June rides, summer begins

[north woods gal]

I hate to add gloom to anyone's day - we all have enough in the way of negative news, these days - but I need to report that I had a major bike accident., yesterday, that will cancel all my bike riding for at least the next six to eight weeks or most of the summer.

I was riding the Log Lady, late yesterday, and lined up to climb over a large three foot high bolder that I had climbed over 100s of times. I remember getting the right line and the right speed and I remember climbing it. That's the last thing I remember until I found myself on the other side, me laying on my side, looking up in the air. Just laying there and gasping in pain. I did the proper inventory of the body parts before getting up. All seemed in tact. When I got up, though, my neck and adjacent shoulder area were screaming with pain. Fortunately, this took place on a section of trail only 30 yards from the house. Wheeled the bike inside the house and my husband and I were both shocked to learn that the left side on my face was torn and battered with two huge goose eggs growing fast. Tried to rest a bit, but the pain in my neck made it impossible. Off to the hospital emergency room we went.

After a long and very painful night in the trauma surgery unit at our local hospital, I was diagnosed as having a broken ring around my top cervical vertebra. In other words, I broke my neck. No paralysis, fortunately. but the potential is there if I have another accident will the mends. The specialist decided that surgery was not an option, so that means I would be wearing a neck brace for the next six to eight weeks with severe restrictions on physical activity. Absolutely NO bicycle riding of ay kind. The only thing I'll be doing, this summer, is walking. That is allowed.

I have only myself to blame and don't deserve any sympathy. I knew the risks of this kind of riding. Just that I rolled the dice and lost on this one. I feel a bit vindicated, though. The reason I built trails on our property was for just such a scenario. Had the crash occurred back, miles from any road, in some of the places I used to mountain bike, I might still be there.

When I do hop back in the saddle, there will be changes. No trick stuff or stunt stuff like rolling over big boulders. No kamikaze rides down long hills at "breakneck" speed. There will be more road biking and more conservative trail riding. And I will still post, here, to keep in touch with all my friends, here, when the pain allows.