And now this - barely two months before my first outdoor triathlon. Last month I was biking - going along about 20 mph on an area bike path, one which I'd traveled many times before. A well maintained and lightly traveled asphault surface with just a few intersections to navigate. And one bridge specifically built for the bike path which spans above and across the busiest highway on the nine mile route.
That bridge would be the scene of another infamous biking dustup. Upon approaching the bridge and attempting to "hop" the bike over a bridge expansion joint like I had so many times in the past, I suddenly found myself flying though the air, clutching handlebars that were somehow no longer attached to the rest of the bike. With a crash landing inevitable, I went into a crouch and landed on the right knee, elbow, shoulder and helmet. It took me a minute or two to gather myself, sitting in the middle of the pathway on the bridge. Meanwhile, two bikers stopped to offer assistance - and upon seeing the bloodied state of knee and elbow, offered to call 911. I soon rose to my feet and, aside from the bruises noticed no other huge discomfort, so I thanked them but declined. I instead used my cellphone to call for "spousal roadside assistance." My wife was at home and within a 20 minute drive, and she was soon on her way.
While walking the bike through the nearby busy intersection to a gas station where she would pick me up, it soon became apparent that my shoulder had taken the brunt of the impact. It didn't hurt at rest, but certain arm motions caused some pain. Still, not enough of an issue to make a beeline for the emergency room, but enough for a visit to my primary physician - with whom it turns out, I had previously scheduled my annual physical for the next morning.
So next day, my doctor greeted me and immediately commented on my bandaged elbow (that was the least of the issue.) He then conducted shoulder range of motion and resistance tests and concluded that there were no tears of any tendons or ligaments. He prescribed rest and ice - followed several days later by heat therapy. Not mentioned in his Rx was immobilization (eg. with a sling) - good news from a training standpoint.
Looking back, I view this experience as a glass half full. I'm lucky to have walked away from that accident. Fortunate to sustain no broken bones, concussion or worse. And also thankful that no one else - bikers, pedestrians or vehicles - was involved. As for the bike, it turns out that a single bolt - the one securing the stem to the handlebars - had sheared in half, causing the crash (unknown to me, that bolt had been the subject of an NTSB recall several years earlier). Otherwise, the bike sustained no serious damage but needed a replacement stem, a repair to be supplied gratis by the manufacturer. To top off the good fortune, a benefit inherent in the sport of triathlon presented itself - the opportunity to cross train over the next couple of weeks. While resting that shoulder (no swimming or resistance work) and awaiting the bike's return from a local bike shop, extra time presented itself to focus on the run. That period allowed me to further build an aerobic running base and eventually see some noticeable improvement in that phase.
 |
| The accident culprit: A sheared bolt intended to clamp down the end of the bike stem around the handlebars on my Trek 2200 road bike. |
