crashed!

So I made the newbie mistake of going way to fast down an unfamiliar descent and by the time I saw the sharp curve at the bottom it was too late to brake, although I tried anyway! I went down hard and slid on my side for abut 25 feet, finally coming to rest under a guard rail! No broken bones, lots of road rash, cracked helmet (glad it's not my head) and slightly wounded pride. But all and all, I'm OK, and my bike is fine! I dropped it off at my LBS and my friend there gave it a once over and thought it looked fine, but he's keeping it tonight for observation. I'll be picking it up tomorrow with my new helmet. What's NOT ok are my brand new knickers that I got in the mail from TE on Friday. It was the first time I got to wear them and they're were so cute, but no more, there's a huge hole in the knee. Oh well, I guess it could be worse.

{{hug}} Thank goodness you're OK !!!

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I dropped it off at my LBS and my friend there gave it a once over and thought it looked fine, but he's keeping it tonight for observation.

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That's so funny :D :D Glad the bike is apparently OK too.

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Originally Posted by AllezGirl

So I made the newbie mistake of going way to fast down an unfamiliar descent and by the time I saw the sharp curve at the bottom it was too late to brake, although I tried anyway! I went down hard and slid on my side for abut 25 feet, finally coming to rest under a guard rail! No broken bones, lots of road rash, cracked helmet (glad it's not my head) and slightly wounded pride. .

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Oh no Im trying not to imagine that 25 feet slide. :eek:
Glad to hear you and your bike are ok though.

Sending healing road rash vibes your way. :)

AllezGirl -

So very happy to hear you're okay. Take good care of that road rash.

Kathryn

Keep that road rash CLEAN and keep some Neosporin, or other antibacterial ointment on it. I had a road rash get infected & ended up on pain meds (trust me, my pain tolerance is extremely high.)

OK, enough about you. Did you scrape paint off of your bike?

Allez, so glad you're okay after that!!! Whew! One of the senior guardian angels must have been on duty. Just an idea - check and see if the credit card you used to pay will cover for replacing the shorts. Sometimes it's a little known, little advertised benefit. Won't hurt to ask!

Take especially good care of yourself for the next few days. ;)

Thanks goodness you are SAFE! And your bike is not demolished!

Now... your story reminds me why I hate flying down hills! I refuse to do it... I brake the whole way!

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Originally Posted by AllezGirl

So I made the newbie mistake of going way to fast down an unfamiliar descent

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Hey that's not just a newbie mistake. Check out the Bicycling magazine article about their journalist who tried to become a Cinglé du Ventoux. (I think it's in the last issue.)

Glad you're well and I hurt for your road rash... ouch! take care...

It will probably take you a while, once you get back on the bike, to enjoy those downhills again. But you'll see how fast you forget. (I crashed on a downhill in early July and took back descending at high speeds in August...) But I agree it's better to do it on roads you know well, although you never know what will be on the other side of curves...

Get well soon!

Ouch! Glad you and the bike are ok!

This is the ultimate road rash guide in case you don't have a copy:

Ask the Doctor - with Dawn Richardson
Dealing with road rash
By Dawn M. Richardson, MD FACEP

This report filed May 14, 2003
You've probably been there before: Up all night between stages because you have a fresh batch of road rash and it's throbbing. Every time you roll over in bed, your nasty gooey aching hip sticks to the sheets and wakes you up in pain. Your significant other is grossed out and reminds you that you get to do the laundry for the next few weeks.
If you're a cyclist in a stage race, you probably dread facing the next stage because your body aches like an NFL lineman on Monday morning. You are leaking icky wound goo on your skin suit on the starting line the next morning. Yuck. Wouldn't it be great to make it all go away, start the stage pain-free, and forget about your injury as you challenge for GC?
Here are two lists of my favorite products for road rash. One is for those on a tight budget or without access to hospital grade supplies. The other is the best of the best and will make your road rash experience almost forgettably painless. Some superstitious people hate the idea of going to a race prepared for the worst, as if they are counting on falling. It happens to the best bike handlers, so get real. Make an agreement with your teammates that someone keeps the road rash kit in the back of their car for the season-you'll be grateful when one of you hits the deck.
The poor man's road rash kit
· Mild antibacterial liquid soap
· Washcloth
· Gallon of bottled water
· Bottle of cheap generic Ibuprofen (Motrin IB)
· Triple Antibiotic Ointment (like Neosporin)
· Petroleum Jelly (Vaseline)
· Thin Maxipads with non-adherent top layer ("dri-weave')
· White drugstore ribbon tape
· Scissors
· Cheap support pantyhose in your size, and in a smaller size that fits your arm
· Clear fingernail polish
· Non-prescription topical anaesthetic
· Butterfly tapes
Feminine products for even the manliest athlete
Maxipads, pantyhose and nail polish?!?!?! Okay, okay. I admit it. Some of the stuff on the list sounds weird, but it works.
Here's what to do with your road rash: First, see if there is an ambulance staged on scene with a crew that is willing to help you out. One caveat: If you are uninsured, you may be sent a bill even if they don't transport you to the hospital. But more often that not you can get care from them for free. They may have plush supplies on the truck that they can use to clean and dress your wound.
If there is no ambulance on scene, the first thing to do is take two to four 200mg ibuprofen with food 45 minutes prior to cleaning you wound. The maximum dose is 800mg every six hours and no more than 2400mg in 24 hours. If you are prone to gastritis or ulcers go with Tylenol (Acetaminophen) 650-1000 mg, no more than 1000mg every 4 hours or 4 grams in 24 hours. Your pain tolerance will be maxed 45 minutes to one hour after you take the ibuprofen or acetaminophen. Don't skimp on the ibuprofen if you're in pain. It's especially helpful right before bedtime so you can get some sleep. An hour before your scheduled start time the next day is another good time for ibuprofen.
<B< and in>
Apply a thin layer of the non-prescription topical anaesthetic, scream, then wait a couple minutes for it to numb your throbbing road rash. If you are subject to dope control, notify them about the topical anaesthetic when you give your sample. Show them your road rash. U.S. Anti-doping lists lidocaine as a legal substance but you should also notify dope control to be safe.
Clean the wound with mild antibacterial soap and the washcloth and plenty of water. The time-worn saying among surgeons is: "The solution to the pollution is dilution."
Only scrub hard enough to get the gravel out to prevent gravel from tattooing your wound. Any harder is unnecessary and you risk damaging tissue and delaying the healing process. With wounds that sport that nice deep gravel, try soaking in the tub and then using tweezers to get out the really nasty stuff.
Keep it dry
Gently pat your road rash damp-dry. Apply a thin layer of triple antibiotic ointment to the wound. You may need an additional thin layer of petroleum jelly to keep the dressing from sticking to the road rash. As an aside, a layer of petroleum jelly or A&D diaper cream on your sensitive parts before a race will greatly reduce your chances of unpleasant chamois chafing on hot days.
My recommendation for thin maxipads may sound really goofy, but they are the cheapest possible wound dressing, and also provide a bit of padding. This is especially nice for road rash on hips or shoulders, the places most likely to hit the ground first. The maxipad keeps the road rash from rubbing inside your skinsuit, and minimizes the damage if you fall again on the same spot. Paper tape doesn't stick very well. I recommend ribbon tape, which has a little more adhesive, but may be more likely to cause a tape allergy.
Tape the maxipad in place. This is as good as it's going to get on a low budget. Change your dressing daily, washing gently in the shower. If your dressing is sticking to the wound, don't rip it off. Soak in the tub for 20 minutes and it should peel off easily.
In a hard next day race, the tape may fail, therefore go with the pantyhose. Again this sounds really silly, but if you can't afford the spiffy white fishnet that the pros use, this is your best option. Size the pantyhose to your wound and dressing and cut it several inches too long on both ends. Paint the cut ends with the clear nail polish to stop the cut panty hose from unraveling.
On second thought maybe a leftover bottle of your ex-girlfriends fire engine red toenail polish would be more stylish. Perhaps a loud color to match your team kit. Come on... express yourself! The color possibilities are endless.
Slide the pantyhose in place and you're good to go. Your dressings should stay in place. You can get really creative with the scissors and cut out the pantyhose only where your chamois goes to keep hip, thigh and butt road rash dressings in place.
Check your wounds daily for increasing redness, swelling, pain, pus or foul smelling drainage. These are all signs of infection and you should seek medical attention. If it's been 5 years since your last tetanus shot, go to the ER. Dying of lockjaw would be a pretty stupid way to finally get your name in VeloNews. After a couple of days you may want to let your road rash air out daily after you shower to keep it from getting too gooey.
The butterfly tape is for deeper cuts that don't quite need stitches. Again, flush out the wound with plenty of clean water, pat dry and tape it. If the edges of the wound pull apart widely, if it has some depth to it, if it's really filthy, or it won't stop bleeding, you need medical attention and probably stitches. No room for stoicism here-it can take weeks for these cuts to heal on their own and they leave much uglier scars without attention.
Premium road rash kit extras
· Duoderm 4x4 Extra Thin CGF Dressing (ConvaTec/Bristol-Myers Squibb)
· Tegaderm
· Hibiclens
· Surgical scrub brushes
· 2% lidocaine jelly* (AstraZeneca)
· 4x4 gauzes
· White fishnet mesh-2 sizes to fit arm and leg
If God made road rash cream
As a cyclist and a doctor, I am convinced that if there is a god he made these for road rash. Believe me, the manufacturer isn't paying me to say this.
Buy Duoderm and the fishnet mesh at a medical supply store. You're unlikely find them at the local drugstore. Duoderm is designed for chronically ill elderly people with non-healing diabetic wounds. It'll blow a little road rash on a healthy cyclist right out of the water.

In layman's terms Duoderm has magical physiological goo in the adhesive that makes a gel with your oozy wound secretions and accelerates wound healing. These patches make the deepest road rash go from throbbing weeping raw nerve endings to happy pink nearly completely healed skin in about a week. They completely bypass the scab and pain stage. It's like a fake layer of skin, so you don't feel more than a slight ache under your skinsuit or even lying in bed with your weight on it.
Some people get a slight skin allergy to the adhesive after a couple of days, but this is far outweighed by the benefits. Another downside is the cost. A box of 10 4x4 Duoderm patches costs about 50 bucks, and they don't sell them singly. But look, if you're out there plying the roads on a $4000 bike, it may be worth your while to spring a few bucks on this stuff.
The dressings stay in place for days under normal conditions, but in a stage race they may fall apart and need to be changed daily. Perhaps you and a friend can split a box, or your bike store or team manager can buy a box and sell them in singles.
Tegaderm is a thinner bioocclusive dressing that works well, but not nearly as well as Duoderm. If you are too cheap for Duoderm or Tegaderm, 4x4 cotton gauzes can be used for your dressing. Be sure to apply triple antibiotic ointment and petroleum so they don't stick. Skip the triple antibiotic cream and Vaseline if you are using Duoderm-you want the adhesive right up against your wound. 4x4 gauzes can also be taped strategically on your Duoderm because there will be some goo leakage from the dressing.
Two-percent lidocaine jelly is available by prescription. It's much stronger than the non-prescription variety. If you've lost a lot of skin, use it sparingly because there is a limit to how much lidocaine is safe. Again, show dope control your road rash if you are tested, document that you used the lidocaine and you should have no problems clearing dope control.
Shurclens is the best wound cleanser. It does the job without damaging the tissues. Please don't pour peroxide on your wound-it's too damaging and will delay wound healing. Hibiclens is the next best wound cleanser. Disposable surgical prep sponges with bristles on one side and a sponge on the other impregnated with sterilizing skin cleanser are nice, but don't scrub any harder than you need to get the gravel out.
Even the best bike handlers drop and roll sometimes. It doesn't have to ruin your race or your training for the next week. If you try these products after the next time you slide out, it will change everything and turn your experience from misery to nuisance.
Have fun, stay safe and if you do hit the pavement, treat your wounds right.
Dawn Richardson is a board certified emergency medicine physician in practice at Saint Anne's Hospital in Fall River, Massachusetts. She is frequent contributor to SG: surf snow skate girl magazine, and is interested in health-related issues for cyclists, and women's health. She welcomes medical questions pertaining to cycling, bearing in mind that if it ain't emergency medicine she may have to do some work to figure out an answer.

{{{{Allez}}}} sorry to hear about your crash! It sounds like you had your own guardian angel with you tho! Wheeeeew! and I loved the comment about your LBS keeping your bike overnight for observation! That was just too cute!

Allezgirl, I will add that the guardian angels were with you. If we had to read about another crash am happy to read about a crash and NO broken bones, but sliding 25 feet. WOW! Right after my downfall I thought I only had some road rash and said I can deal with that as long as nothing is broken, but as you know I was wrong.

I hope you are not hurting too badly, but also glad you bike is doing ok.

JoAnn

OMG! Just got here and saw this... sooooooo glad you're OK other than the road rash... yikes! take good care of that rash so it doesn't get infected... I think anyone who has gone downhill fast has had at least one close call if not an actual crash... glad, glad, glad you are replacing that helmet!!! and that the bike is OK too... you know you're a bike junkie with a bad habit when checking the BIKE after a crash becomes a priority! :D

heal well...

So pleased you had the bike Goddess watching over you and She gave you a reminder and no more
Heal well

This thread particularly caught my attention cause my 12 year old crashed on Sunday in a race we had all enetered various lengths of... so scarey and unnerving when one of your babies gets hurt... luckily no broken bones...

So pleased you are ok too, Allez...

Thanks for all the well wishes and great tips! I was telling the story to a friend of mine, and his response was "I think a woman with road rash is sexy" Only a cyclist.....

Runnergirl: I printed out the Ultimate Road Rash Guide and am fowarding it to another friend who is recovering from a bad wreck (he was hit by a car) and to our club webmaster to post on our club website. That's some great info!

Latelatebloomer: I will check with American Express, it's a long shot, but I haven't even paid for them yet! I think the demise of my new knickers bothers me more than anything else!

I haven't had a chance to go over my bike with a fine tooth comb since my friends really wouldn't let me spend to much time concentrating on it...but I will look it over more tonight...I can't wait to pick it up. I miss her! But at least I know she's in good hands, I think I trust my wrench more than my pediatrician! (hmmm..."she", I guess that answers that question...now I need to name her)

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Originally Posted by AllezGirl

So I made the newbie mistake of going way to fast down an unfamiliar descent and by the time I saw the sharp curve at the bottom it was too late to brake, although I tried anyway! I went down hard and slid on my side for abut 25 feet, finally coming to rest under a guard rail! No broken bones, lots of road rash, cracked helmet (glad it's not my head) and slightly wounded pride. But all and all, I'm OK, and my bike is fine!

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Thank goodness you're (relatively) okay, and your bike too! A friend of mine's husband had a similar crash (hit gravel at the bottom of a screaming descent) and broke his femur along with a couple vertebrae in his back and had to be airlifted to a hospital. His Trek 5200 was also toast (fortunately, Trek has a lifetime frame guarantee, and they replaced it, amazingly!) He had surgery to put a plate and pins in his leg, and his recovery was in the 6 month range. I don't want to minimize your crash, but you were definitely protected by the bike goddess that day! A new pair of knickers is a small price to pay, but know the road rash must be painful. Heal quickly!

Emily

oooooooo....Allez, Glad you are *somewhat* OK!!!! Road rash healing vibes being sent your way....
Take Care :)

ooooer AllezGirl!

While I was reading your story, my husband asked if I was okay - when I looked at him puzzled, he said "you're frowning and sucking through your teeth" :rolleyes: I guess I was feeling your pain :o

I don't do fast descents, I hate downhill, now I remember why ;)

Take good care of yourself :)

Hope you heal quickly, you are very brave.

I picked up my bike last night and she is working fine! There's not a scratch on the frame, but the heads of my Ultegra shifters are pretty mangled, the point on the right one is sheared clean off! :mad: But, it's really starting to sink in how lucky I really am...two days later I'm really not that sore, unless I bump into something. According to my computer, I was going 33 mph when I went down. Not my top speed, but pretty close. I think I will give up on the idea of trying to "beat" it for now, or at least only speed down hills that I know REALLY well! ;) I picked up a new helmet last night, so I'm ready to get back in the saddle...I may be going to the "She's Got Bike" expo in Maryland. Is anyone else going to that?

On a lighter note...my knuckles on both hands are scraped up and one is swollen...today, at the grocery store, the cashier said "I'd sure hate to see the other guy" I guess he thought I was in a bar fight or something!

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Originally Posted by AllezGirl

On a lighter note...my knuckles on both hands are scraped up and one is swollen...today, at the grocery store, the cashier said "I'd sure hate to see the other guy" I guess he thought I was in a bar fight or something!

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AllezGirl-

Glad you're recovering! I got a laugh out of the above - when I had my wisdom teeth taken out, my face turned black and blue. A clerk in Wal Mart took me aside and told me that I really should get help and leave the b$%@#$*&. :eek: A nice gesture (and I certainly don't mean to trivialize the experiences of the real survivors out there), but I got a great laugh out of it! :p

Wow - I'm glad you're OK - how scary!

May your skin grow back quickly.

latelatebloomer: Thank you so much for mentioning the purchase protection! American Express does have it and they are going to reimburse me for the full $ I paid for the knickers!!!! The customer service rep was SOOO nice...she even wished me well. From now on I'll make all of my biking related purchases thru AmEx!!!!

OMIGOSH! how awful! but i'm glad to hear you are on the mend and that the bike is doing good too!!!!

take care of that road rash!

AG: So glad to hear you're okay. And the bike :D ! And you get to replace the knickers :D :D !! This is a scary event, lesson learned Dang-am-I-lucky type of thing. It sounded very like the slide I took just a few blocks from my house this past winter - chilling.

Some other options for post-crash healing:

*Rescue Remedy. Most effective immediately post-trauma to help calm nerves and get rid of the shakes.

*Arnica montana, topically and/or orally. Topical preparations (on unbroken skin only) help the body process the waste products associated with bruising/hematoma. Orally, I know homepathic arnica is available. When I lived in the mountains I made my own Arnica tincture and used it sparingly to deal with the bruising, achy feeling associated with crashing a mountain bike. Not that I had to use it that often :rolleyes: .

We use arnica rub & homeopathic drops. It's a great help. Gotta get some Resuce remedy, thanks for the reminder!

Now that sounds nasty. Glad you are OK. Tegaderm bandages work wonders. They are expensive but well worth the price. Put them on and leave them for a couple of weeks and you've got fresh new skin without the scabbing, itching, oozing, etc.

People around here call me the fearless descender but I do have fear on descents I am unfamiliar with. I won't bomb down unfamiliar hills unless I can see far, far ahead. I use road signs, too, to gauge what needs to be done.

Take care of yourself!

Found some antibacterial handiwipes at the drugstore the other day to carry with me just in case. Learned about them as a neighbor had bad road rash after a fall and a passing motorist gave us some to clean him up right there on the spot! Made a difference in his healing.

Glad to hear you are back on the bike. Yes, as PKQ says, watch yourself descending hills. I too take caution when I'm not familiar with the corners, etc.

Oi! Airlift and 6 month recovery -- that's scary. I crashed last week on the way to work because I had my head down (duh!) speeding up a hill and I ran into a "Road Work Ahead" sign sitting in the bike lane. Man -- did I feel stupid. Still got the sticky rash on my left knee. (It was particularly attractive peeking out from under the skirt of my suit at work that day) :rolleyes: Sure hope I learned my lesson.

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Originally Posted by latelatebloomer

We use arnica rub & homeopathic drops. It's a great help. Gotta get some Resuce remedy, thanks for the reminder!

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For those of you new to using arnica...

Remember when using arnica creams, oils and rubs, that arnica should never be applied to open wounds/scratches/grazes etc.

You can get pillules to eat or drops to add to water for bruising too, particulalrly good when you cannot apply it toically.

allez, sending good healing mojo your way. ...

I'm also sending your story to a couple of idiot-but-well-loved friends who still refuse to wear helmets when they ride (they do the racing cap turned backwards. so cool.) Just imagine what would have happened if you hadn't had a helmet. Crashes happen to every rider, expert and novice alike, so I get a little hot about the helmet thing...

and you do have someone looking out for you. THAT'S so cool...

Well, yesterday was my first road ride since my wreck. We went 68 miles and all was well (except for a wicked headwind). There were two long descents to go down and by the time we got to the bottom, my hands hurt from squeezing the breaks! But at least I'm getting my confidence back. I also couldn't help but notice that my riding buddy, who I have a HUGE crush on and who normaly FLYS downhill ahead of me (he's topped 50 mph) and who was the only witness to my slide (he heard the crash and turned around to see me flying across the pavement) stayed behind me anytime we went down a hill...even the small ones. Now, I'm normally not a sappy girl, but I thought that was very sweet. There could be a little romance blooming there too...last Friday he took me out dancing and we had a great time...but I guess that will be another thread

Thank you for all of your tips! The tegederm worked wonders...I can hardly tell where the road rash was. Am Ex promptly reimbursed me for the clothes I ruined. I had forgotten all about Rescue Remedy and Arnica Ointment. I have both, a friend from Europe turned me on to them, so I started putting arnica on my bruised shoulder and it did help. And I do keep antiseptic wipes in my seat bag now. One of the girls I was with that day had some and I was able to clean up right away, which I'm sure was beneficial in the long run! This forum and the women who post on it are just awesome!!!!

I know that if I had not been wearing a helmet the outcome would have been very different. When I first sat up, I could not recall where I was (I did know everyone that I was with), where my car was, and who was watching my son...it was a really scary feeling to be that disoriented, but luckily it was only for a moment. I would never consider riding without a helmet now.

Thanks again to you all and Happy Halloween!