Black Beast Down ... again

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europa
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Black Beast Down ... again

Postby europa » Wed Mar 28, 2007 10:04 pm

Word of warning - when your new bike gets to 1,100 km, take a rest for the next 100km - it's dangerous.

Yup, I put the Black Beast (my Trek520) down again ... a week after the last time :shock:

This time I did it properly. None of this woosey 'lay it into soft dirt' caper.

They are rebuilding a bridge here. The road through the roadworks goes from four lanes to one. A bike path takes off to one side right at the final narrowing.

It's dusk - that horrible grey light where my old eyes don't work too well and bike lights down help at all. Traffic is solid. I'm in the construction area, speed limit has dropped to 40 and I've just avoided being squeezed by two cars as lanes disappear, so I've wound my speed up - the computer showed a max of 35.1 km/hr afterwards and I'm damned sure that was the speed of the prang.

The final narrowing comes up. Cars piling up and pushing for a spot. I veer off the road, across a car park gutter crossover, lined up for the start of the bike path.

The bike disappears from under me.

WHAM - my left should hits the bitumen (tear in jersey)
WHAM - my face hits the bitumen
bounce and scrape and I slide to a halt.

Up on me feet. Quick stagger. Drag bike off road where it's holding up the traffic. Attractive brunette appears in front of me: "are you alright?"

Damned silly question as it turns out. Blood's pouring from my mouth, my nose, most fingers, my hands, both knees and my stomach. My front teeth feel as though someone's had a go at them with a rubber mallet and I can feel bits of tooth amongst the blood in my mouth (the tooth I chipped as a kid no longer looks lopsided).

About then, I started to shake a tad - well, you do that don't you. I'm looking over to where the prang started - I can't see a cause. The brunette's looking too "my husband rides a bike. What happened? I can't see any reason for it".

Another attractive lady appears (there's a hint here for bachelors :D). "I wish I'd had my video, it'd be good on Funniest Home Videos". A quick glance shows that she's white and shaking, so I don't take offence.

Now the bike. One brifter is pointing towards to other as if to blame it for the prang, a large scar up its side. The bar tape will need replacing. A scrape on a pedal and one quick release, and there's blood all over it so I've got to wash her now dammit. I was able to knock the brifter back onto place (none of allen keys fitted the bolt that holds it) and ride back to where I'd left the car. Pedals spin smoothly so there are no bent axles there (those horrid M324s that everyone complains about too :D). Brifter seems to work as well as ever. So it looks like the damage is cosmetic.

Gloves are a write off (glad I was wearing them) and the helmet doesn't have a mark on it.

Damage to me? There's a graze on the end of my nose which runs down my face to an amazingly enlarged top lip - I'd scare horses and small children. Grazes on both knees and a shin. Most fingers have bits out of them and there's a decent hole in the back of one hand. My tummy has a large graze on it (the benefits of my body shape - the gut protected the rest of me, bit like an airbag I suppose) Both wrists have been jarred rather badly and one heel doesn't want me to walk on it. All cleaned up nicely after some vigorous rubbing with Detol and cotton wool. I'm lucky, I bleed like blazes then scab very quickly so wounds tend to get flushed with blood then protected and infections are rare with me. Everything looks clean now.

So, I'll be able to mope around feeling sorry for myself now.

Man that was a big bang. I remember feeling the bitumen hit me in the face, then me lifting off and coming down again.

Oh, and the cause? Remember this was roadworks? Well, they'd sealed this bit of road, but not to final height. The gutter crossover was new and, of course, at the final height of the road, so there's a 1" step between the road surface and the edge of the concrete crossover. In the half light, I just couldn't see it and, if fact, still couldn't see it when I went back to look at it - I had to put my foot on the road to see that it was lower than the concrete. I hit that at a shallow angle at 35 km/hr. I take that as a good excuse for going down :wink:

Richard

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Postby Halfanewb » Wed Mar 28, 2007 10:16 pm

Crikey! i bet you look like you've been through the war Richard, if i get a fife do you reckon your up to playing the drum?

i don't even want to think about what might have happened had you fallen to the other side /shudder

may the gods of cycling speed you to a full recovery mate.

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Postby heavymetal » Wed Mar 28, 2007 11:56 pm

I was going to ask first if the Black Beast was alright :D, but I think in this case I should be asking if you are alright.

Hope you recover quickly and get back out there riding again.

I'd say you have T324 pedals hence no bent axles :D

Wishing you a speedy recovery

Kev.

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europa
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Postby europa » Thu Mar 29, 2007 12:30 am

Thanks mate. Jeez I hurt at the moment :(

Richard

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Postby heavymetal » Thu Mar 29, 2007 12:40 am

europa wrote:Thanks mate. Jeez I hurt at the moment :(

Richard
Did you actually break or chip a tooth?

You think you hurt, I went for a 20 kms walk today to use a different set of muscles than the ones from riding. I feel it.

Maybe you should try walking for a few days :D

From the sounds of it the Black Beast came off better than you.

Kev.
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Postby AUbicycles » Thu Mar 29, 2007 4:54 am

Ouch....

but you didn't say, did you get one or two phone numbers?

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Postby pugsly » Thu Mar 29, 2007 6:05 am

AUbicycles wrote:Ouch....

but you didn't say, did you get one or two phone numbers?
Aye, that's what I was thinking as well.

Glad you're mostly ok Richard with no major damage.

Sorta makes me think of that 12th man recording where they interview the guy that ran full tilt into the vaulting horse. :)

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Postby MichaelB » Thu Mar 29, 2007 7:29 am

Ouch :cry: Made me wince redaing it.

It shows that you are still Ok, as there is some humour in your typing.

Hope you are Ok and resting well. At least you are better off than the other 2 cyclists in Adelaide over the last few days :(

Cheers

Michael B

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Postby LuckyPierre » Thu Mar 29, 2007 9:10 am

I hope that you recover quickly Richard!
I know about the shaking bit!
It's annoying how little things can have a big impact in one set of circumstances, and cause no drama in others - if you'd been able to see the drop you would have taken it in your stride (so to speak). Say 'Hello' to the roadworkers next time you go through. :wink:

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Postby tuco » Thu Mar 29, 2007 9:14 am

Sounds nasty. Glad I read that after today's ride.

There are easier ways of meeting women. :wink:

We had a girl fall on our bush tracks and hit her head Sunday afternoon. It took 2 fire trucks, 2 ambos and 5 cop cars to get her off the hill. She made the news.
I almost made the news last night. Had been walking/jogging on the tracks for about 45 minutes, starting to get dark and didn't lift my foot up high enough to get over a rock in the path. I tripped and my face was heading directly for a large rock. Luckily I have strong arms and shoulders and stuck out my arms and did what you could call a mega power push up! My face stopped about 10-15 cms before the rock surface. Would have been some expensive dental work required if I hit it.

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Postby daacha » Thu Mar 29, 2007 9:21 am

Sorry to hear about your fall Richard. I still haven't dropped the bike and i'm not looking foward to the first time.

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Postby moosterbounce » Thu Mar 29, 2007 11:26 am

Hope the recovery goes well and it doesn't put you off riding...for long.

You may be scary to children, but obviously not cute babes!! :wink:

Have a drink, rest up, then get back on that beast!!

Moo...

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Postby mikesbytes » Thu Mar 29, 2007 11:29 am

Ouch ! but it could of been much worst.

1. How are you feeling now ?

2. Did you get the brunette's phone number ?

3. Did you get the blondes phone number ? Why was she shaking ?

4. Can you sue anyone ?
If the R-1 rule is broken, what happens to N+1?

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Postby tuco » Thu Mar 29, 2007 11:53 am

Yep, we're Australian males.
Richard's on his death bed and all we're concerned about is did he get the girls phone numbers.

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Postby MichaelB » Thu Mar 29, 2007 11:56 am

tuco wrote:Yep, we're Australian males.
Richard's on his death bed and all we're concerned about is did he get the girls phone numbers.


I'm waiting for pics - of the wounds, damage and ladies 8)

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europa
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Postby europa » Thu Mar 29, 2007 12:03 pm

I considered photos but decided they'd do horrible things to my credibility :roll:

I seem to be alright. The usual pain of grazes of course. The tooth won't take any pressure but seems solid enough - I think it just had a bad shaking in its mounts. That big pad of muscle at the base of my right thumb must be bruised deep inside - you can't see anything but it won't take any pressure. All fingers and joints work so I haven't broken anything. And the bruised heel - heavens only knows how I did that. So I'm okay, nothing serious, just a useful abundance of it all.

No, I didn't get any phone numbers.
No, I'm not going riding - we've got storms sweeping through here so I'm using that as my excuse.

Richard
yeah, typing is an issue so I probably won't be writing anything today either.

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Postby Bnej » Thu Mar 29, 2007 12:17 pm

You can have broken bones and still move at your joints. I'd get a checkup at the doctor, and make an appointment with the dentist too. Better safe than miserable for the next month.

And slow right down before your next crash mate. ;)

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Postby tuco » Thu Mar 29, 2007 12:51 pm

Bnej wrote:You can have broken bones and still move at your joints. I'd get a checkup at the doctor, and make an appointment with the dentist too. Better safe than miserable for the next month.

And slow right down before your next crash mate. ;)
Very true. I limped around on a very sore leg (walked into the kids wooden rocking horse in the dark and hit my shin on the corner of the seat) for a couple of weeks. It happened down stairs and I had to crawl up stairs.

I still have a long lump on my shin and one day I was at the doctors on an unrelated issue and asked about the lump. He said I most likely chipped a chunk of bone off the shin bone.

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Postby beauyboy » Thu Mar 29, 2007 2:01 pm

Yes did you get the numbers? :P
You feel bloody stupid when thing like that happen then bloody angry. Similar thing happened to me a few months ago didn't see the 2" jump up that was spose to be a kumb at night. Took it at a shollow angel next thing I know I'm throwing my leg over the crossbar :shock: .
One of the advantages of not haveing cleats :P

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Re: Black Beast Down ... again

Postby heavymetal » Thu Mar 29, 2007 3:48 pm

europa wrote:Oh, and the cause? Remember this was roadworks? Well, they'd sealed this bit of road, but not to final height. The gutter crossover was new and, of course, at the final height of the road, so there's a 1" step between the road surface and the edge of the concrete crossover. In the half light, I just couldn't see it and, if fact, still couldn't see it when I went back to look at it - I had to put my foot on the road to see that it was lower than the concrete. I hit that at a shallow angle at 35 km/hr. I take that as a good excuse for going down
After re-reading this, and the earlier mention of attractive ladies, was it really the bad light that caused the accident, or were you distracted by something else, for instance bird watching. :D

I'd get the hand and tooth checked out if I was you.

Kev.

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Postby mikesbytes » Thu Mar 29, 2007 4:25 pm

I was crusing along at a comfy 35kph when suddenly a fine specium of the human race appeared in front of me at 20kph. Immeadiately I slowed to observe and learn from this specium and at an appropriate moment, I pulled up beside to discuss cycling related issues, to be continued latter over a bottle of red.
If the R-1 rule is broken, what happens to N+1?

MountGower

Postby MountGower » Thu Mar 29, 2007 4:52 pm

Europa wrote:
.
Last edited by MountGower on Thu Mar 05, 2009 1:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Postby Mulger bill » Fri Mar 30, 2007 6:38 pm

Owwwwwwwwwwwwwww, not much luck recently Richard.

Strange the stacks you can't explain till later never happen in slow motion.

Get a once over at the Docs mate, something similar wrenched a facet joint in me back but I didn't notice till a day later, then it was 9 days sleeping half on the couch and way too much time at the physio.

Heal soon mate.

Shaun

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