Crashed today. just got spat off the side of wet roots on a corner, rear wheel kicked out 90deg and I kept heading forwards (like a full moto whip but still on the ground or a speedway bike but both feet up) sliding towards the stump from a felled tree just about the right width for the rear wheel to pass it on one side and the front (at 90deg to the frame pass the other side, unfortunately the top of the stump was at BB/crank height and stopped the bike dead. I on the other hand didn't and was spat off into the rocks behind. No real damage to me or the bike and just laughed it off, got back on and finished the ride.
I've crashed thousands of times over the years and like to think I'm actually rather good at getting away with it but your luck has to run out some day. Loads have hurt or left me injured for a while and I've suffered concussion many many times but surprisingly i've had very few broken bones.
This brings me to the worst crash I ever had. I was out in Les Gets (the main DH track on Mont Cherry side if anyone knows it). I was on a fast run and went over the top of a berm towards the last part of the track. Managed to ride it out but couldn't stop, heading down the piste straight towards the next berm I knew I was going too fast to make the turn so rather than smash into the berm and ruin myself with the impact I used it as a launch, layed the bike over 90deg hoping to side out on the grassy landing. Unfortunately the bike stopped dead (sideways) on landing and my inside took the whole froce through my left pedal. I lay there in shit loads of pain as my mates turned up. I waved them on saying I was Ok. (I'm just a bit like that) and when I tride to get up my foot wouldn't hold my weight I used the bike to help me up, and rode the rest of the track to the gondola to get to my mates one footed. They must have seen how fucked my foot was as they asked if I wanted medical help. I said no. and rode back to Morzine. (I told you I'm like that). got to the other end of the town and the bottom of the hill our appartment was up. I couldn't get up the hill so was hopping one legged while using the bike as crutches (more of a 2 wheeled zimmer). Luckily a French MILF in a 4X4 saw me and offeredd to help, chucked my bike in the back and took me to the appartment. Later I went to the little medical centre in the town for an X-Ray. Despite my foot being massively swolen the Dr told me he didn't think anything was broken. his X-Ray machine was so old the screen was covered in scratches and you couldn't really see anything. He sent me off telling me to take pain killers, anti-inflamatories, Ice and elevate it and if the swelling went down to return and he'd give me something to support it for "comfort"
I spent the next 2 days drinking beer in the sun with my foot raised and iced, The swelling did go down a bit so on day 3 I returned to the Dr. He put me in a cast "for comfort" and gave me some crutches to walk on.
I was bored out of my mind and went shopping. Went into a sports shop and asked to try on a size 14 trainer. (I was a size 9) amazingly the size 14 shoe fitted over the cast. Great!
guess what I did next?
Yes. I went back for my bike and rode every day for the rest of the week then drove home to the south of England.
When I arrived home I had a shift at work (Bar manager) so went straight there, to much piss taking from the staff and punters but managed my shift fine. Only the cast got soaked with beer. The next morning I headed to my own GP to ask him to cut off the cast. He just looked at me like WTF?? so I told him the story above. He couldn't believe any medical professional would put me in a cast for "comfort" refused to cut it off and sent me straight to hospital to have it examined.
A morning of X-rays and into the consultants office to be told "bad news"
I'd broken the corner off the last big bone in my foot and every small bone further down the foot had dislocated. I was kept in for Surgery that night and left 3 days later with metalwork from the front to rear and 2 bolts straight through the foot from the side. 8 months on a non-weight bearing cast followed by years of physio. Still gives me grief 16 years later if I walk uphill too far or run. I had to wear a brace to ride for the first few years after the op but can now ride pain free. Getting over the injury actually made me a smoother rider and learn to ride ambi-footed. (other than riding my bike I'm still massively right hand/foot biased).
Get well soon Dom.
