INDIA EIGHTYTWO. That was the name given me by the EMT and put on my wristband prior to me being loaded on the ambulance following my bicycle accident. At 30+mph a small rub on the rear wheel of the rider in front of me in the pace line and things changed forever. Never, Never, Never cross wheels in a group ride. After 40 years of competitive bike riding I made one mistake, and there is no do-over, and it really hurts both physically and mentally.Broken Scapula, broken hip, broken ribs, collapsed lung, torn rotator cuff, huge hematoma, toe to head road rash. All on the left side. As a triathlete, I prided myself on having pretty decent pain management skills. Exercise induced pain management that is. Trauma pain is another dimension.
The group I was riding with was not into risk taking, we were following all the rules-of-the-road and behaving with courtesy. On the downhill returning leg of a Saturday morning ride Feb 20th it was pace line time and with the group now down to about 8 riders, not a cumbersome size. Just a split second of overlap and whoosh.
My helmet did its thing and I had the EMT call my wife from my functioning cell phone and we met at the trauma hospital following my being patched up. I received the cursory stitches for the gashes that were deeper than road rash and a vacuum hose (it was only about 3/16" in diameter but felt like a garden hose) was inserted through my ribs into my lung to assist in removing as much fluid as possible and aid in re inflation.
I had the normal scans for head and spine injury and passed. My bone breaks were not dislocated so surgery to align them was not required. The torn rotator cuff would have to wait until later.
It's still settling in, but my 2016 goal of winning my age group at Kona was dashed in the accident. I had previously qualified with a sub-12 hr race on a tough course and the M70-74 winning time in both 2014 and 2015 was 13+ hrs, so I knew I had a good chance if I stayed healthy. I cannot have the required surgery to repair my torn rotator cuff until my other trauma injuries have healed in about 2 months. Since recovery from rotator cuff surgery takes 6 to 12 months, the math is indisputable.
I was home from the hospital after 10 days and off pain meds after 14. This week I start the process of follow-up examinations to see how the trauma recovery is going. I will try to be a good patient and resist the temptation to "over re-hab" thus re-injuring the repairs.
So my blog this year will not be one of race experiences, but rehab and reflection. Only a fool would not acknowledge that this type of accident in this sport at this age requires serious reflection. I don't believe I am a fool..........
.........TO BE CONTINUED............
