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2nd Tri Completed - including Bad Bike Wreck!!
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 2008-10-20 12:52 PM |
Expert  987    Durham, North Carolina |  Subject: 2nd Tri Completed - including Bad Bike Wreck!!Well... Looking back I guess it wasn't as bad as it could have been, but for me it was pretty bad and actually my first crash on the bike. It wasn't my fault either, it was at the end of the bike course of my second-ever triathlon (a sprint in Huntersville, NC) and I was just turning left off the road and into the parking lot/transition area when a stopped car in front of me must have decided he had waited long enough for "these bikers" to get off the road - goes and pulls out in front of me and nearly side-swipes me. Had I not swerved sharply to the left and applied the brakes at the same time he would have hit me. The combination of still doing around 16-18 mph, leannig and turning left, and then sharply veering left and hitting the brakes - well, let's just say the bike stopped all forward momentum and instead pitch-forked me right over the handlebars and down into the pavement. It happened so quickly I didn't even have time to react - to throw my hands out in front of me. I landed full force onto my left should and left side of my face, right there on my cheekbone. My kids were there as well as other spectators and I'm told that my rear wheel went up and over (which explains why I hace scratches now on top of my handlebars and even on the neck/stem area). I landed on my left shoulder, then left side of my face, my head bounced up and came down again, my feet were over my head and by body bent over in two (but not in the direction the body was meant to bend), slide a few feet, then settled down onto the road. I thought I had gotten right back up, but I must have been knocked un-consious and passed out because my kids told me I was down for like 20 seconds or so. The only thing I remember before hitting the road was thinking "Oh , this is going to hurt!" That must have been the last thing on my mind because they tell me the first thing I said when I started getting up was "This hurts!" I don't remember the part where I stopped before I got out of the road and was standing there with my legs clamped around the front wheel and yanking on the handlebars trying to straighten them out. I was told later that I was cursing the whole time about how I was making such good time and about that "damm car" that cut me off ... while I was yanking my handlebars straight. I remember looking down and seeing blood running down from my right knee and my face hurting, I asked how my face looked and my daughter told me it was "just scratched, a strawberry..." so I figured I would probably live and staggered on into the transition area. I remember my balance and equilibrium was all messed up and I kept leaning and falling over to my left side, I almost fell down several times trying to walk my bike back to the rack. I was still trying to recover and get my senses about me, rinsed off my knee and leg with a water bottle ... and after a few minutes realized that I was not too terribly injured and decided to go ahead and complete the run portion. My run time was surely affected by this, I left knee killing me and unable to swing my arms or left shoulder because of the pain and injury to it ... but I ran anyhow. Actually completed the 5k in 36:03 which is about 6 mintues 30 seconds better than my first tri a few weeks back. That is right at the 12 minutes per mile pace I have been able to train at lately. I wonder what my overall time could have been if not for the extra long T2 time and running while injured. I came in at 1 hr, 28 min and some change ... my only other sprint tri was 1 hr 42 min, but that was a 13 mile bike and this was 10 mile bike (but way more hills ... the first tri had no uphills, this one was nothing but hills ... hill, after hill, after hill ...) Anyhow, I'm still happy with the results and the fact that I was able to finish. Plus, the evetn sponsors heard about the crash and how I finished out the race and awarded me a new "Rudy's Project" bike helmet --- it is Schweet! Thanks for letting me vent and rant! P.S. Already been checking the events for next year and have about 4 or 5 picked out already ...even with nearly scrambling my eggs ... I'm so addicted to this triathlon thing that I just can't wait till my next race !!!
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| 2008-10-20 1:00 PM in reply to: #1754319 |
Master 1996 Woodbridge , Virginia | Subject: RE: 2nd Tri Completed - including Bad Bike Wreck!! Congrats.... Good job on getting up and finishing.. That's huge  |
| 2008-10-20 1:48 PM in reply to: #1754319 |
Pro 4528 Norwalk, Connecticut | Subject: RE: 2nd Tri Completed - including Bad Bike Wreck!! Way to HTFU!!!!! i hope someone got the plate # for the idiot in the car!!! These Tri things are addicting aren't they?? |
| 2008-10-20 2:05 PM in reply to: #1754319 |
Expert 966 Decatur | Subject: RE: 2nd Tri Completed - including Bad Bike Wreck!! wow. hardcore dude. hardcore... |
| 2008-10-20 2:32 PM in reply to: #1754319 |
Expert 945 Auburn AL | Subject: RE: 2nd Tri Completed - including Bad Bike Wreck!! Congrats on finishing this one! |
| 2008-10-20 5:26 PM in reply to: #1754319 |
Champion 10471 Dallas, TX | Subject: RE: 2nd Tri Completed - including Bad Bike Wreck!! Gosh, that's horrible. And scary! I can't believe you finished the race! Dang. Nuts. Did they get the driver. ? |
| 2008-10-20 5:31 PM in reply to: #1754319 |
Expert 869 | Subject: RE: 2nd Tri Completed - including Bad Bike Wreck!! Awesome! Very inspiring to see your determination to finish the race! |
| 2008-10-20 5:47 PM in reply to: #1754319 |
Expert 2180 Boise, Idaho | Subject: RE: 2nd Tri Completed - including Bad Bike Wreck!! Stones! |
| 2008-10-20 9:11 PM in reply to: #1754319 |
| Veteran 381 | Subject: RE: 2nd Tri Completed - including Bad Bike Wreck!! Triathletes are the toughest, great story glad your ok.
Its ashame you had to crash in a race. |
| 2008-10-20 9:33 PM in reply to: #1754319 |
Master 1831 Keller Tx | Subject: RE: 2nd Tri Completed - including Bad Bike Wreck!! Way to finish it up. Hope you are doing ok now. |
| 2008-10-20 11:41 PM in reply to: #1754319 |
Expert 987 Durham, North Carolina | Subject: RE: 2nd Tri Completed - including Bad Bike Wreck!! Thanks everyone! For the congrats and kudos! I just got the photo's back, and the very last one was of the white SUV that pulled out in front of me - but it is a side shot and you can't see the license plate or the driver. But it clearly shows he was stopped and waiting behind another car, I was coming up from behind, and had my left arm out pointing and indicating that I am about to turn left. That was when he either thought everyone in this group of riders was in, or his patience ran out, and so he darted out into the center lane. Either I was going to run into him or he would have ran over me if I had not swerved sharply left and braked. But I must have done a little too much of each and the front of the bike just dug in and I was tossed over the handle bars. I also had the pics digitized and placed on CD, but my CD drive is broke at home. I'll try to remember to take it in to work Tuesday and get some of the pics posted. I guess looking back and seeing my minor scars now, it wasn't too bad a wreck, but it certainly scared me and had me rattled at the race. The positives I can take from it are that I have now suffered my first major bike crash (so now I have that out of the way), and I got a cool new helmet from the race sponsor - I'm told it is a $150 helmet ... Schweet... Anyhow, I'm a Master Clyde and this was just my 2nd race. I placed 259 of 272 at my first race (better than 13 others, and 13th of 13 MC's) with a time of 1:42:05. This race I placed 248 of 272 (better than 24 others, and 19th of 24 MC's) with a time of 1:28:57 ... so even with the crash, recovery time, and running injured I improved my time. I was just calculating what my time would have been without the couple minutes crash, 3 extra minutes in T2, and maybe a couple minutes better on the run and I may have finished around 228 out of 272 ... I would have really been stoked!!! Stay tuned, as soon as I can get the pics posted I will! See ya! |
| 2008-10-21 11:37 AM in reply to: #1754319 |
Expert 987 Durham, North Carolina | Subject: RE: 2nd Tri Completed - including Bad Bike Wreck!! Pics!!! Howdy everybody, Got my photo's back and have them in digital format now, will post some in case anyone cares to see. Haven't been able to make the pics "attach" or post in a specified order, so I attached them and am now going back to edit this post and give commentary. Pic 01 shows the white SUV that nearly side-swiped me. As you can see traffic was stopped, I was signaling left and had pulled up beside the SUV and about to turn left into the lot/transition area when all of a sudden it darted out to the left and nearly ran over me. When I veered out of the way is when I went down. Pic 06a is right after the run, coming back around to my kids and they snap a shot of my leg. Pic 07 is waiting in line to start the pool swim. Pics 10a and 11a are the swim - how's my form??? Pic 13a is after the race, packing up my transition area and those spectators were telling me they saw that car nearly hit me and I'm saying, "Yeah, the idiot pulled right out and nearly side-swiped me!" Pic 14a right after swim and running out of T1 with my bike. Pics 15 and 17 are back home, taking inventory of the injuries. They weren't really so bad once I had time to look them over and settle back down (after nearly being ran over...) Pic 2a is after I got back up off the road and pushing my bike back into T2. Pic 9a more swimming - nice wide lanes and only 1-way traffic in each lane. Pics 12 and 16 some close-ups of face and shoulder - still trying to get some pity I guess.... Pic 08 hamming it up at the pool start Pic 03 - the best pic of all - Coming across the Finish Line at 1:28:57 ... about 14 minutes better than my first sprint triathlon. .. Kevin Edited by klowman 2008-10-21 11:56 AM (Take_Flight_02a.jpg) (Take_Flight_09a.jpg) (Take_Flight_12.jpg) (Take_Flight_16.jpg) (Take_Flight_17.jpg) (Take_Flight_15.jpg) (Take_Flight_17.jpg) (Take_Flight_06a.jpg) (Take_Flight_07.jpg) (Take_Flight_10a.jpg) (Take_Flight_11a.jpg) (Take_Flight_13a.jpg) (Take_Flight_01.jpg) (Take_Flight_03.jpg) (Take_Flight_08.jpg) (Take_Flight_14a.jpg) Attachments ---------------- Take_Flight_02a.jpg (86KB - 4 downloads) Take_Flight_09a.jpg (98KB - 5 downloads) Take_Flight_12.jpg (68KB - 4 downloads) Take_Flight_16.jpg (62KB - 5 downloads) Take_Flight_17.jpg (74KB - 4 downloads) Take_Flight_15.jpg (67KB - 4 downloads) Take_Flight_17.jpg (74KB - 4 downloads) Take_Flight_06a.jpg (95KB - 4 downloads) Take_Flight_07.jpg (95KB - 5 downloads) Take_Flight_10a.jpg (95KB - 4 downloads) Take_Flight_11a.jpg (87KB - 5 downloads) Take_Flight_13a.jpg (84KB - 5 downloads) Take_Flight_01.jpg (89KB - 4 downloads) Take_Flight_03.jpg (95KB - 4 downloads) Take_Flight_08.jpg (99KB - 4 downloads) Take_Flight_14a.jpg (98KB - 5 downloads) |
| 2008-10-21 11:46 AM in reply to: #1754319 |
Elite 2527 Armpit of Ontario | Subject: RE: 2nd Tri Completed - including Bad Bike Wreck!! Way to HTFU! I'm glad it wasn't any worse, and you and your bike are okay.
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| 2008-10-21 12:01 PM in reply to: #1756700 |
Expert 987 Durham, North Carolina | Subject: RE: 2nd Tri Completed - including Bad Bike Wreck!! Thanks! I guess all in all, it wasn't too bad a crash. The more think about it the more I realize the helmet saved my life (or least kept me out of the hospital). The shoulder and face are feeling much better and actually the worse part was the impact of my head hitting the pavement. I still hear a ringing in my ears a couple of time a day and still have a slight headache ... I think more than anything ... if I "hardened up" about anything it was to keep going after being knocked unconscious ... the actual injuries themselves weren't so bad. KL
Edited by klowman 2008-10-21 12:02 PM |
| 2008-10-21 12:28 PM in reply to: #1754319 |
Extreme Veteran 694 | Subject: RE: 2nd Tri Completed - including Bad Bike Wreck!! You are the man. Great job! |
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