As if 2013 wasn't exciting enough, I literally ended the year with a "bang"...a front flat on my road bike when descending down Carmel Valley Road, which sent me over the handlebars and bouncing down the pavement. Damage assessment - plenty of road rash, and a collarbone broken in three places. Oops.
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| (Before...) |
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| (...After! Looks like that thing in Agents of Shield, no?) |
I opted for surgery to get everything realigned...the sight of the tenting bone spur and the free-floating piece was a tad overwhelming. Luckily mending this crumple-zone of the torso is a routine procedure (if not a cycling rite of passage) and I'm already back to the critical stage of holding a beer. Going to have to take it easy for a few weeks, but should be back soon enough.
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| (Day after surgery, trying to make road rash and internal bleeding look cool) |
My running muscles and joints came out unscathed, and the now-crushed helmet saved my noggin yet again (#5!). It could have been so much worse...I guess I got a lucky break! (ha, ha) And a perfectly good excuse to sit down with the family and embrace the time we have with a deep appreciation for our health.
I hope you and yours are having a great holiday, and wish you a happy new year. I'll see you soon on the trails again!
Cheers, SD
Yikes!
ReplyDeleteWell at least cycling doesn't damage your knees...
- ScriptCal
Damn :\ Your image looks exactly like that of a co-worker who sits right behind me, only in his case is was snowboarding two weeks ago. He also went for the pins. Getting it done at the end of the year was also a good insurance move. Happy healing.
ReplyDeleteI'm 52 and I'm still waiting for the mythical knee damage from running to kick in. Maybe when I'm 53.
Scott, I'm so sorry! You have a great attitude, but still -- that sucks. The road rash looks so painful. This is reinforcing my fear of cycling downhill. If only I could cycle only on flat and uphill, then I might get into biking. Take care and hope to see you on the trail in the new year.
ReplyDeleteAll those years I held my breath while you tore around those BMX courses, fearing that this would happen, and it didn't. Well, better on your insurance than mine! Amazing that it took another 30 years! Heal fast! Mom
ReplyDeleteGlad you're okay! I thought about getting into biking someday as a cross training activity. This makes me think twice!
ReplyDeleteLooks painful!
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your crash! Thankful your head and rest of your body came out a-ok. I remember something similar happened 4 years ago when you were training for Boston. What luck : /
ReplyDeleteBest wishes to you and family Scott for 2014. Glad to see you got through the "cyclists rite of passage" in reasonable shape :-) Enjoy that beer sir.
ReplyDeleteMan that looks rough! I am so glad you had on a helmet. Get better and have a great 2014. :)
ReplyDeleteOh geeze. Hope you are healing well! And that is why I am afraid of road biking :)
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