going to take the full blow with MY FACE! Ahhh! Wham, I went down and hard too! You know those "caught on tape" shows where they show speeding cars coming straight for the camera.Next thing you see is the sky, then the grass, then the sky again, as the camera comes to a stop. Yeah, I lived it first hand. It happens just like the movies, kids.
Our group of five riders were decently spaced out on the descent. Geoff (guy that I ride with a lot) and Scott were far enough ahead to be clueless to the amazing show I had just performed so kept on trucking. The maker of this death march, Dave, was ahead of me but within ear shot to hear my sliding tires, gravel, and crash. He quickly turned around. One poor sole, Dan, was fortunate enough to watch the happenings'. He's one of those older & wiser types, would rather get to the bottom in one piece a little slower versus balls out and bloody. Next thing I know, he's on top of me, squeezing my face together. Hmmm, guess I was cut. Hmmm, must be decent enough to be of concern that he would apply pressure to stop the bleeding.
Wiggled my fingers, shook out my legs, everything seemed fine. Well fine if you're used to having Sammy Sosa wind up and hit you with a baseball bat as hard as he could in the face. Okay, so it wasn't "that" bad. I wiggled my jaw around, ran my tongue over my teeth to see if they were all still there, yep everything normal. Well normal I guess is debatable, I had blood pouring out of my face.
First order of business, "how's my bike". Dave said, "Ummmm, well I think you're going to need a new water bottle". I asked to see my bike and he replied "which half?" It's NEVER good to hear "which half". "I think you're going to need a new fork" Oh, I was crushed. It was like someone had ripped out my heart. Geoff had put a new wheelset on my bike (one worth half of my bike's original price) over Labor Day. I had trashed my rear wheel and he had these "laying around". If I needed a new fork, I'm sure I had taco'd at least my front wheel. Brand new expensive wheels, now headed for the dump. Also realized that being a 2003 model, I wouldn't be able to have a matching fork. Boo Hoo, I started to cry. "Mustang Sally" was injured, broken, while I lay bleeding. My poor bike. Amazingly, my fork had a clean break all the way across. My wheel wasn't damaged, in fact it was still true. (had to do some minor tweaking)Yes! Did I tell you I was laying in a pile of ants?
Yes, those little ants, and they were biting me all over. I wasn't allowed to move yet, dammit. Dan cradled my head in his lap, while Dave flagged down the first car. Very rural road with little traffic. The driver was sent to catch Geoff and Scott and tell them "Jeni was down". For whatever reason, I didn't have my cell phone on me. I never leave without my cell phone. Geoff's number was in it. Had to call Geoff's dad (who I also ride with) to get ahold of them. Speaking to Geoff later, he said he knew something was terribly wrong before picking up the phone. Why would his father call on a ride, and what the heck was taking the three of us so long? They had waited at the bottom of the hill for awhile.
Back up the hill Goeff and Scott came. Surprised at the dozen or so cars that passed us with no regard to the fact some chick was laying on the side of the road and her bike was in two. I know none of us would EVER do that! Scott went on ahead to retrieve his car. We joked about duct taping my bike back together and making me finish the ride. We only had a few more miles and one last hill. My pride said sure as it was my ego that hurt the most on my body. Loaded bike into car and waited for Geoff to get back to Northgate. Went back to the bike shop and he cleaned me up. His parents convinced me to go to Urgent Care as we couldn't stop the bleeding, plus we're talking about my face!
I had one thing to do before going to Urgent Care. I had to go to Marianne's and leave my front wheel on her doorstep. See, she was being a good mother and had gone to her daughter's soccer game. I wanted her to pull up to the house and see my broken fork with wheel attached. She'd know it was mine. Who wouldn't know their friend's bike, even if it was just part of it. I slipped a piece of paper underneath the wheel that said F***! Geoff convinced me to put another one under there stating I was okay, as she might freak. Called her cell phone to tell her she had a package waiting for her. I would have done anything to see her face. Well, she surprised me be calling back to say she had heard about my wreck and six stitches but MOST IMPORTANTLY How is your bike! Gotta love it, eh? She's a true friend. Cares about what I care about - the bike. I told her she'd have to wait and see. She asked if there would be a mangled frame on her porch.
Urgent Care was good. Very nice people. In and out quickly. We went back to the shop to rummage through parts. Found a Raleigh fork that is the same white as the white on my bike. It will do, although Geoff want's to paint it like a candy cane! I had just put new bar tape on yesterday. Yes, it's less than 24 hours old, and now ruined. Jokingly asked if I could buy it on 100 ft rolls. My front derailleur cabling is all screwed up. At least I went down on non drive side. My week old saddle is trashed also. I can't think of anything else at the moment.
All day long, new bruises emerged. Just an hour ago, I felt a knot on the right side of my butt, you can just start to see the bruise forming. This is different from the bruise on the left side of my butt, as he showed up almost immediately. There is a line across my chest ending at my collar bone that is bruised. It's reminiscent of a seat belt shoulder strap injury. I must have hit the guardrail with my face AND my chest. Road rash on my right calf, skinned knuckles, elbows, etc. I'm just starting to get a pain in my groin area. My back is sore and my neck is starting to stiffen up. Oh yeah, I forgot the six stitches and little ant bites. When retrieving my front fork from Marianne's she loaded me up with muscle relaxers and pain meds. I think I'll need them in the morning.
Pictures, right? I know you want them!
Here you go!
crash3email.jpg
crash1email.jpg
crash2email.jpg
09-15-06, 05:42 AM
#2
Used to be a climber..
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Holy crap....glad to see you're sorta ok....as in, it probably could've been much worse.
09-15-06, 05:46 AM
#3
Know Your Onion!
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Ouch, that looks like a bad crash. I'm glad that you're ok and good luck repairing the rig.
09-15-06, 06:03 AM
#5
He drop me
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Wow you tell a good story...sorry for your crash, hope everything it ok.
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09-15-06, 06:16 AM
#7
Destroyer of Wheels
From the pictures it looks like you're actually lucky you hit the guardrail and not continue over - looks like a steep drop on the other side. Love the fact your jersey says "Go Girl!" 
Glad you're OK!
Glad you're OK!
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09-15-06, 07:23 AM
#9
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Glad you're ok and that the bike wasn't a complete loss. It looks like you're smiling in that first pic. I know I wouldn't be smiling after that. You're tougher than most of us.
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09-15-06, 07:50 AM
#11
Warrior Cyclist
Wow! Glad you will be O.K. and didn't get hurt worse. Bikes...even when they are favorites can be replaced(but never forgotten) and you'll be back riding in no time.
Take Care...feel better soon!
Take Care...feel better soon!
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09-15-06, 07:58 AM
#12
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"Next thing I know, he's on top of me, squeezing my face together."
C-Spline stabilization I hope, a blow to the head at that speed and you're lucky to only be cut up and bruised. If you start to feel any pain in your neck or at the base of your skull, go get an x-ray immediately. Vertebrae fracture pretty easily and aren't always immediately apparent.
Glad you're ok though! Bikes are always more replaceable than bodies!
C-Spline stabilization I hope, a blow to the head at that speed and you're lucky to only be cut up and bruised. If you start to feel any pain in your neck or at the base of your skull, go get an x-ray immediately. Vertebrae fracture pretty easily and aren't always immediately apparent.
Glad you're ok though! Bikes are always more replaceable than bodies!
09-15-06, 08:39 AM
#14
Unique Vintage Steel
While it is true that it could have been a lot worse, the ants were just insult to injury. I friggin hate ants. Heal up, take it easy for a while and hope the bike comes back together for you.
09-15-06, 08:49 AM
#16
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Glad to hear you're OK.
Was this around Cincinnati? I'm curious if it's a road I know. I went down in similar fashion on a nice windy Cincinnati descent years ago, though much less damage.
I have to echo rknj on the whole neck injury issue--if you start having any problems at all beyond aching from bumps and bruises I would get it checked out.
Was this around Cincinnati? I'm curious if it's a road I know. I went down in similar fashion on a nice windy Cincinnati descent years ago, though much less damage.
I have to echo rknj on the whole neck injury issue--if you start having any problems at all beyond aching from bumps and bruises I would get it checked out.
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09-15-06, 08:50 AM
#17
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Wow. That could have been so much worse. I'm so glad it wasn't. Rest up and heal up.
09-15-06, 09:19 AM
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This story is just plain well......... Sexy
"A new water bottle" loll that is just funny.
Glad you are okay..... Even happier you can laugh and write about the joys of crashing and subsequent events. Muscle relaxers are good, Muscle relaxers and glass of wine = super good. Muscle relaxers and 3 glasses of wine = not good.
Some people just get to date the cool people ………. Who ride and understand the importance of having a sense of humor when things go not as one would typically have planned. Other get to date someone who thinks picking up a box of stuff they bought, up the stairs to be some kind interment camp style type of punishment. Growl …….. I think it maybe time for the “ I’m a butt head speech”. Don’t you just love Fridays!
"A new water bottle" loll that is just funny.
Glad you are okay..... Even happier you can laugh and write about the joys of crashing and subsequent events. Muscle relaxers are good, Muscle relaxers and glass of wine = super good. Muscle relaxers and 3 glasses of wine = not good.
Some people just get to date the cool people ………. Who ride and understand the importance of having a sense of humor when things go not as one would typically have planned. Other get to date someone who thinks picking up a box of stuff they bought, up the stairs to be some kind interment camp style type of punishment. Growl …….. I think it maybe time for the “ I’m a butt head speech”. Don’t you just love Fridays!
09-15-06, 10:36 AM
#21
Cardiac Case
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Well, first off, you're a gifted writer. 
And, two, you're a true cyclist.
I'm seriously glad you're here to tell of your tale. WOW!
Praise God!
And, two, you're a true cyclist.
I'm seriously glad you're here to tell of your tale. WOW!
Praise God!
09-16-06, 10:10 AM
#22
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Wow, I felt as though I were right there with you. Could almost hear, and feel the crash happening. I hope everything on you, and your bike heal quickly.
09-16-06, 10:30 AM
#23
staring at the mountains
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is that you giggling? WOW.
I'm so glad that all that amounted to just six stitches.
I'm so glad that all that amounted to just six stitches.
09-16-06, 10:52 AM
#24
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Great story! Awesome pics. Now you have wall trophys...
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