Learning, the hard way...

[thwart]

Well, I knew I shouldn't have told one of my riding buddies last week that I hadn't hurt myself on a bike for over 20 years.

On a hilly challenge ride today (in the rain), came up over a little rise to a shallow Y in the road. Had been raining for the last 20 miles or so, but the bike had been handling just great, even though I don't ride in the rain much. Part of a long gradual downhill, running maybe 20-25 mph. Headed left, whoops... there's the arrow right... touch the brakes so I can veer just a bit to the right...

Hello gravel. Hello helmet hit. Am I ever going to stop sliding? :crap:

Hello major league road-rash.

Someone riding behind me was kind enough to stop and remind me to use my water bottle to wash out some of the gravel. Also rode with me to the next rest stop 5 miles ahead to make sure my battered body (and bike) could make it that far.

Found out later that the ambulance had already been to that very spot once earlier in the ride, for a more serious injury.

So if it can help anyone here... Study the route map. It's probably worth the time. Respect riding in the rain... duh.

Be careful out there. Double-duh.

PS My wife found it really funny when I dropped my shredded shorts (after I finally got home) and pea gravel spilled all over the bathroom floor. :butt:

[Pete Serotta]

glad that you are ok...Sure things are a little sore today. (and maybe you are still finding some gravel....

PETE

[Ginger]

My thought on a tour at speed in the rain with a missed turn is: Oops, look at that. as I ride right past it.

Sorry you wound up in the dirt.


Scrub brushes work well to get gravel out of road rash...hurt like heck, but they do work.

[benb]

Yep.. it's really funny how on big rides (sounds like you were on a century?) the same spots will collect a whole bunch of riders.

A few years ago I crashed in a century going over some severely angled railroad tracks in the rain. I was partly caught off guard cause another guy had crashed a few hundred yards ahead of me and I was asking him if he was OK... those were the slipperiest tracks I've ever gone over.. I went down instantly even from about 5mph.

Turns out something like 20 people crashed on those tracks that day.

[thwart]

My thought on a tour at speed in the rain with a missed turn is: Oops, look at that. Ah, someone with more rain experience... as you can imagine I reran this scenario several times afterwards and that always came up as the correct answer. :crap:

Hope that bit of wisdom helps somebody.

Actually this morning I wanted to go for a ride. If it wasn't for all these draining wounds...

[Ginger]

Ah, someone with more rain experience... as you can imagine I reran this scenario several times afterwards and that always came up as the correct answer. :crap:

Hope that bit of wisdom helps somebody.

Actually this morning I wanted to go for a ride. If it wasn't for all these draining wounds...
Well...it was a lesson learned the hard way. Not as hard as yours, but but none-the-less...

Grab some old shorts and old jersey and go for a ride.

For one, you'll want to move those muscles a bit. For two...ya want to go for a ride! Go!

[Mshue]

Sorry about your crash, but glad you didn't break any bones given your speed at the time.

I did the same thing many years ago in the rain. I'm still shocked how quickly I hit the pavement.

[thwart]

Grab some old shorts and old jersey and go for a ride.
More great advice. Thanks, Ginger!

Get back on that horse... :banana:

[Ginger]

well...I think you'll find you don't actually want to go for much of a ride...but you know...

There's some stuff out there, I don't have much experience with it...some wound protection stuff you should be able to pick up from the drug store...you put it on oozing wounds and it doesn't come off til they're healed...
yeah
I know.
not much help...

[rwsaunders]

I'm lucky to have only a couple of minor crashes under my belt; two of them on ice, one in the rain, both at low speeds. First thing on my mind while lying on the ground...I hope the paint is ok.

Watch out for infection from the leftover gravel. I just read a story the other day about a rugby player who had another player's tooth stuck in his head as a result of a tussle. He was having headaches for about 3 months and a follow-up x-ray revealed the tooth and the source of his pain.

[93legendti]

Well...it was a lesson learned the hard way. Not as hard as yours, but but none-the-less...

Grab some old shorts and old jersey and go for a ride.

For one, you'll want to move those muscles a bit. For two...ya want to go for a ride! Go!

Great advice. When I crashed last in '04, I hurt worse OFF the bike. Riding was remarkable pain free. Go figure. I had to FORCE my self to swing a leg over the TT and actually do it...

[Ginger]

Yeah...you just don't ride long enough for the clothes to get gummed to the injuries.


Heck, I still have gravel floating out of an old skate scar on my elbow from '95...
ick.

Actually, if you watched the tour, you saw some of the better ways to deal with oozing wounds on the bike. :) Now you just have to track the materials down. Shouldn't be too hard. A good medical supply store should have everything you need to look "pro" :)

And yeah, watch for infection. another ick.

[thwart]

A good medical supply store should have everything you need to look "pro" I've always wanted buttocks that look like a "pro". :D

[markie]

I think the other person dislocated their shoulder at the spot you crashed.

Road rash vs dislocated shoulder...

I'll take raod rash.

(how did your bike survive?")

[Fixed]

bro another bikie tattoo i have them all over
cheers :beer:

[thwart]

(how did your bike survive?") Did surprisingly well, actually. The joke yesterday was that I sacrificed my body for the bike. Actually the sag wagon w/trailer did more real damage to the Hollands than the crash did. Insult added to injury, although really no one's fault. The driver hadn't done this before and didn't bring anything for padding. Now if only touch-up paint would work on road rash... :D

I'll be back at the Dairyland Dare next year, hopefully a bit wiser. Great people, well organized (well, for the most part) and a very challenging---Pike's Peak was fun, wasn't it?---ride.

[swoop]

tegaderm is touch up paint for road rash. the bad part is really getting in there and cleaning it....
tegaderm will cut the healing time in half... or more.

[markie]

I do not really remember any of the individual hills. Just fleeting memories of pain.

The first hill I had to walk was the one with the water station at the top. I got it the first time around, but the second time my legs were not impressed.

I managed to do the 200K, but I am sore as anything today. Maybe next year I should not ride fixed (39X14).

[thwart]

A friend of a friend did the 300K with a fixie... rumor is he can't walk today... you guys are completely nuts! :rolleyes:

Thanks for the Tegaderm tip. Great stuff. Surprisingly, Walgreen's doesn't carry it or anything like it. Corporate decision making. Fortunately, a locally owned pharmacy did have some available.

[Orin]

Yep.. it's really funny how on big rides (sounds like you were on a century?) the same spots will collect a whole bunch of riders.

A few years ago I crashed in a century going over some severely angled railroad tracks in the rain. I was partly caught off guard cause another guy had crashed a few hundred yards ahead of me and I was asking him if he was OK... those were the slipperiest tracks I've ever gone over.. I went down instantly even from about 5mph.

Turns out something like 20 people crashed on those tracks that day.

The ONLY time I've crashed on tracks was at walking speed and then it was because I changed my mind from turning between the tracks to crossing them when I was in the middle (unused tracks in a parking lot)!

Personally, I consider momentum to be my friend where railroad tracks are concerned... let them knock me sideways a bit - I can recover on the other side. If I'm going slowly, I'd be down before I could get to the other side. But don't follow me or do what I do... get off and walk (then you can't fall off and blame me).

Now as for cattle guards...

Orin.

[Ginger]

Cattle guards are just spooky...

[Orin]

Cattle guards are just spooky...

I grew up with them in England. Full Speed Ahead then coast with bike upright - don't pedal, don't brake, don't steer until you are past it. At least that's what I do. Fortunately, I've not met one yet that isn't at right angles to my direction of travel. Uphill can be more difficult.

Orin.

[markie]

A friend of a friend did the 300K with a fixie... rumor is he can't walk today... you guys are completely nuts! :rolleyes:



I bumped into that guy at the start. I could not believe the tiny gear he was using. The descents must have been killing him.

Secretly I was hoping he had only ridden 200K as well. I feel like such an underacheiver now.

Here is my write up:

http://bikecentric.blogspot.com/

[thwart]

That's a great report... you can really feel the pain.

Somehow I don't think the word "underachiever" and 200K / 14,000 feet of climbing on a fixed gear bike can exist on the same page...

[benb]

If you are going to Walgreens looking for road rash care "Band Aid Advanced Healing Pads" are the same thing as Tegaderm. I've had no trouble finding them at local pharmacies over the years.

Train tracks - Swoop you may be right.. one of these days I will go back and look at these particular train tracks again, they were at a very severe angle to the road. There was actually a bicycle warning sign.

But usually I bomb over train tracks and/or bunnyhop them.. I pretty much agree with you, slowing way down may have contributed to that crash.

[Fixed]

bro even the pros can fall
i hope you feel better