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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 8, 2018 - 03:04pm PT
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Now that I have retired, I can go for my long exercise rides any day of the week, not just on the weekend. And since I'm old and retired, my rides are pretty mellow, right?
Wrong!
Oh, sure, I can't maintain the speed I once could, but apparently I can still go fast enough to put on quite a performance for the spectators. In fact the nice woman that helped sponge off the blood said my cartwheel was really spectacular.
As far as I can tell, I didn't break any bones, but everything in my upper back, shoulders, and neck hurts like hell, and I know, I just know, it's going to be much, much worse tomorrow.
And my bike? Total write-off. This is an old chrome-moly lugged frame that could take on a Sherman tank with no trouble, but check out the new curvaceous shape of the down tube...
I was blasting along a bike path, and saw that the path ahead, where it crossed a driveway, was blocked by a big cherry picker, with a guy up high pruning branches away from a power line. But no problem, cuz the driveway offered access to a big parking lot for a Subway sandwich place and a gas station. Hardly any cars in the lot, and I knew there was another driveway just ahead that would put me back on the bike path.
Not even any need to slow down. Yeah, except for the concrete divider I didn't notice until I was about two inches from it. I tried to get my front wheel up, but it was far too late and I was suddenly in the air, doing a perfect cartwheel. Well, perfect except for the fact that I only completed about two thirds of it before landing on my head and shoulder. Thank god for helmets.
Here's the bike, standing against the divider. It was about six inches high, and maybe six feet across. I was going fast enough that my front flip completely cleared it, and I landed about three feet past the far side.
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snakefoot
climber
Nor Cal
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Ouch! does the front tire rub now and is that frame bend new?
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 8, 2018 - 03:20pm PT
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Ouch! does the front tire rub now and is that frame bend new?
Yeah, the frame bend is new. Hit that concrete edge so hard I bent the down tube. Didn't think that was even possible.
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Gorgeous George
Trad climber
Los Angeles, California
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It's not really a stunt unless you can repeat it.
I once had a car pass me to turn right into a parking lot, causing me to hit the rear passenger quarter panel, fly over the trunk, and land on my feet and butt on the other side.
Witnesses commented it was a great trick, they thought I just knew how to land athletically.
jg
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Todd Eastman
Social climber
Putney, VT
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More of a crit frame now...
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stevep
Boulder climber
Salt Lake, UT
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Interesting...usually the fork bends in that sort of encounter before the down tube. Glad you weren't more seriously hurt.
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WBraun
climber
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You could have been seriously hurt.
Good thing that didn't happen as there is always danger at every step.
Why was this slab there to begin with?
Are you short? Like 5 foot 5 inches?
Because the seat on the bicycle is so low?
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StahlBro
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Ghost,
Glad you are more or less ok. Could have been a lot worse.
We rented a house in Santa Barbara our last year in school, and we used to commute about 10 miles to UCSB each way. We would usually ride as a group of 5 and do a pace line on the bike path. After class we would meet in IV at Seranitos, and down $1.50 pitchers of crap beer while feasting on the free appetizers for dinner. After that we would pace line back to SB.
One night we got to the terminus of the bike path and noticed we were only 4. We waited and then backtracked to find Matt with a similar new bend in his down tube, a sheared off top tube, and a grass stain that that went from his chin to his toes. Seems 'ol Matt had gotten cornfused in the dark, after being dropped, and taken a concrete drain that ended in a 24" high culvert instead of the bike path. He never saw it. All he remembers is flying like SuperMan for about 20' and making a nice belly landing on a patch of grass. His victory slide stopped just short of the street.
He was riding a Schwinn Continental (a tank in it's own right). He stripped the frame for parts in hung it our house as an art piece.
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NutAgain!
Trad climber
South Pasadena, CA
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Doh! Pain is temporary, glory lasts forever, and chicks dig scars.
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steelmnkey
climber
Vision man...ya gotta have vision...
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Glad you didn’t dent your melon!
DMT
Ha! Good one!
Glad you're okay David!
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Bad Climber
Trad climber
The Lawless Border Regions
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Whoa. So yer okay? Damn. Bikes are cheep. Injury not so much. On a similar vein, I plowed into a car as a kid--long steep hill, rain, crappy rim brakes on shiny rims= no braking--and flipped over the top and landed on my feet on the other side. Only a few bruises. Kids and drunks, eh?
BAd
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jbaker
Trad climber
Redwood City, CA
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Ouch! I did the same thing years ago, also running into a concrete block. The frame looked almost the same, and was toast.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Better to be lucky than good, eh?
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wilbeer
Mountain climber
Terence Wilson greeneck alleghenys,ny,
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I had a “gazing accident “once ,not saying you did,it definitely gave me something.
Hope you are all good.
IPAT
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 8, 2018 - 07:23pm PT
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Hope you are all good
Well, no, I'm not. But I may be less bad. Which ain't nothing. Upper back is calming down, but if any of you out there has a spare neck you can send me, I'd sure appreciate it.
But all that sh#t aside -- I'll recover -- big thanks to Steve Grossman. I managed to get him on the phone once I had my sh#t vaguely together after the crash, and he came to the accident scene and threw me and my bike into his van (I got a seat) and took me home.
Frame is trash. Still, it's seen me through almost forty years of road riding, so, rather than complain, I'll raise a glass in toast to it tonight. And, speaking of toasts, thank god for a fridge full of beer and a cellar full of wine. If I had some Vicodin stashed away, I'd be seriously into it now, but... Yeah, no Vicodin, but the alcohol is working its magic.
And Werner, thanks for your concern. Much appreciated. While I am hardly tall, I'm not a complete shrimp. 5'8". Or, at least I was 5'8" before I got old. But, whatever height, that bike was perfect. An extension of my body.
And not just thanks to Werner, but to all of you. I'll report back in the morning.
D
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wilbeer
Mountain climber
Terence Wilson greeneck alleghenys,ny,
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Thanks Steve , man.
They will make more bikes.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Maybe someone can chime in with some more specific advice.
You mean like talk to a good lawyer? I see a lot of mental anguish in this.
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Matt Sarad
climber
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Glad you are still in one piece. My old Stumpjumper took me over an unseen bump. The landing was terrible. Changed my life and reality forever.
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Jim Clipper
climber
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I think there are some saw bones who post here. Signs and symptoms of head trauma? Treatment for neck injuries? Pain management, not that there is anything wrong with a bottle of whiskey. New skool rulez.
I think I remember your story Matt. Hope you continue to persevere.
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cragnshag
Social climber
san joser
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You're in good company, it seems, from some of the accounts upthread. I've had 2 silly bike crashes on the road caused by my inattention.
First time when I was about 12. I was ridding an old steel road bike home from school and and noticed a ladybug clinging to one of the front spokes. I sped up a bit to see if I could make it lose its grip. I was in a wide bike lane with no traffic. Well, I got really into watching that ladybug and didn't notice the car parked illeaglly in the bike lane while the driver ran over to drop some something off at his condo. Then whamo! About 15 mph right into the back of the car. I flew over the trunk and into the back window. I was bleeding from several small wounds and I see the driver come toward me. I thought I would be in big trouble for denting his car... Instead, he offered to help- I think he felt bad for parking in the bike lane. Anyway, was was too embarrassed to stick around, and the bike still rolled, so I apologized and rode home. Both the top tube and the diagonal tube were bent such that the fork was pretty much vertical, but the fork and wheel were ok- the tire cleared the frame by an eighth of an inch. When I got home my parents thought I got beat up until they saw the bike. My dad removed the fork, stuck a 6' steel rod through the head tube and bent the frame more or less back to where it was supposed to be.
2nd time was in college riding at night back home after class. I had a wimpy light and missed seeing a low triangle shaped 6" tall median in the middle of the road at an intersection. I was probably going about 20 mph on an old steel lugged Miyata. I never saw it and in a split second I was airborne. This time I had pretty nasty road rash and I also chipped a piece of bone off in my shoulder that had to be surgically removed several years later. But the bike was totally fine! Not even a wobble in the rim. I guess all my momentum went over the bike or something.
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RURP_Belay
Big Wall climber
Bitter end of a bad anchor
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When the lot around the Mountain Rambler Brewery in Bishop got reconfigured, they added a cemented-in guard rail to separate the parking. A local - who had ridden the same path on a bicycle many times - hit it full-force (late at night in the dark) at handle-bar level.
Messed him up really bad.
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perswig
climber
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Karma for making fun of the idea that dinosaurs were pets.
That's what I'm thinking.
Dale
(Damn. Heal well.)
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justthemaid
climber
Jim Henson's Basement
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Whoa Ghost- glad you weren't injured worse. WTF with the weird divider?...unpainted to boot.
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Bad Climber
Trad climber
The Lawless Border Regions
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Whoa, Rurp, that's gnar.
BAd
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Tom Patterson
Trad climber
Seattle
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Are you short? Like 5 foot 5 inches?
Because the seat on the bicycle is so low?
David is actually 6' 9" tall. He's being modest about his height. The biggest safety issue for him is that his knees sometimes collide with his chin, which can cause him to lose attention for that brief critical moment.
I'm here all night!!
Hey, David. So glad to hear things didn't go more south for you! I know you've had at least one serious crash before, and am happy to hear this one didn't quite go there. And next time (next time?), if you can't roust Steve, give me a shout. I'll come get you!
We should get together for no particular reason, other than the central fact that we are friends. Now that you're retired, I'll bet our schedules will gel even more!
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Anybody check on Ghost this morning? Heard there were lawyers lined up outside his door.
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 9, 2018 - 10:39am PT
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Anybody check on Ghost this morning? Heard there were lawyers lined up outside his door.
I'm okay. Probably be a week or so before my neck muscles are happy to be supporting my head -- the mother of all whiplashes -- but other than that it looks like just a badly bruised shoulder and and some road rash. Bad luck (or stupidity) hitting that divider, but amazing good luck that I didn't die or break my neck. And when the lawyers found out just how much stupidity was involved, they couldn't get away fast enough.
And Tom, yes, let's get together. And sooner, rather than later, as I'll be clearing out of Seattle (and the US) within a couple of months.
Edit to add:
Pavement has always been more dangerous than dirt, IMO. That doesn't help a commuter, I know. But maybe think about replacing your ride with something less road. Blasphemy, I know. Some lower pressure/higher volume tires and different frame geo might have made a difference; enabled you to better loft the front wheel and/or have more control of the impact, even without any front suspension. Plus you'd have a tool for fun and recreation on the great trails in your area. Cross-pollinate your riding skills? MTB/BMX skills come in very handy in many street situations like the one you encountered.
For me, it's not one or the other. I was fortunate to be in on the launch of the whole North Shore thing in Vancouver over thirty years ago, and would never think of giving up my mountain bike. But I love my road bike, too. Different rides, but both wonderful.
You're right, though, that pavement is more dangerous than dirt. Or at least it has been for me. I paddled my first whitewater 56 years ago, and in all the decades of whitewater, rock and ice climbing, ski mountaineering, and mountain biking, all the serious damage to my body has come on (well, mostly flying off) my road bike.
As a long-time bike commuter, I assume every driver on the road will try to kill me, so I know how to be safe in traffic. But put me on an empty road and I'll find a way to try to kill myself. I suppose there's an upside -- I've met several very nice orthopedic surgeons -- but yeah, road riding can be dangerous.
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looking sketchy there...
Social climber
Lassitude 33
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Glad to hear that there are no lasting consequences (except to your bike). Heal up and start looking for a new road bike.
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MikeL
Social climber
Southern Arizona
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We used to be DH riders for about 8 years.
My buddies and I found my wife walking on the trail with amnesia. We later determined she believed she was going over a rollover, but it was a jump. Surprise! Another rider found her crumpled up under her bike, woke her up, and then rode up to us to ask us if we knew of a woman named, Lisa. She’s gotten a few concussions and a collar bone fracture from DH. I’ve only gotten stitches from my platform pedals and a broken rib. We left climbing because my wife thought it was getting too dangerous! DH gave us far more injuries, probably 5X as many. We made trips to various DH Meccas, but Whistler was like going to heaven. (OMG!) I’ve attended a few Gravity Camps at Whistler, and when you’re in a small cohort of other like-capable riders being led by a national champion, you do the absolutely most stupid things you can imagine—just because the national champion supposedly showed you “how to do it.”
Bikes can be really dangerous. In climbing, you can only kill yourself.
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BruceHildenbrand
Social climber
Mountain View/Boulder
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That's a classic Brooks saddle, it probably fits you like a glove! Heal quickly and get back out there soon!
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Ghost! Here’s an “it could have been worse” bike crash story for you.
The owner of Teton Mountaineering & his manager told it to me.
Chuck & Rex were riding a dirt road near Jackson on mountain bikes.
Chuck was going close to light speed down a hill, when he suddenly noticed a thin bar across a gate in the road, just a few feet in front of him.
He dumped the bike & rolled under the bar, which turned out to be a flexible fiberglass wand meant to discourage cows, but not stop bikers.
When Rex got to the accident a family of hikers had reached Chuck, who was out cold, but otherwise was breathing & didn’t look seriously maimed. Since this was in the pre-cell phone era, Rex asked the hikers to keep an eye on Chuck, while Rex rode for help.
After a while Chuck woke to see a concerned man looking down at him. As Chuck made eye contact, the man said:
“Sir, you have been seriously injured in an accident & your friend has gone for help.” “Are you at peace with God?”
Chuck was speechless, but concerned that he must be terribly injured.
Then the man started praying for him.
It turned out that Chuck had a broken collarbone & a mild concussion.
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Tom Patterson
Trad climber
Seattle
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David - are you heading back to the Great White North? I'm bummed you're leaving, and am eager to hear more about it. Let's get something on the calendar!
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rockermike
Trad climber
Berkeley
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time for an updated model....
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Fossil climber
Trad climber
Atlin, B. C.
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Glad you're not really a ghost! And welcome north. Lots of nice single track. Of course, there's always the blind curve with a griz sow and a couple of cubs... Softer landing, but...
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