Weeks later

Two weeks after my crash Lauren and I visited her family in Pleasanton. We made the short trek to Fremont to say hello to my teammates during meet the teams day at Early Bird #4. In the excitement a couple of guys almost forgot about my injuries and came up to give me a hug. We got there late so we missed the race but it was nice to be able to personally thank my teammates for their help and support. We went back a week later to cheer them on for the last EB crit of the season. Watching the race and even witnessing another crash didn't seem to bring on any anxiety. I had been warned to be prepared for some nervousness when getting back on the bike so I expected to feel some anxiety just watching the race but seeing my teammates finish strong and get 2nd and 3rd made me want to get back on the bike and join them.

I found out later that getting back on the bike and getting back to riding tight in a pack was a whole different story.

Fast track to recovery?

I'm having lunch and looking out the window wondering when we'll get a break from all this rain. Pretty much how the weather was during my recovery. Ah but this year when the weather breaks I'll be able to hop right out there and ride. I am so thankful for that!

I made several mistakes during my recovery last January. The worst was trying to work out too hard too soon! Friends had given me a pile of educational, motivational and very entertaining material to read about cycling, nature of my injuries, recovery, regaining fitness, etc. I thought I would follow up on something I read -- that a little activity during rest and recovery is a much better than zero activity. The doctors had told me that my prognosis was excellent. I just needed to take it easyl and if I felt discomfort then back off. A week or so after the crash I put the bike on the trainer, kept my arm in a sling, sat upright and pedaled for 15 easy minutes. I felt fine so after a few of these daily sessions I slowly cranked up the minutes and intensity .

Initially it felt great then I started to feel lousy. Not just fatigued lousy but woozy, felt like I was hit by a steamroller lousy. Colleagues strongly advised me to get checked out because I did not sound or look right. I quickly put the brakes on my fast-track to fitness plans, consulted with my family Dr and got referrals to local ortho and neuro specialists. They confirmed what I had already suspected. Active rest and recovery was fine but I was simply not ready. The neuro doc also pointed out that any physical activity was potentially inflammatory and that my brain, still a little swollen from the concussion, should not be exposed to any more inflammation. His advise, more than anything else, drove the point home. I was encouraged after hearing that, with proper rest, I was going to make a complete recovery.

I was fortunate to be able to take some time off work. So I rested, really rested, and looked for other things to entertain myself besides trying to quickly regain fitness. I read and hung out with friends who were all more experienced cyclists. I began to have an even better appreciation for cycling in general. I had only been riding 9 months when I crashed. I was aware that there is a lot to learn and had looked forward to doing so while also riding but the downtime allowed me, or rather, forced me to take a breather and learn as much as I could while sitting on a couch. Since I wasn't riding at all I also caught up and spent more time with my friends and family.

Yosemite backpacking trip

The weather here in Winters is rainy and cold at the moment. It's not Nebraska, Wisconsin or New England cold but cold to me anyway especially since I am nursing some sort of flu. I'm sitting here yearning for shorts and T-shirts weather. Like the summer backpacking trip that Lauren, my daughters and I took in Yosemite National Park just a few months ago. We started in Tuolumne Meadows and wrapped it up (or down) in Yosemite Valley via John Muir trail/Mist trail. Day hikes to Merced Lake and Half Dome nicely filled a couple of days in Little Yosemite Valley. That's the Merced River behind Helen, Julia and me with Lauren behind the camera. I think I'll have some of Lauren's carrot cake now along with a steaming hot mug of Apple Spice TheraFlu.

Post crash, 1 year later

I don't remember much from the ambulance ride. Whatever that stuff was that they injected into me not only took the pain away but also knocked me out, that and the concussion. At the hospital I remember being so hungry and craving salt that I asked for salted peanuts and macadamias, two of my favorite comfort foods. No luck, there were lots of tests and scans to be done and by the time I was allowed to eat all they could give me was Jello. My craving for the salty foods was so bad I practically begged for chips, leftover bacon, anything salty, even those ubiquitous saltine crackers. They gave me chicken broth, the healthy kind, the kind with NO SALT! My dessert was a can of 7-Up. By this time they had set me up with IV nutrition and medication. This kept me quiet for a while. Friends and family came to visit later that day. Being loopy and having lost my inhibition due to certain pain meds I proceeded to make an ass of myself by making really stupid jokes and strange remarks. My family often reminds of these remarks.

That evening I was lucid enough to speak with the neuro & ortho docs, they gave me a brief but thorough diagnosis, consultation and prognosis. I couldn't believe what they told me! Multiple fractures?!?! I had never even broken a bone before. In my semi-stupored state I thought -- must be some mistake, it doesn't even hurt. They reminded me that the medication will wear off and that if I needed something for the "discomfort" I can buzz the nurse. A couple of hours later I could not keep my hands off the buzzer!

The only part of my injuries that I could relate to was the road rash. Probably why I was so fixated on how bad it must be under all the bandages. It's almost funny now because the road rashes were the first and easiest to heal.

Some guys just know how to finish

Bettini, no doubt, got even more fired up and extra motivated after local politicians attempted to keep him off the race.

Sometimes it's a good idea to celebrate after the race!

The kid was just trying to have a good time, why do these things sometime happen at the worst moments? Gotta feel for that kid. Good to see him shake it off, get up and finish!

Cat 5 crash in Early Bird Crit #2 Jan 13, 2008

I almost went back to the EBs that weekend and lay my own ghost to rest. That was the same race where I got hurt exactly a year ago! The incident last week was captured by Jan Snyder, JP Images.

Seconds before the crash.

Crash!

Don't rubberneck, keep pedaling and get out of there!!!

Photos courtesy of Jan Snyder, JP Images

Glad that I wasn't there for that one! I was out having a great time in an awesome DBC Masters team event! I am happy to hear that everyone came out OK and recover to race another day.

Be aware and beware!

Heads up for people sweeping across the field and those who dive in the corners. Sure, it's more likely to happen in the 5s but even the pros are not immune. A friend who was in the pack behind me at the time of my crash sent me these photos and told me it was reminiscent of how I went down. Look where Graeme Brown (Rabobank) started and where he ended up.

(AFP photos)

I too once contributed to a teammate's crash on a training ride. It was raining and we were doing fairly heated team race attack/chase simulations. I quickly looked left, thought the coast was clear and shot through a hole only to feel wheels rub and my teammate went down! I felt horrible but I was soooo happy that he was OK. Safety first, please. Relax and try to ride steady, look before shooting out, hold your line, pedal through the corners and please let's all try and hold our line!

From Julia

The daughter. The legend.

Since this is my dad's blog, I'll offer some insight.

he makes bread
he makes jerky
he make ice cream
he climbs
he hunts
he fishes
he runs
he cycles

How does he manage to know everything about everything?
It happens.

Over and Out.

One year anniversary of the crash

Yup, just another bandwagon jumping fool.

I think I'll start retroactive posts as soon as I figure out how far back I want to go and how much of my paper journal I want to transcribe. In the meantime let me show you what could happen...

My current title photo (above) was taken by a teammate, Mike Smock, a year ago this weekend -- 2nd Early Bird Crit in Fremont. I took off to join/form a breakaway then decided I was feeling real strong and would take over and pound it hard, big mistake. It was way too early, I was overconfident and got in way over my head.

Yeah, I was a real rookie, first year cyclist, I had only been riding for 9 months. I began riding a bike because of a rock climbing injury. Hurt my knee/ankle and Dr. put me on an indoor bike for part of my rehab. That was too boring so I bought a relatively inexpensive bike and I started commuting to work. A few of weeks after I bought the bike I did the Davis Double Century, had such a blast I ended up doing several other doubles. I took a cycling clinic and got recruited into a racing team.

OK, fast forward back to the Eary Birds, I broke off for about a lap then got caught in a crash, still don't know what happened. One minute I was in the lead feeling in "total control", setting up to sprint for a prime then next thing I know I'm waking up getting shots of morphine, getting loaded into a gurney and someone asking me "Who is the president?" I spent the following 2 days in ICU. A concussion, multiple fractures including clavicle, sternum, scapula, ribs and bruised/punctured lungs put me out of commission for awhile, a long while.

Getting back on the bike was a huge exercise in anxiety management. I suppose I could have stop racing or even stop riding and get back to rock climbing. My legs were healed though my upper body was then a mess. Anyway it was too late, cycling bug had bitten me hard.

This season I will pay closer attention to fundamentals of safer riding and racing, try to be more aware of what other riders are doing around me, try to avoid those who appear unsteady and try not to exert to the point of losing bike handling ability.

My old team, TeamCS, ended up making a recruiting image of that photo, pretty serious and heavy with the Boyd quote :-). I crashed minutes after it was taken.


My teammates were awesome. They picked up and packed all my gear, called my family, and visited me at the hospital later that day. Incredibly supportive group of guys. Well coached by team founder, Alan Atha, a Level 1 USA cycling coach with loads of experience. Unfortunately the team is based in a different city a couple of hours away which made it increasingly tough to make team rides and get togethers. This year, 2008, I've decided to stay closer to home and ride for my local club, The Davis Bike Club Masters.

Photo and poster: Michael Smock