OMG…I had an epic biking accident on Monday night. I decided to do a difficult route by myself in the evening and midway through the ride things went terribly wrong. The problem came when I got to the bottom of the second hill in a series of three back to back hills. I was having a hard time down shifting into gear 1. I rode around in some driveways while I tried to resolve the problem and I finally managed to get in the proper gear. A few moments later I got to the end of the hill Spur, I turned around and rested for a few minutes before doing it all over again.
I started off strong and I flew down the first hill and then I started to make my way up the second hill and then bam! My chain popped and I started to fall. I tried to remove my cleat from the pedal, but it all happened so fast I wasn’t able to remove it and I began to descend to the ground. Then the real issue occurred. My handlebars began to turn sideways and I ended up taking the brunt of the fall into the blunt end of my handlebar. I got hit in the center of my chest on my ribcage. I took a photo but I decided I really didn't want to post it;)
All the wind went out of my body. I could hardly breathe and I almost vomited. I held that back but I was defiantly dazed. I sat on the pavement for a few minutes and tried to clear my head. I was in shock at how painful the fall was. All of my prior falls involved hitting my knee and elbow. Those were both painful but I was able to recover quickly. This was not a quick recovery.
I stood up and tested out my body. I waked around and despite the intense pain in my chest I didn’t think I broke anything. I decided to check out my bike. I got the chain back on but the gears no longer worked properly and my rear brake was stuck on. Eeek! I managed to get the brakes unstuck but I could tell that it was no longer quite right. I felt that the bike was damaged but it could endure the ride back to my car.
Did I mention that I was in the middle of my ride and 12 miles from my car. I picked up my bike and I started pushing it up and down the remaining hills as I was no longer interested in climbing them on my bike. I considered calling someone to come and rescue me but I quickly dismissed that idea. I didn’t want to be a burden to anyone and I thought it would be silly to wait for someone to come and get me. I knew my brother was busy with his children and he probably didn’t have the time to come and get me.
I believe this was the biggest mistake of the day. I never should have decided to ride back to my car. I was in pain and my bike was in pain. This was the time to call in a favor and ask for help. I seriously hate asking for help. I had already felt like I called in a favor three days before that when I discovered a flat tire the night before an important bike event. Also, I wasn’t convinced that I knew how to tell someone where I was. I knew the route on my bike but I didn’t know it by car and I wasn’t sure of road names.
Being an independent and single women I have learned to rely on myself, even when in duress. I just never want to bother anyone with a real or imagined crisis. I also wasn't sure this was a real crisis. Duh it was but at the time I just thought I would deal with the pain until I got home. I did and it worked out but it wasn't the best decision.
As I was driving home I pondered the necessity of visiting an ER. I called my friend GH who is a nurse and an EMT and I enlisted her medical advise. She told me I probably bruised ribs and doctors don't have a remedy for that injury. The biggest worry I had was weather or not I had an internal injury. She gave the waring signs and I promised I would get to an ER pronto if I had any of them. Thankfully, there has been no warning signs and I appear to be on the mend. Today was the turning point where I really began to feel better.
Whoop! Today was also the day I got my bike back from the repair shop. I messed up the brakes, bent the derailleur, bent the handle bars and the wheels were out of alignment. $60 later and she is all fixed up.
I think I learned an important lesson from this accident. Call for help when I need it. Don't be brave or think an accident is minor. It is more important to be safe than sorry later.
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