Greetings AM-B folks,
It's been a while since I posted, but I've been checking in once in a while.
This summer I moved from the east cost to the great mountain bike mecca of
eastern Nebraska. I recently had my first post-worthy ride. Unfortunately
it's not one I want to repeat anytime soon.
There's a small park (Swanson Park in Bellevue, NE for those who care) a few
miles from my house with a 5 mile loop that runs up and down a few ridges.
No great vertical change, but a fun challenging little ride. I managed to
escape work early enough on a gorgeous day and just had to go for a ride.
Things were just going great. It was one of those days were the bike feels
like an extension of the body and everything flows without effort. I was
having a blast.
About halfway through the loop following a climb up one of the ridges is the
fun little switch-back downhill that runs for a few hundred yards. I was
feeling good so I just let the bike roll, taking the bumps and twists
without much thought. Unfortunately the skidiots have managed to stairstep
the lower part of the hill. I hit one of the bumps wrong and lost the front
wheel into a rut. The last clear thought I had was, "[censored], this is going to
hurt!"
From that point on the details get a little fuzzy. I don't remember getting
up or getting back on the bike, but I do have strange flashes of other bits
of trail. I remember briefly talking to a guy who asked me if I was OK. I
don't remember what I told him. I then remember meeting up with him again
and he walked me back to the parking lot. From there I called my wife and
asked her if I sounded coherent enough to drive home. Apparently I did, so
I managed to load up the bike and make it back in one piece. Apart from the
bump to the noggin and some lost skin I figured I was okay.
I woke up sore and cranky the next day with a splitting headache. I went to
work but could only last until about noon. I came home and crawled into bed
feeling sorry for myself. My wife suggested I go see a doctor. I
compromised and called the nurse help line. They told me to go to the
emergency room and get my head examined. A few x-rays, a cat scan, and a
couple of hours later I was set loose with a mild concussion, a possible
fractured shoulder, and a follow-up appointment with the ortho doc.
As some in the group may recall, I've had two surgeries on the same shoulder
in the past two years. As a result, I've got an endless supply of Vicodan
to help weather the emotional storm that a good OTB event brings about.
Luckily, my follow up today showed no fracture, just a good amount of soft
tissue trauma in an already jacked-up shoulder joint. No riding for a week
or two. Thankfully, the only damage to the bike was some scratches to the
new lock-on grip retention rings.
At least I get a new helmet out of the deal!
Tom