Originally Posted by KevinTodd
As a relatively competitive runner and bicyclist, I have had my share of scraped knees and elbows, as trips and falls on uneven pavement or gnarly, rooted trails are as common as black toenails. I was actually only a few days away from being completely scab-free from my most recent meeting with the asphalt this past Thursday, as I set out for my routine morning ride.
I had the usual gear on--a short bib kit as it was 70 degrees, gloves, a helmet and glasses. The previous incident had been a simple "stop and drop"; one in which I simply didn't get my foot unclipped in time as I stopped at an intersection, and basically just fell over--drawing blood (and embarrassment) but nothing other than scrapes.
I was on a well-traveled paved bike path that cuts through my city, about two-thirds of the way into my ride (it's a 15-mile round trip that I try to grind out a decent aerobic pace), when I went to pass another cyclist. I had been watching him as I approached, and I saw him checking his mirror, or so I thought. I called "on your left" as I approached him at about 18MPH, and in the blink of an eye, he turned left directly into me, taking us both down to the concrete. His landing was softer as he and his bike were on me when we went down. We slid about 15 feet I suppose, and I felt my head bounce off the ground and immediately thanked my helmet for doing its job.
I stayed on the ground for a moment, trying to get my bearings and get my feet unclipped from the pedals. The guy that hit me was apologizing profusely, offering assistance, and generally being a very nice guy, all things considered. He said he had no idea why he had turned without looking. He said he had seen me approaching and had heard me call the pass, but yet he still tried to make his turn and we collided hard. I was angry at first, but it subsided quickly when I realized his demeanor was if anything overly genuine and apologetic.
I got up, straightened my bars and seat, gave the rest of the bike a cursory look, and rode the rest of the way home, bloodied and already starting to stiffen. I had scraped my entire left side pretty darned well---my entire knee is skinless, and I have several other abrasions from my upper thigh down to and including my shin bone. My left elbow is raw, and there's a large chunk of flesh missing just above the abrasion, near my bicep. the knuckles on both hands are scraped raw--and again--I was wearing gloves. I can honestly say that this is the worst road rash I have ever had in my entire life, and I rode Motocross as a kid.
That first shower hurt like hell, and I felt like I'd been in a car wreck for a couple of days. Lateral movement on my knee was excruciating. I've been keeping the wounds dressed and covered for the most part, with the exception of a few hours each day to let them dry out a bit. The weird thing is how uncomfortable this much road rash can be, especially now that they're starting to scab and heal. There isn't mush I can do that doesn't remind me what happened.
I had a tetanus shot just this past year, so I'm covered there. My GP always laughs at me when I see him each year--because he says I'm like a little kid with all my scraped up knees and elbows. My wife asked me if I'd be giving up the bike for awhile---but I won't; I enjoy it too much. I will revise my passing policy however.
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