Ray9

On Aug. 14 I approached road construction on my 50 mile ride-scarified pavement. There was room on the right hand side to avoid it but the city had placed barrels and barriers there to prevent this. Not blaming the city because I made the decision to ride on it. I increased my speed to 27 mph because I thought it would be easier to maintain control. As soon as I entered the scarified surface my front tire went into a groove and it and my rear tire exploded simultaneously. I went down like a stone. Concussion, broken collar bone, three broken ribs and a fractured pelvis. I'll be out of work for three months. I have short term disability insurance that gives me half pay and five vacation weeks left that I can take at half pay to cover 10 weeks. Because I was knocked out I was transported 70 miles to Dartmouth Medical Center in Hanover NH where a CAT Scan showed very minor bleeding in the brain. I spent one night there and was released the next day. I run my tire pressure at 110 PSI.

The road rash is healing and so are the broken bones. I am already riding my indoor trainer. My wife and kids are telling me to give up cycling and I understand their concern but I will continue to ride because I am in great shape for my age- BP= 116/53, resting pulse= 43, Height 5'5, weight 136. I ride and keep up with the B group= 18+average speed. Crap happens, I made a bad decision, everything has a risk. What do you think?

klmmicro

Sounds like you already have figured out what went wrong and will likely avoid it in the future. I can understand the wife, but the kids want you to quit? What is up with that? It is keeping you healthy and young, despite the battle scars. I would love to see my dad back out on the road riding and he is 77. Shoulder replacement keeps him out of the saddle.

10 Wheels

Hey Ray,

How is your brain?

Six weeks after my crash I needed emergency brain surgery to remove the blood.

Decided to never crash on a DF bike. Sold all five and bought a very nice Greenspeed Trike.

Take care.

Fred

JmanEspresso

Hope you heal up back to 100% and all works out.

Im with you in thinking this is just one those things which can happen. I know if it happened to me, a young guy, Im sure people in my life would question getting back on the bike once the time was right, but Ive fallen off bicycles plenty of times, got badly injured once or twice as a teen too.

IMO, this isn't a case of quitting riding because obviously you're unfit for it. This is an unfortunate incident that 100% could be have been avoided, and almost certainly will be avoided next time.

Best wishes on recovery mate

roccobike

Ray, I had two crashes on road bikes and too numerous to count falls on MTBs. The wife asked me to quit each time and, of course, I ignore her. She wants me to take up walking instead. Hope you heal soon, and ride as soon as you can.

bubbagrannygear

I'm with 10 Wheels on this - not sure there is such a thing as minor bleeding in the brain. Beyond that, heal fast and slow down when conditions change - good luck.

RR3

The state forced you onto grooved pavement that would/should/could cause the exact catastrophe that you suffered and you shrug it off. Where exactly did they expect you to ride? Was there a warning? Why the barrels?

Probably the best attitude since the government cannot be held accountable for their actions. I hope you recover from the brain injury.

arcticbiker

I suffered a crash resulting in a broken shoulder with 4 months of rehab after surgery. Nothing near as traumatic as your crash but enough to focus on safety a bit more. My first reaction after the crash was concern over my bike and how soon I could ride again. I'm only 65, but have no intention of quitting cycling. My wife and I just completed a cross country trip and have a couple more trips planned this fall including Cycle Oregon.

Keep riding if you are able and the doc clears you. It will give you peace of mind and fitness.

Igualmente

I'd think having this discussion with your doctor/doctors would be good.

B. Carfree

Perhaps it's time to consider rolling wider tires that won't get caught in narrow grooves. Apparently, wider is faster on all but the smoothest pavement, so all you give up is the vibration and risk.

gc3

"the state made you ride on that road....."... ffs you sure it wasn't Obama personally made him do it?

"....sped up when the road turned to crap...."... you forgot to engage the jet thrusters....heal soon and get back out there...

milkbaby

My mom died in a crash when she was 68 years old... She was driving a car though. Kudos to you for riding, being healthy, and enjoying it. Many people worry about the wrong things. Hope you heal up soon and enjoy riding your bike again!

alexaschwanden

I hope you get better.

Elvo

Feel better dude. I went down at 35 mph while descending into a curve with a bunch of dirt in it. Got a concussion and was apparently in a seizure according to my buddy. Had to get airlifted to the hospital to get some xrays and ct scan. No broken bones or hemmorhaging thankfully.

chasm54

Obviously, keep riding. But consider decelerating rather than accelerating when approaching a potential hazard.

Campag4life

Seems outrageous to me you would increase your speed around a construction zone. 27 mph? What?
Must be something in the story missing...or I am missing something.
I am glad you will be well to ride another day.
Ride safe.

Ray9

The neurosurgeon came in the next morning and said the bleeding was very small, you really have to look to see it. I have an appointment for another CAT scan on Sept. 18. I never had any headaches, ringing in the ears, dizziness, numbness, lack of coordination or short term memory loss which is a good sign. Head injuries are a wild card though so I won't be entirely comfortable until time passes. Thank God I was wearing a helmet because it has a huge dent in the rim just above the ear on the right hand side. In addition, last April I Had gone into Dick's Sporting Goods and bought these great, extra wide and thick sweat bands that required me to reconfigure my helmet adjustments to fit over them. They no doubt provided extra cushioning that softened the blow. Good luck with your surgery.

FLvector

Compromise with the wife and kids and tell them you promise to only ride on roads with a good surface. You obviously made a bad choice and paid for it. Surprised that they released you the next day considering all of your injuries. Cycling is obviously keeping you very fit, so explain to the wife/kids that its keeping you dirt side up for some additional years. Consider yourself lucky to be able to continue cycling and get back to a normal life. I'm sure you'll choose your routes more carefully moving forward.

shelbyfv

The ultimate cause of your crash was not the pavement but the poor judgement you demonstrated by not slowing for iffy conditions. Given more time to think about it, obviously you would have made a different choice. As you know, our ability to react quickly deteriorates as we age. This is a fact and we have to adjust to it. 10 Wheels seems to have made a good choice and that is what I plan to do when I approach your age. I'm 65 and hope to have a couple more years on my upright bikes but I hope I make the switch to a recumbent trike before I have a mishap like yours. Best wishes, hope you heal quickly.

prorobo

Sounds like you've fared pretty well considering the circumstances and you still have your general health in the end! You also have a great attitude towards it where you acknowledge that it was your mistake that exacerbated the accident and not someone else's fault (shows accountability which so many lack these days). As for the concussion, you can begin to rest easy as you haven't shown any lingering symptoms nor was the neurosurgeon overly concerned (that's a good thing) so you should be in the clear. I've had a handful of minor to severe concussions from my motocross days. The worst was my very first which happened back in high school and for about four months after I would get nauseous around 11am every day. But those symptoms showed up quickly after it happened. Best of luck in your recovery and keep riding!

Route 66

Glad to hear that you're on the mend.

I don't think you should give up cycling; that's what's keeping you young!

mcours2006

I understand the decision you made. It was a calculated risk, but it didn't pay off.

Part of the attraction for me in riding a bike is the exhilaration of speed. I always want to go faster. However, having responsibilities to my family, first and foremost, I have to temper that urge with some common sense. I don't ride on roads/paths with sketchy surfaces or heavy traffic, and when in doubt always slow down. It's not as thrilling as going 50mph on a winding descent, but I'm okay with it.

I hope you get well soon, but to me it seemed pretty foolish of you to do what you did. I'd think that with that many years behind you might have made a wiser decision.

10 Wheels

Good report...

10 Wheels

Switch Now...You won't like brain surgery recovery.

My Crash was at 16 mph on the grass, soft dirt.

JohnDThompson 

That was my thought as well. The general rule of thumb is to slow down in construction areas, not speed up.