On Laura OLPH's annual Chocolate Bunny Ride today, I hit a ridge in the roadway (I think) and fell on Amwell Road on the way to Milltown. I have lacerations on my face (which didn't need them; I'm scary-lookin' enough), and on my shoulders and knees, and I seem to have sprained both wrists (the right is especially bad), although I can manage well enough to type this (it may be a while before I'm back to my pushup regimen, though). I took a shower after The Excellent Wife (TEW) got me home, and I've been bleeding profusely; I've ruined a number of towels and at least two tee-shirts (and, of course, the jersey, tights, and bandanna I was wearing are torn and bloody, and are going the way of hazardous waste).
An ambulance arrived, along with a police officer, shortly after I went down; my thanks to the Hillsborough EMS and police. They may have been called by a passing car; I did not call them, and they were on the scene quickly.
TEW was able to pick me up from near the accident scene. The worst part of the wait was being in the wind until she got there - it was colder than I expected.
I'll need a new helmet, tights, winter jersey, and a front rim for the Yellow Maserati. I can't tell yet if the controls are OK. The frame has a dimple, but I didn't find any cracks.
My first thought was that TEW was going to try to make me give up riding entirely (I did give up the motorcycle after the second accident in 15 months). That's not the case, but I haven't been able to persuade her that I wasn't riding beyond my ability by going out on such a windy day (I don't think the wind was a direct cause of the accident; I think I let my attention drift, and I may have been too close to the person in front).
I'm home now; I'm not bleeding (although TEW tells me I'll have an enviable shiner in a few hours), and I'm warming up. She will be going out for food later.
Mostly, I feel sorry and stupid. TEW's parents, The Excellent In-Laws,
are ailing, and worrying about me is the last thing she needs right now.
Still, soon I expect I'll be ordering a new rim, and calling up Dave Kim for a new helmet.
It could have been worse.
Wow... Bummer! Unfortunately it sometimes happens and loved ones can tend to want to protect us from our hazardous fetishes.
ReplyDeleteI had a shocker of an accident a couple of years ago and faceplanted the road, smashed my helmet to bits, fractured a vertebrae, broke a wrist and uglied my face (I'm throwing out all the old photos of me so I can blame the accident for my looks.)
Don't feel too bad about causing worry, plenty of people die from smoking and drinking in front of the TV. Maybe you'll get some nice scars to show off. Happy healing.