My Bike Wreck and Lessons Learned

Dear Fellow Bikers, Triathletes and HEAT Friends,

The good news is . . . I got selected from the lottery, and God willing, will be in the NYC Marathon this November. Oh yeah! The bad news is . . . I just had a painful wreck on my bike. No, No, No! Yep, I had a bike wreck last week and broke my collarbone. While I'll miss a few good races this May, June and July, I should be OK for the NYC Marathon in Nov 2011.

Here’s an update about my bike wreck (which happened Wednesday, May 12th, at 4:30 PM):

How My Bike Wreck Happened:
I had just ridden a peaceful 18 miles by myself in the Sumner County back roads, and at the end of the ride was coming down a fairly steep hill (1 block from my house). For some odd reason I misused a couple of seconds while getting my left foot situated before making the right turn into my neighborhood.

Because of those couple of misused seconds, I had to hit my brakes firmly before trying to make the turn, my back tire skidded. . . I let off and then hit the brakes a second time, again the tires skidded. That second skid meant I couldn’t make the turn and had to jump the street curb going pretty fast. I hit the brakes a third time in the grass area between the street and aggregate driveway in front of me. Immediately, my bike and I did a front somersault onto an aggregate driveway in front of me. I remember hearing and feeling my helmet smack the concrete and I thought, ‘hey I got my money’s worth out of my helmet’. For about one minute, I laid on the driveway and discerned my condition. I was hurting, but then rolled over and got up. I stood by a tree in the yard gasping for breath and coming around. I picked up my water bottle and finished it off, feeling the life giving liquid. I was shaken up, but decided to walk my bike home the one block. Also, walking would give me time to calm down.

When I got home, I was realizing I was not feeling any better. I headed for the front door, dropping my bike against the bushes below the front porch and rang the doorbell. My wife, Sheila, came to the door and rescued me. I nearly passed out leaning against her. Within a short time, we were headed to the ER at Hendersonville Hospital to get x-rayed and get something for the pain.

The result of my bike wreck is a broken collarbone and an estimated six weeks for recovery. What?! A couple of seconds of indiscretion while coming down a hill put me out of commission for six weeks?! It sounds unreasonable and unfair. Why did this happen? I've been making the turn on that hill for 10 years and now this? Oh well, get used to it. This is my new reality. Indeed, my reality is taking pain pills and waiting to heal.

I hope to get back on my bike as soon as I’m able. Swimming normally will take even longer I expect with my arm motion being restricted. Running will probably be my first attempt at exercise after a month of healing. I am thankful to have the NYC Marathon hanging out there like a 'North Star' in November. I'll have plenty to look forward to when I do heal.

What Have I learned from this experience?:
-Carry an ID with emergency phone #'s.
-Carry your phone in your bento pouch, instead of back pocket of jersey, it should be easier to retrieve.
-Ride with others whenever possible, so they can watch you crash and critique it.
-Take the downhills slower to give yourself more reaction time.
-ALWAYS wear a helmet. It could have been much worse otherwise.


Mike