Rough weekend on bike

[suzieqtwa]

Last Thursday night I just got on that bike , went out on the road at 5pm ,and just did it..Ok ,10 miles no problem.
Saturday ,I went out ,and it started to rain (lightly),anyway,5 miles or so into ride had to stop ,and I guess didn't unclip...I went right over ,and hit my head hard on the edge of the curb... I remember thinking it didn't hurt at all. Then a few minutes later I crossed rail road tracks ,and totally wiped out. Ouch...that hurt. Well, I get home all beat up,and sopping wet. After I'm there a few minutes I realize I have no memory of any part of the ride after the rail road tracks. I went out and looked at my computer ,and it said 27 miles..I don't remember 20 of it. That was scary. My hand looks like its broken ,and I'm bruised head to toe. I didn't go to the ER or anything....Today the swelling has gone down a bit , so I got on the bike,and road 26.5 miles. I just needed to do it ,cause I was kind scared after the falls yesterday. I took my bike to the shop ,and they straightened out the wheels ,and tightened the gears. I guess I must have had a slight concussion yesterday ,but today all is fine ,and I like the bike. The one good piece of advise someone gave me was to let the unclipped foot kinda drag after you take it out. I think it got stuck as I was hovering over the pedal getting ready to put my foot down. I hope I've had my 3 falls (actually I've had 5)
Suzie

[bacarver]

Wow! You are a go-getter. Beaten to a pulp and asking for more. Are you still young enough to join the Marines? You could breeze through boot camp with your determination. I hope you have a safe week and heal quickly.

Barb

[Triskeliongirl]

What kind of pedals are you using? It shouldn't be that hard to clip out. You should either loosen the tension, or consider another type of pedal. I use speedplay frogs and they are the easiest pedal I know to get out of. I like them since I commute and have to get out quickly sometimes in traffic. THAT'S GREAT that you are just doing it, but do be careful. Not remembering 20 miles is NOT a good thing.

[DeniseGoldberg]

Suzie -
Wow, and ouch! You sound like you're OK, but with that kind of memory loss it might be a good idea to visit your doc.

Also - no one else has asked yet, and I don't want to make any assumptions, so I'll ask - you did replace your helmet, right?

Lots of healing thoughts coming your way...

--- Denise

[Wahine]

Suzie, I had a concussion like that once on a MTB ride. Couldn't remeber where I was, who I was with, how I got there. It really upset me. I didn't know what was happening and like most people in that situation, I tried to get away from all the people around me because I didn't want them to know I was hurt or confused I was. So I made an excuse that I had to go down to the lake to wash the dirt off myself. As I walked down I got more disoriented. My DBF - Now DH - followed me down because he could tell that something was wrong. He approached me from behind and asked "Are you OK?" and I promptly turned around and yelled at him "I'd be a h@ll of a lot better if you'd tell me where the f@#k I am!" It was really scary.

I'm really proud of you for getting back out on the horse and not letting it get you down. Keep plugging away and keep an eye on those injuries, especially the concussion. If you experience weird symptoms like persistent dizziness, loss of part of the visual field, numbness of the face or other bizarre things, got have your head x-rayed, OK.

Take care and heal up.

[suzieqtwa]

Yes, I bought a new helmet today. The helmet saved me ,I know. I cant believe when I see people riding without them .Yesterday I was by myself ,so I must have just kept riding. Also when I came home, I took a shower ,and laid down for 2 hours. I was disoriented ,but didn't know it. I'm lucky. I feel fine today..no dizziness ,or confusion. The only thing I'm thinking about is that I may have a fracture in one or both of my wrist...but Ill keep an eye on it. There isn't really much they can do for fractures. I took a picture of my hand ,but its kinda gross ,so I wont post it. ; ) My pedals are fine ,and I can get out of them easy. I'm not really sure why I fell...I was on a hill ,and probably stopped to quick. Today I didn't fall at all...I was very careful.

[DeniseGoldberg]

The helmet saved me ,I know. I cant believe when I see people riding without them.

I'm always surprised too when I see people without helmets. I know that I owe my life to my helmet, and it sounds like you do too!

--- Denise

[KnottedYet]

Suzie - please go to your doc. Have him/her look at your wrists and tell the doc about your memory and confusion. Please? Just because we worry about you? (please)

[mimitabby]

Susie i just posted in the daily ride section. These #$#$% spd's are NOT that
intuitive.I rode outside for the first time today with spd's
After a zillion rides where I stopped the bike and put my feet down, now I have to unclip them. I tell you what, you've got more pluck than me. I'm not sure I'd go back out after your ride yesterday.

I rode a total of 500 feet on the road today with SPD's it was scary enough because i had to stop and get off. I rode the rest of the time in the school yard, where thankfully, the boys that were playing basketball left BEFORE I got there. So no one saw me (or heard me) fall. But I didnt hit my head.

I didn't know what you meant about letting your foot drag a little after you unclipped, i'd like to know any tricks you learn.
Thanks and good luck.

[Artisan]

I'm so glad you made it home ok, that's just scary. Yesterday must have been the day for getting the sense knocked out of you, because I did the same thing. I went down yesterday in a race. My helmet has three cracks in it, so happy it took the brunt of it and not my head. I couldn't remember what happened or answer any of the questions the paramedics asked me so they took me to the hospital to get checked out. Beyond a few road rashes and bruises I'm fine.

I'm not sure about that dragging foot thing you mentioned being good advise but maybe I'm not understanding what you mean by it.

[Grog]

I'm happy you're here to tell the story Suzie. You're a tough cookie (with a good helmet).

Do you have RoadID (http://www.roadid.com/)? I strongly recommend you get something like that if you're riding on your own a lot.

The learning curve to the road bike can be steep, and riding in the rain (especially in an urban setting with tracks, cars, curbs, etc.) is another challenge. Hang in there! But don't hurt yourself.

I strongly recommend unclipping both feet. After two years clipless, I still do that a lot of the time, especially if riding busy city streets. Then I position my feet to make sure I won't clip back in, and I'm pretty good at clipping back in or even at pedalling, if necessary, without being clipped in. What wears the cleats out is not clipping in and out but walking in them, so don't worry about that. It just makes it safer.

Big hug, take care

[suzieqtwa]

Grog..I have my cell phone with I.C.E in it...a copy of my drivers license ,and blood type in the saddle pack.
I can bend my wrist etc...and I did ride 26 miles today...I'm just beat up,like someone punched me. Ill be better soon ,and yes, if it doesn't get better I will see a doctor.
MiMi...I'm not sure how to explain the stopping thing. I get real nervous before I stop. I'm afraid the bike will flip the other way ,or Ill get stuck. I take my foot out (Just one) ,right before I stop ,and kinda hang it away from the pedal so it doesn't clip back in. I don't have a head ache or any dizziness. I don't know how long till I'm in the clear , but Ill certainly be aware. I had straps before the road bike ,and I never took my left foot out...so my habits are only one foot comes out...same foot.
AS for the learning curve on the Road Bike....it wasn't raining before I left...it had started 5 miles into the ride. I know I have to be careful now. I'm giving my body a couple days to get better...it was just so nice today.
MiMi...I already feel pretty comfortable on that road bike and its only been a couple of days of just riding. Youll be fine. Just take the advise others gave me...say YOU CAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Giving up wasn't an option as that was my new bike....either learn to ride ,or not have a bike.

[Grog]

Grog..I have my cell phone with I.C.E in it...a copy of my drivers license ,and blood type in the saddle pack.

Sorry to insist and hijack the thread. I don't know what's on a driver's license in your state, but...

It doesn't have to be a RoadID, that's just a cute gadget, but an easily accessible plastified card with your name, address, year of birth, a couple of emergency numbers, and important medical information (some TE ladies said that blood type is useless because hospital would be mandated to check it before they give you transfusions anyway - but I have it on mine anyway) is important.

If you head gets smashed hard enough that you can't give that info to someone who comes by, there is a good chance your cell phone will be smashed as well.

Saddle bag could be detached from your bike, or your bike could just go missing for a while, or who knows how long it will take emergency people or plain passers by to check it out. (People who don't ride bikes don't even think about saddle bags as a place to look for ID.) Jersey pockets are probably not a bad place to put that info, although if you're on your back and not moving, or if your clothing is torn, it's a bit of an issue again...

[/hijack]

Good luck with your hand, that musn't bee too much fun. The sunny days of summer will come soon enough and you'll be stronger from your winter riding....

Cheers

[chickwhorips]

i'm sorry to hear about your falls, i know they aren't fun. i am amazed at you determination.

knowing first hand of head injuries, i say go to the doctor. i waited a week after my head injury (mine was a pool accident) and i had (and still do) have complications with it.
i'm not saying yours is like mine, but its still a good idea to go to the doctor. that and to get your wrist checked out. then let us know what the doc says.

[light_sabe_r]

(some TE ladies said that blood type is useless because hospital would be mandated to check it before they give you transfusions anyway - but I have it on mine anyway) is important.

I'll say that Aussie Ladies it's definatley useless writing your blood type down on a saddle pack etc

In an emergency you'll be given O- blood until they get confirmation of your blood type at the hospital. So if you're type O- get your arse to the red cross and donate cause it's your blood more often than not that save's lives. including Premi-babies. In fact that's the only type of blood given to babies.

(I'm O+ and that's slightly less important because if there's a limisited supply of O-, then O+ is used in emergencies on men... But not women (unless they're post menopausal))

Okay... so my blood banking rant is over.

Suzie I'm proud of you for getting up. But that sounds like a serious knock! The last time I was concust I was hit in the head at an indoor soccer match. Although I saved a goal, I had absolutley no co-ordination for the rest of the day. I'd start walking then just TRIP over my own feet. After a 4 hour sleep I woke up and just felt sick. BF didn't leave me alone for a second. I really should've gone to the hospital or at least a GP the next day. But yeah... I must've looked pretty drunk thinking about how things were going from my perspective.

Ice is your friend.

As for riding in the wet... I can't bring myself to do that yet on my roadie.

Train tracks?? Yikes!!!

SPDs are difficult to get the hang of. If you're still having trouble go back to your LBS and get them to check the tension. The other thing is the weights. If the pedal doesn't "flip" so that the ring part is pointing up and the square weight is down then there's something wrong that needs servicing