tjspahr

Went out for an organized century this weekend (about 150 riders). It's relatively hillly, about 8,000 of elavation gain. About 40 miles in, I was in a group with 1 other riders, and we had been together for about 20 miles. I was third back, and when in back I have a tendenct to drift back and bridge back up. When doing this, the front rider called out some roadkill, and the second rider took out my front wheel...

So, ended up with a compound fracture of the left ulna, and some road rash. Got to have surgery and have a nifty plate and a couple pins in my wrist. Don't know the prognosis on the bike. Even with the fracture, couldn't help screwing around with the EMTs and cyclists going by. At onr point, I just started screaming in pain to freak the other riders out. The EMTs got a kick out of it...

All in all I was lucky, and those that stopped to help were great. Surprisingly, not as painful as I would have guessed...

EventServices

So nobody got hurt?

tjspahr

If this is your definition of no one getting hurt, then no.

tjspahr

Also forgot, I will find out if the plate/pins are Ti or CF for additional weight savings...

55/Rad

Good to know for those airport security checks.

Tough weekend...recover quick.

tjspahr

55,

Thanks. I work for the DoD in a secure facility. It will be interesting to see if I set off the metal detectors.

On the good side, I'm hopefully going to come back stronger by working a training plan, not the usual weekly hammerfests. Should be back on the CT in about the next 5 days.

And what the hey, Maybe time to let Pcad's bike jonez rub off to me...

ridethecliche

Why is everyone getting hurt lately?

Heal up fast the lot of you (us...)!

kster

Sorry to hear about your injuries. I broke my wrist while mountain biking (when I was 18) and the recovery was pretty quick from this fracture. Hopefully yours will also heal fast with no lingering problems.

How did your front wheel get taken out? Were you overlapping wheels with the rider in front of you?

tjspahr

Kind of. It was a pretty hilly century, so the pack had splintered. I was in a group of three, third back. I have a nasty habit when in the back of a group of falling back and bridging back up. I was in the midst of doing this when the front rider called out some roadkill. The second rider came left into my wheel.

Garmin said I was going 27 when I went down. I didn't think I was going that fast.

Found out when I was in the hospital that a teammate hit a loose dog on Saturday, throwing him over the bars. He has three fractured vertebrae in the lumbar region...

tjspahr

kster,

Just wondering, how bad was your wrist? I know I'll be off the road for a while, just trying to get an estimate. Obviosly, may wrist may be better/worse than yours was, so that might factor in.

What sucks is that the set of HED Alps that I ordered just arrived...

kster

For my fracture, I was in a bicep-to-hand cast for six weeks. After that, it took another week to get most of the wrist & elbow flexibility back. And it will take longer to have the arm stop resembling a twig from the muscle loss.

I didn't go to any PT sessions, it came back pretty quick once the cast was taken off.

You can still get out to do some brisk walking and also hopefully use the trainer. Talk to your doctor about physical activity during the healing process. Good luck.

tjspahr

kster,

No cast for me. It is wrapped in a cast like dressing, but the pins immobize the wrist.

I will be on the CT in about a week, and am currently working hypoxic breathing exercises. I figure I can either P&M, or use it to work on stuff I should have been, and come back stronger as a result.