But, I realized after starting this, now it the right time to write something about the bike crash, so I can remember it later.
It was three weeks ago today, the CU Buffalo Bicycle Classic, a 100 mile ride to Ft. Collins & back. Steve and I were going to do it. I couldn't believe he could just pick up cycling and do 100 mile days, and I was a little apprehensive! Then Steve's knee got worse, or an order not to make it worse maybe, and I was gonna do this race alone. I almost didn't go, just out of boredom, but it is a great course and I thought it looked like good weather so I went. I cruised out of town in the chilly morning, gradually picking up speed as I warmed up. It's all uphill out of Boulder along Hwy 36 until you get to St Vrain road which is a downhill tear all the way to Hygiene. By now I was going pretty fast and had caught up with a pack made up of about 3 really strong guys and a bunch of hangers-on. I took a couple of pulls sort of to show I was able to keep up, and generally settled in towards the front of this group. The pack kept breaking up when someone would fall off the front few guys so I would have to pull back up which was no problem, just explaining that it wasn't a pace line so much as a few of us taking turns and a bunch of people barely sucking along. I remember thinking I'd have to be careful because these guys were not all that experienced, and getting tired. It would be a very different group after another hour, I thought. How true. We were approaching Hygiene.
The ambulance had a guy in it, sitting at my left, asking me impossible questions like what day was it, and where was I going and so forth. I don't remember much more than thinking it was hard and I wasn't answering his questions very well, and that it didn't hurt much.
Next is the hospital, same drill, except it's a couple of ladies asking the questions and Sue and the kids are there and I got two CAT scans and some very fluffy bandages on my knees. Then I was done, we drove to CU to get my bike and I rode it down to McGuckin's, loaded the car and drove home.
I told it that way because that's how I experienced it: in a couple of flashes with a ton of missing time. On the phone a week later, some dean from CU (who's responsible for the race, perhaps) offered condolences and a free entry next year and said he saw me laid out on the side of the road. I should've hit him up for a couple of jerseys! Steve & I didn't even get t-shirts out of it. So anyway, I learned I was unconscious for a while. It's interesting how the memories are gone, even from BEFORE the crash. Near as I can guess, there was from 5 sec to a half minute before the crash where I have no memories. Can't visualize the rear wheel that (I imagine) swiped across my front tire and wiped me out, or the tumble, or the asphalt, or laying there. Nothing.
The next remarkable thing was all the gyro failures. I couldn't call it dizziness, but that's the nearest thing I guess. Sometimes I'd turn my head, and the world would turn but then Just Keep Turning, never stopping. ...as though I'd gotten off a merry-go-round. So I guess that is dizziness. Anyway that kept up for weeks. It became a morning phenomenon. Monday, 15 days after, was the first time I woke up and could walk without lights on or holding on to something. Then yesterday (20 days after) the last of the saucer sized scabs on my knees peeled off. Those hurt a lot & still do. My knees continue to weep blood and pus and I can't wear long pants because of it. That's irrelevant though. My wrist feels sprained, or lower part of my arm maybe, so there are some things like dips and pullups and pushups I can't do yet, but that'll all heal soon enough I suppose. It is good to have it over with. I haven't gone back to "full" workouts yet, mostly because I'm daunted about starting up swimming again: even a 3 day layoff makes swimming hard again. As far as the bike? Well, I haven't had the urge.
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