My doctor....mumble grumble mumble

[thekarens]

I don't know how helpful this is, but here we have a lot of state parks that you can mountain bike in and a lot of them are very tame. Mostly dirt or gravel trails that don't involve anything technical. I think if I could no longer run single track I would still enjoy these trails as I really like being out in the woods/nature.

Good luck in whatever you decide. Another option might be a cross-bike

[indysteel]

Gosh, Catrin. I'm really sorry that it might come to this. Again, I'd pursue further conversations with your doctor as to other treatment options. Ultimately, though, it sounds like you're just going to have to weigh the risks with the rewards--and that's admittedly hard to do because it's hard to really quantify the risks. Are there ways you can increase your skill level? I know it costs $$, but perhaps in time, you could save for a bit more private instruction.

Remember that even without mountain biking, you can still spend time in the woods. I know hiking isn't nearly the adrenaline rush, but it's still nice to be among the trees and, obviously, it's a lot less risky. And maybe trail running is in your future.....

[Catrin]

I think that many rather than being narrow minded, most doctors just want to follow the evidence. There is some things where chiropractic can be helpful. There many other things that have no evidence that supports effectiveness and with neck stuff, there is some risk as well.

I am going to take my time and consider my next steps. It IS true that all of the crazy stuff I do at the gym appears to be helping. Thankfully my trainer is highly skilled/educated/experienced and he is very careful with my cervical spine. He certainly pays attention to my cervical spine and pushes me, but safely. I can tell the difference now from when we started.

I don't know how helpful this is, but here we have a lot of state parks that you can mountain bike in and a lot of them are very tame. Mostly dirt or gravel trails that don't involve anything technical. I think if I could no longer run single track I would still enjoy these trails as I really like being out in the woods/nature.

Good luck in whatever you decide. Another option might be a cross-bike

This is what I need to find, for now. I don't know how much of this exists in our state, or in my area. All of the focus has been on building single-track. That doesn't, however, mean that there aren't other choices. I just need to start asking around and see what I can find.

Gosh, Catrin. I'm really sorry that it might come to this. Again, I'd pursue further conversations with your doctor as to other treatment options. Ultimately, though, it sounds like you're just going to have to weight the risks with the rewards--and that's admittedly hard to do because it's hard to really quantify the risks. Are there ways you can increase your skill level? I know it costs $$, but perhaps in time, you could save for a bit more private instruction.

Remember that even without mountain biking, you can still spend time in the woods. I know hiking isn't nearly the adrenal rush, but it's still nice to be among the trees and, obviously, it's a lot less risky. And maybe trail running is in your future.....

Good thoughts Indy. It is very hard to quantify the risk. My doctor was quite blunt over the odds of permanent damage if I snap my neck again - but of course there isn't anything to say that it will ever happen again. The problem is that in order to increase my skills I need to ride more/harder and that is when I start crashing hard because I am riding faster (though not beyond myself). It is part of the process and that is the problem. There is always geo-caching I suppose, and if I can get this knee worked out perhaps trail running. I am not giving up on mountain bike yet, time enough to decide that next season. For now I will just consider it a "break" from single-track and I will start looking for less technical places to ride

Thanks to everyone for your support and comments, it is very much appreciated. I think it is easier to hear at the end of October than it would have been in June. He may have actually said something similar in late spring but I probably wasn't willing to listen

[emily_in_nc]

I don't know how helpful this is, but here we have a lot of state parks that you can mountain bike in and a lot of them are very tame. Mostly dirt or gravel trails that don't involve anything technical. I think if I could no longer run single track I would still enjoy these trails as I really like being out in the woods/nature.

Yes, that is what I ended up doing when I decided my skills just weren't going to be up to the rigors of single-track. I would ride the gravel roads and some nice hilly double-track trails at Umstead State Park in Raleigh. It's great for newbie or non-technical mountain bikers. Very aerobic, but not the switchbacks, roots, rocks and such of single-track. I also lived on a long gravel road, and we had an easy single-track trail on our own property. But mostly I rode at Umstead. Such a nice setting and a great workout as well. I miss it!

I hope you can find someplace to ride, Catrin! I know some states are better than others for having a lot of good gravel roads, but you might want to look into the state park option if you have any relatively close to you.

[Catrin]

In Indiana, at least, almost all of the single-track is found in state parks - and it is the only place typically where bikes are allowed. I am going to talk to some people I know who have been mountain biking in this state for a very long time - if there are less technical places to go they will know. I need to check and see if bikes are allowed on the fire roads in my favorite park. I could be mistaken about not being allowed there.

[Crankin]

I can't add anything to the technical discussion of neck issues, but I pretty much was put in the same place by my osteoporosis. No one told me to stop mountain biking, but it was pretty much the same as you. I'm wimpy and uncoordinated (not that you are), but I love being in the woods. The one year I really improved my skills (2005-06), I spent a lot of time in the woods, but I felt guilty about losing time on the road. I got my wake up call when I went on a group mtb ride and I was humiliated in front of a lot of people, some of whom knew I was a ride leader . I realized I wasn't willing to put the time in to get better. I am also pretty risk aversive and while I liked the idea of mountain biking, I really was not the best candidate to do it.
The last time I used my mountain bike was on a dirt road in Maine's Great North Woods, 2 years ago. It was fun and not as scary, but still scarier than being on the road, to me. That made up my mind. My mountain bike was sold to someone who will really use it.

[ny biker]

In terms of chiropractors, I found that going to one helped my back problems (sacroiliac issues), but a few years later when I started having neck pain, the chiropractor made things worse. (Eventually I figured out that my posture while sitting at work caused most of the neck problems.) My trainer's brother is a chiropractor, and his advice was that they can be helpful, but they can't cure everything, though some of them think they can.

In terms of places to ride off-road, there is a mountain biking club in this area that is a great resource for finding places to ride. They are affiliated with IMBA. Maybe there is a local club in your area. Also look into regular cycling clubs -- one of the clubs I belong to primarily do road rides but they do have a few people who lead mountain bike rides and know all the trails around here.

[Catrin]

I had a good talk with my favorite fitter and one of his wrenches this morning about all of this. There are certainly gravel and paved road options in different part of the states, some of which has dirt roads involved. My bike will need some fit-related modifications to enable this different riding style but it will be far less expensive than buying a new bike - and that full suspension will come in handy! So I've got fall/early winter to take care of this and to start scouting my riding options and to give my neck a chance to further heal. There really aren't any options in state parks, but there are in the Hoosier National Forest, and there are some counties that have a combination of gravel/dirt/asphalt routes that will take me into some pretty scenic areas. I will need to find a riding partner for some of these areas as they are quite remote - but this gives me less technical off-road riding opportunities.

This really does feel like the best approach, and I am excited about it. Sad to be leaving single-track, and it may not be permanent, but it feels like the right choice. There ARE several gravel race/events in southern Indiana that I've been wanting to participate in. My fitter told me that out west you can take fire-roads pretty much wherever you want to go, though that isn't the case in Indiana.

[emily_in_nc]

Glad you found some options, Catrin! Unfortunately, sometimes injuries do require adaptations. I am not sure I'll ever be able to do full centuries or touring again since fracturing my pelvis (though I am game to try both -- training will determine whether my body can handle it). But I've learned to be thankful for what I can do, which is still way more than most folks are even willing to try. Right?!

[Catrin]

Glad you found some options, Catrin! Unfortunately, sometimes injuries do require adaptations. I am not sure I'll ever be able to do full centuries or touring again since fracturing my pelvis (though I am game to try both -- training will determine whether my body can handle it). But I've learned to be thankful for what I can do, which is still way more than most folks are even willing to try. Right?!

I agree entirely. I knew last spring when I got back on the mtb after my injury last October that there was a chance that I would need to do this, but I wanted to try. I tried to break that vicious skill/injury cycle but it didn't improve and the fun isn't worth a possible permanent injury. What's the definition of insanity? Keep doing things the same way and expecting a different outcome. Perhaps in another year I will try it again, we shall see. Now I just need to find a riding buddy for remote gravel road riding

[jessmarimba]

This is going to be an odd and somewhat random suggestion...but perhaps you can spend a day or so with a bike clinician learning "how" to fall? Perhaps in one of those trampoline-gyms, or something? Most people instinctively tense up when they fall (which would exacerbate any whiplash effect), not to mention throw their arms out for protection (BIG no-no!). I remember in college gymnastics, I spent almost as much time on the tumble-track learning how to fall out of failing stunts as I did learning to do them correctly.

Now, with my bike wreck, I was in WAY over my head speed-wise so the training didn't do much good, but with the number of times I've fallen roller-skating, ice-skating, snowboarding, skiing, gymnastics, cycling, etc...never even come close to a broken wrist. The last descending mountain bike clinic I went to, our instructor demonstrated falling a few times (basically just threw himself at the ground) and was completely unhurt. Just a thought.

[Irulan]

my concern is, why falling so much? Once you've been through a skills clinic or two, the incident of falls should be signification reduced. At least, it was for me and many of the gals I ride with. Unless it is a "go big or go home" kind of thing.

[Catrin]

I smell a new bike...

No, no new bike. Some modifications to my mountain bike will be in place by spring however

my concern is, why falling so much? Once you've been through a skills clinic or two, the incident of falls should be signification reduced. At least, it was for me and many of the gals I ride with. Unless it is a "go big or go home" kind of thing.

I know...at least part of it is conditioning by crashing/injuring myself so often - I second guess myself which makes it more likely to fall. It's simply become a vicious cycle that needs to stop before I do serious damage to my cervical or thoracic spine. I did crash far fewer times this year, but in all but one crash (the endo) I wound up off the bike for a month or more due to one injury or another (even though I was able to ride off the trail each time, thankfully). Because of the crashes and recover period I just can't stay on the bike long enough to get better

If/when my neck improves than I may reconsider, but right now this just isn't a good combination with my cervical spine as it is. I may simply just not be a good candidate for single-track at this stage of my life. It really makes really me sad to type that, but I have to consider that.