Had my first wreck on 6-24-06- It wasn't too bad

[KSH]

Well, after 2,700 miles on my bike (purchased in October 2004), I had my first wreck.

I went on my Saturday distance builders ride and I was really looking forward to doing our 60 mile ride, since I had missed some miles during the week (and I had a goal of reaching 400 miles for the month of June).

The ride started out very nice. About 10 miles into it, we picked up Bo (76 year old rider in our club) at his car, along the route. Then off we went. We had a group of 12, which was perfect.

It was slightly overcast and for Texas, it was feeling pretty cool. With the cloud cover it felt comfortable even. We were doing a 15-16 mph average, and even got to sprint some sections.

Then at about mile 30, we were heading down a slight incline on a busy road. The ground had a fine layer of water on it, from a recent shower, but it looked fine. I was chatting it up with the guy beside me, when all of sudden the lady in front of me went down. Just PLOP... over she went. So, I put on my brakes to avoid her (she was on my left side), and PLOP down I went on my right side.

I landed pretty hard on my right shoulder and I was in shock. I just kept saying, "Oh Sh#T"... over and over again. Then I looked behind me, and I saw 4 other cyclists in the road! Apparently, everyone who put on their brakes, went down. Which ended up being 6 out of 12 people.

A car pulled over but we told them it was OK... as we had enough people to handle the situation. I know the cars driving by must of thought, "WHAT THE HELL"... seeing use scattered along the road like that.

We all moved to the grass and checked everyone out. For the most part, everyone was fine. We all had hurt shoulders, but no road rash because we slide down the pavement. And oddly enough, no one hit each other. We all went down independently.

Then we all got back up and turned around to take another route. No one wanted to try to go down that incline again, with a traffic light at the bottom of it.

Going back was slower, to say the least. My shoulder was hurting pretty bad (along with others) and I couldn't really lean on my handlebars to start and stop, and trying to shift on the right side was pretty hard. Not to mention that I had a few gears out from my derailer getting knocked around, so some hills were a challenge (only had my high gears working).

Luckily, one guy was stopping at his house around mile 38, so he took 2 of the more hurt riders with him and drove them back to their car. I opted to follow Bo back to his car, and he gave me a ride back to my car (cut around 10 miles off my ride), and the ones that weren't hurt rode back to the starting point. Overall, I got 47 miles in, at a 14 mph average.

So, in the end, I have to say that my first wreck was a pleasant experience. I didn't get road rash, my jersey/shorts were ruined, my bike just required a minor repair, and my shoulder although hurt, should heal quickly.

The worst part of the wreck? Well, because of the shoulder pain, I can't lift my arm very high, so I can't blow dry or straighten my hair. I will have crappy looking hair for days. UGH!

And it also sucks because I know I won't make my 400 mile goal for the month, and I couldn't swim as planned on Sunday (I am a triathlete). Thankfully I don't have any races on my calendar though, due to not being able to run right now. So, it could be worse!

[tprevost]

KSH!

I'm so sorry this happened however, VERY happy that it did happen the way it did (could've been SO much worse!).

I'm glad you weren't hurt too seriously, although, if your shoulder is still hurting to the point you're having bad hair days, I would suggest getting it checked out by the doctor - I've read about a lot of riders thinking they were fine but had fractures of some sort. Please be safe!

Tracy

[KSH]

KSH!

I'm so sorry this happened however, VERY happy that it did happen the way it did (could've been SO much worse!).

I'm glad you weren't hurt too seriously, although, if your shoulder is still hurting to the point you're having bad hair days, I would suggest getting it checked out by the doctor - I've read about a lot of riders thinking they were fine but had fractures of some sort. Please be safe!

Tracy

Well, it was a pretty decent wreck.

Yea, I am calling the Dr. now to get an appointment. Being a triathlete and all... I need to make sure I didn't do any serious damage to my shoulder. That's the last thing I need. I'm still hurting from my twisting my ankle back in February!

[Lise]

Sounds like a rather dignified group wipe-out! Glad to hear no one was hurt worse. Let us know how things go at the doc's. (((KSH))) L.

[hibiscus09]

Sorry about your accident. I hope your shoulder heals quickly!

[Brina]

glad to hear that you were not seriously hurt. Treat your shoulder gently - don't try to force range of motion before it is ready. Hope you are feeling much better quickly.

[kaybee]

Glad to hear that you're okay and hope your shoulder heals quickly!

KB

[Denise223]

Hi KSH:

I'm very sorry to hear of your crash!

I'm glad to hear that you are going to the doctor to have your shoulder checked out. Brina is right -- don't force any range of motion before you are really ready.....

Take care of yourself!!

Denise

[DrBee]

So sorry to hear about your crash, but glad you weren't hurt too badly. I think it's a good move to go to the doctor. You're putting so much into getting your running back on track (bad pun - sorry - can't help it - they just come out), I'd hate to see your shoulder become a nagging injury. Good luck at the doctor - let us know how it goes!

[Grog]

Sorry about the crash KSH!

I'm sure you'll be fine and swimmin' soon!

[li10up]

Wow that must have been a sight! Glad nobody was too seriously injured. Something good may have come of it too...those motorists might now actually think about being careful around cylclists and not pass too closely...now that they see what can happen. Hope your shoulder heals quickly.