I don’t know how many miles I’ve pedaled since training for
my first triathlon in 2009, I’ll make a simple guess that it’s between 1,000
and 3,000. One of the consistent
thoughts I’ve had is wondering when I’d crash.
Wondering what the circumstances would be that lead to it, wondering
where and how it happens. It was never a
worry, more of a lingering thought that in time, I’d fall. It’s why I shave my legs; the thought of
ripping gauze tape off hairy legs or hair drying in scabs, forget it, shave
em. When I’d think about a potential
crash I’d wonder if I’d react quick enough or in a manner to change the outcome
from a crash to a great save.
If you’ve crashed this is probably a review of your
experience, if you haven’t, I can only say that once it starts there is very
little you can do and it’s over before you even think to do anything. It’s moments that you simply participate in
as the details unfold as you and your body are subjected to whatever gravity, momentum and God have put in place.
I was entering Verona on the Ironman Loop after making a
nice sweep of South Central Wisconsin going from Verona, to Cross Plains, Dane,
Lodi, Merrimac, Sauk City, Black Earth, Mt. Horeb then back in to Verona. I took the left in front of Epic on to Cross
Country. There was another biker in
front of me wearing neon green. He stopped
at the first stop sign and I rolled up next to him. We chatted quickly and joked about the heat
and what looked like a storm ahead. We
laughed and wished each other a good ride.
Cross Country is a great road to ride, smooth, wide, even a little down
grade and over too soon like any smooth road is. I had noticed while I was at the stop sign
how there were some big rocks scattered next to the curb, that seemed odd as
this road didn’t have a shoulder, it is curbed on each side and then grass, no
rock shoulder at all. I took note and
shoved off from the stop sign. I was up
to speed about half way between that stop sign and the next, I estimate I was
doing 20 give or take an mph or 2. I was
tucked down in aero keeping my eyes out over the front tire. Then a thud; a quick feeling of the front
tire wobble without control and before I realized it my hands and elbows had
jumped off the aero bars and pads, my head hit the road with another loud
thud. My eyes were closed as I listened
to my helmet scrape along. Quicker than
it took to read this, it was done. I
didn’t notice the front wheel wobble as it happened but I quickly remembered
the feeling of it quivering which happened right before my back tire went vertical
pointing my front tire down. My weight
went down and forward and my clipped in feet pulled the bike along as I landed
on my head and shoulder and begun my slide to a stop. There was a young man coming up behind me in
a car who got to see the whole event unfold.
By the time I opened my eyes he had already gotten out of his car and
was almost as shaken up as I was. As I
stood up and started to take inventory of my body as he kept asking what I
needed, holy $%#@, who he can call, holy %@#$, should he call the cops, holy
$#%. He eventually asked if I was OK to
which I replied “I think so, but I’m not sure.”
I took my helmet off and tossed it to the grass, I was walking and
moving my legs, there were scrapes and a big chunk missing on my left knee that
must have been one of my first points of contact with the road.
Taken at the scene about 5 minutes after the crash
My legs were working fine so I moved up to my arms, I
started with my right and it seemed
normal, then as I moved the left I noticed some stiffness and some odd noises. At this time the young man had walked behind
me and dropped some more F bombs and other pleasantries as he saw the road
rash. By this time the man I rolled up
on at the previous stop sign was there and examining my bike. He pulled it off the road, took the front
tire off and showed me how it was flat.
I said I hit a rock. We were
trying to decide what to do, I was coming down from whatever rush of energy I
had from the crash. I grabbed my phone
and did what anyone would do, took pictures. . . .
Another selfie of my wounds, oh yeah some of my fingers drug too
As we debated calling the paramedics a cop started to near
us. There was a family who’s kids were
playing on a trampoline across the grass way and I have a feeling they called
911 thinking the young man who stopped to help me actually hit me, that of
course wasn’t the case. Once the cop
rolled up he said an ambulance was already on the way. The cop asked some questions and got my
information. I wasn’t in a lot of pain,
still some shock from the fact that I actually crashed, it finally
happened. The young man and the biker
took off and I thanked them for stopping and helping. The ambulance showed up and the paramedics
started their field examination. I
called my friend Becky whom I was supposed to hang out with later to see if she
could swing by and pick up my bike. I
decided to take the ride to the hospital in the ambulance as I could tell my
shoulder wasn’t right. I cracked my
helmet with the fall so the paramedics tossed me on the straight board and neck
brace for precautionary reasons. The cop
helped load up my bike in my Becky’s car and off I was to the hospital.
The hospital was pretty uneventful, the doctor checked me
out and got me off the straight board and out of the neck brace. He looked over my wounds and checked me
over. He suggested an x-ray on my
shoulder. The x-ray showed a fracture on
my clavicle near the socked, I still had a good range of motion but discomfort
with the movements. The nurse started to
clean my road rash and I suggested cutting off my tri top. As hard as those are to get on and off I
didn’t think there was a chance I’d get my hands above my head and peel it
off. Couple snips and the tri top is
retired. It is the top I wore at Ironman
with Rod last September.
So there I was being discharged from the emergency room in
my tri shorts and a sling. Becky and I
walked to her car and headed back to my place to unload the bike, 3 water
bottles, cycling shoes, cracked helmet, driver’s license, credit card and iPhone
– everything I had with me for the 85 miles of riding and 15 or so feet of
sliding. What a day.
There was one consistent as I sat on the curb right after
crashing, rode in the ambulance, sat in the hospital – I was OK that this
happened. I’ve expected this since I
started training. I’ve accepted that
some things are beyond my control and the only way to pursue things like triathlons,
marathons and Ironman is to accept that things will happen along the way; don’t
know when, don’t know how and may not be able to influence what happens as it
happens. I can’t ride my bike in fear of
falling; it’s the price of admission.
Could I have done better looking ahead, yes, could I have ridden slower
- I had 2.5 miles to go and could have mailed it in, sure but I didn’t, I rode
ahead like many of you do every day or weekend.
Don’t be afraid of the fall, accept that falls happen, you can’t plan to
stop the fall but you can plan to get back up after you fall, choose to keep
riding, choose to get up. The fall
doesn’t hurt, it’s over before you know, it’s the picking yourself up that’s
the test and will be mine.
One quick point as I’m here licking my wounds, I would like
to credit some of my positive attitude about this particular fall to a man who recently
completed a 50 mile trail race, a 3:15 marathon last December and was well on
his way to improving on what I believe is the fastest Ironman finish for a
visually impaired/blind athlete (someone correct me if I’m wrong) – Richard Hunter,
a man who spends as much time training as he does raising funds to put on the
championship marathon race for the blind and visually impaired community in conjunction
with USABA.
In early July Richard was on a tandem bike ride when a car pulled out in
front of the bike which caused Richard to go airborne and ultimately flying
through the windshield of the car. Here
are some of Richard’s own words from his most recent update on his healing:
This past Monday, I had 22 staples and 4 stitches removed and other
lacerations are well into the healing process.
Mentally, I’ve had a couple of bad days but most days are tempered by
the knowledge that things could have been much worse and that I have had lots
of people calling and visiting. That has
helped a lot. My neck, on the other hand,
hurts all of the time. The C7 fracture
will take a while to heal. I am able to
manage the pain with rest and a prescription muscle relaxant and Advil. I am able to leave my house for short outings
such as dinner out, coffee with a friend or watching Lindsey’s
performance. Heidi has been
amazing. I’m sure things will get very
quiet as time goes on. I miss my
training and the friends who help me do what I do. The reality is that sports is my freedom, friends
and rehabilitation for my vision loss. I
thank God for my life and have no ill will in my heart. I hope to be a spectator at IM Lake Tahoe
since I won’t be able to race.
