"Experience" is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted....

[pll]

@Ritamarie,

I read your post with nothing less than trepidation. I am glad the fracture has been diagnosed now and you are on the mend.

The one thing I cannot get through my head is the decision to ride your leg of the tri when you could not put the weight on your left leg -- that was a big sign from your body that something was seriously amiss (it's one of the symptoms of a hip fracture). Another fall with a cracked pelvis can be catastrophic, leading to surgery.

[Ritamarie]

About the tires... don't you think the steel bridge had something to do with going down?

Crankin, Oh absolutely. Steel grate bridges can be treacherous, especially if they are not crossed with great care. But we have a lot of them around here, and I've crossed them hundreds of times under worse conditions. I've probably crossed this particular bridge a dozen times. Why was it different that morning? I do think the new front tire, three miles on the bike, at probably too high a tire pressure for me was the thing that made an already dicey situation turn bad.

I guess that's something else that should be pointed out in case riders are not aware... steel bridges and railroad tracks should be crossed the same. For railroad tracks, get as perpendicular as possible to the track. Roll over both without brakes, steering or acceleration.

After this particular bridge, the road bends slightly to the left. Could I have, without realizing it, started to initiate the turn? Possibly. But if so, it was very slight. Believe me, I will have mental bridge trolls for the rest of my life!

But I've read of multiple similar situations, where the rider had a new front tire and went down in a situation that under normal circumstances they wouldn't have. My husband says a friend of his put a new front tire on his motorcycle and went down on the first turn, and forever after breaks in front tires very carefully. (I wish I'd heard that story before this!)

On my agenda for today is to rotate the tires on my road bike and put the new tire in the back, and the old tire in the front. The front wears much more slowly anyway. Once, when my bike was in the shop for it's one year check up, I had them put on a new front tire. The bike came back with the new tire on the back and the old, but still good, rear tire on the front. I didn't know why they had gone to the trouble to rotate the tires, and never repeated it myself, but I'm going to ask if that's the reason!

[Ritamarie]

The one thing I cannot get through my head is the decision to ride your leg the tri when you could not put the weight on your left leg

pll, For the record, I wouldn't recommend it! (My CYA fine print.)

I'm definitely not a risk taker by nature, but I abhor quitting. To quote Lance Armstrong, "Pain is temporary... quitting lasts forever". I had teammates to consider, after all. I said I'd do the race, and come hell or high water, I was going to ride that race.

But to put this in my own personal perspective, this is my 10th broken bone - my second pelvic fracture. It didn't feel fractured to me and, at the time, my only real concern was whether or not I had a concussion. I asked the EMTs beforehand to check that out, and they gave me the all-clear.

None of the other breaks were from bicycles by the way, mostly from horses, the worst a broken leg from a dirt bike (motorcycle) accident. I've become much more cautious with age, but still prefer to forget that I'm 50 years old now.

My Dad said to me, when I called to tell him I'd broken yet another bone, "Well, it's better to wear out than to rust out!"

[Ritamarie]

Progress! This morning, under my own power and without the aid of crutches, I walked the 300 feet to and from the barn to feed my horse and miniature donkey. http://www.windwardmarkfarm.com/ They were so happy to see me! I'll continue to leave the heavy work to my strapping 17 year old son for awhile. Could a bike ride be far behind???

[zoom-zoom]

I had teammates to consider, after all. I said I'd do the race, and come hell or high water, I was going to ride that race.

THIS is why I ran an additional 9.9 miles on a grade 2 sprain during a trail relay last Summer. Part of me regrets that move, since I've likely done some permanent damage to my ankle with that (and we weren't anywhere near any sort of team win, even had I not lost so much time with the fall and the hobbling), but had I dropped out our entire team of 6 would have been disqualified only a third of the way into the race.

[Ritamarie]

THIS is why I ran an additional 9.9 miles on a grade 2 sprain during a trail relay last Summer ... but had I dropped out our entire team of 6 would have been disqualified only a third of the way into the race.

I understand completely.

[pll]

Just a clarification: I am not questioning pain tolerance, just the level of risk of riding with a serious injury. I acknowledge it's a personal decision, a cost-benefit issue. I'd probably try to ride, too, if the race was worth it. Re the pain, I can fully relate to the choice -- I ran my best 5k with a stress fracture in my fibula. (I am 100% sure that the level of pain is not comparable to a cracked hip, and neither is the risk involved.)

Re the tires, I would qualify the issue of putting an older tire at the front as dependent on the level of wear. If one is riding at speed, a blown front tire is more dangerous than a blown rear tire. Sheldon Brown would have argued for the opposite, "putting the good one up front."

[Ritamarie]

Just a clarification: I am not questioning pain tolerance, just the level of risk of riding with a serious injury.

Ah, but I didn't know I had a fracture. As a matter of fact, my husband said to me that day, "I know nothing but a broken bone would keep you from riding this race." Every other time I've had a fracture, I knew instantly. Even the ER said it was a "bruised and sprained" hip. The only reason I went to the ER was because I knew my arm needed stitches!

Re the tires, I would qualify the issue of putting an older tire at the front as dependent on the level of wear. If one is riding at speed, a blown front tire is more dangerous than a blown rear tire. Sheldon Brown would have argued for the opposite, "putting the good one up front."

That's excellent information! Okay, I won't do that. :-)