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Injury, Recover... Back in the saddle?

2K views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  txn 
#1 · (Edited)
I started riding about 6 months ago and recently forked over the money for a high end bike. A new Hammerhead 100 - it rocks! Since the riding began I've had 2 concussion and some cracked ribs. I'm okay at the technical stuff but speed seems to be an issue. oops.

Anyways, I was on my first ride after my 2nd concussion and we were headed back to the car when my wheel washed out. I went down and heard a snap. When I looked down my arm was in a different place. We called EMS and got transported to the hospital. To make a long story short I shattered my elbow into 4 pieces. They did surgery and I now have 3 titanium plates and 15 screws holding it all together and I was in the hospital for 10 days. I'm now in physical therapy all the time trying to get some motion back in it but the going is slow.

My big debate now is if I get back on the bike or not. It's a blast and I absolutley loved riding however I'm tired of being injured and I don't ever want to go through anything like this again. Elbows seem to get injured and scraped up quite a bit.

Any suggestions or opinions?
 

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#2 ·
..

Wow.
Sorry to hear about your injuries man. those pictures look narly.

The best advise I can give is ....

Never stop riding.
Just give up on full speed downhills, stunts and other tech stuff that causes injuries.
just ride thru the woods ,at your own pace, and enjoy being out in the wilderness.
Thats what XC riding is all about anyway, in my opinion.

Get your adrenaline rushes some other way.

get back out there soon. enjoy

Later
Jim
 
#4 ·
Keep riding, and learn to stay within your limits. Ride your ride, not the guys in front of you. I crashed pretty hard following a friend one day, and learned I have to ride within myself. You can also wear some armor. I still get the rush and have alot of fun, I just ride at a comfortable speed. You sound somewhat fearless, slowdown and work on form and being smooth. Nothing quite like a buttery smooth ride through some twisty singletrack. I like drops and jumps too, but again I stay within my abilities. Learn your capabilities and stay within them, I always say, " Id rather go a bit slower and ride tomorrow, then go faster and not be able to ride".

Sean
 
#5 ·
It sucks...

I've had two of the most common injuries (tib fib, and collar bone) related to biking and I've learned 2 things from both. #1 I have always lost balance due to overbuilding the injured appendage in therapy, and #2 I am and always will be meant to stay on the ground.

On the other hand..I did have Hans Rey sign my tib fib x-ray:p!
 
#6 · (Edited)
details, details

To those of you telling me to stay inside my limits:
I completely agree, and when I fell and had this accident I was just cruising along on a dirt road and my wheel washed out. I wasn't going to fast or doing anything outside of my limits. A 5 year-old could have been riding where I was. I just fell wrong. It's amazing how quick something so bad can happen. I was on a new fancy bike. I'm not used to how it responds, it's very different than my hard tail and now I'm really not comfortable on it. I also refuse to let it win. Even if I decide not to ride anymore I will take it out on an easy ride one more time just to prove to it that I own it, not the other way around.

Over the last 2 weeks I've also had to scrape 2 friends up off the road. I had one break a wrist tipping over her motorcycle and another got hit by a car on her commute to work. Because I'm not able to work at the moment I've been the one to pick them up and take them to the emergency room. Both of them are fine, thank God. But the three of us make some trio.

Before I get back on any bike I plan on taking some kind of Ti Kwan Do to get better balance. If I have better balance off the bike, it will be better on the bike. I also want to somehow learn to fall. Maybe on a trampoline or lots of mats so that when I do fall off the bike, because lets face it... it's going to happen, my natural reaction will be to fall correctly.

And to you who doesn't ride anymore:
Thanks for that. I completely understand. The hardest thing for me isn't giving up riding, it's that I was SO much fun when I was on the bike. My friends and family think I'm fun off the bike too but people loved to ride with me because it was always a blast. The only thing I can compare it to is sky diving. It's that kind of rush I get every time I'm on the trail and it's so intense that it forces you to forget everything else that's going on and focus completely on riding. There is no other way for me to be forced completely into the now… accept jumping from a perfectly good air plane!
 

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