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Your motorcycle accident sound horrendous! Mine are less dramatic. I've had 4 over the years, last one was on my BMW1150R and I think the boxer layout saved me from losing a leg. I was hit side on by a pickup which suffered a burst radiator in the impact from the BMW's cylinder head. I was thrown over the roof, into and out of the back, rolled over in the road and stood up uninjured. I rode that bike home and called in sick that day. There was only cosmetic damage to the bike. Other accidents hospitalised me but nothing as bad as my cycling accident. Lycra offers little protection at 40mph and I left a lot of skin at the scene. Picking the grit out over a month or so gives you something to focus on while recovering ... :-)Originally Posted by M. Montaigne
Thank you. I am hoping that this is short-lived and I can move on. And I am happy to hear you are recovering well!
My injury now is nothing on that magnitude, but I did have a motorcycle accident several years ago that was similarly severe. I was hit at a four way stop sign by a soccer mom who was on the phone. I stopped, she didn't. She hit me, I went flying into someone's home. They came out with baseball bats thinking I was trying to break in. Fortunately, it was in the winter, so the snow banks saved my head. Despite having a helmet and everything, I had several broken bones, a broken neck, and a severe concussion.
It took me ~2 years to fully recover, and tons of physiotherapy. My then girlfriend (now wife) wouldn't let me ride for a long time after that.
And much like you, I am a mess of injuries -- broken neck and vertebrae from the motorcycle accident, broken fingers, nose, and dislocated shoulders from climbing accidents, head and shoulder injuries when I hit a tree head-on snowboarding, cuts and bruises from other stupid things I have done over the years (white water rafting over a ravine, cliff jumping etc). And given the number of outdoorsy (and stupid) things I've done over the years, I have been surprisingly fortunate!
As a biker, you are probably just as conscious as I am about your VO2 max. I do a lot of high-altitude climbs as well (i.e., not just technical, but also alpinist style) and a low resting heart rate and VO2 max is very important in being a successful climber (and good pilot, although my days of flying jets at blackout-Gs are long over).
Of course, having a kid changes all that. And one of my best friends died last year on Mount Rainier in an avalanche, and that has made me reevaluate the risks I take while climbing or pursuing other activities. I may just have to resign myself to pursuing some indoor and sport climbing until such time that the little guy is old enough to join me.
You're right about kids changing your perspective and after our first daughter was born my wife never rode pillion with me again. She was hopeful that I would stop cycling after this latest but there's no hope of that. I think they're used to my occasional immobilisations.
I managed to break three toes surfing once, leash wrapped my toes as the board popped up snapping them. I didn't realise for a few hours because the cold water had numbed them and it was only later than evening that I decided to go to hospital to check.
My first separated shoulder happened on a moto x bike after an impressive high side. I remember leaving the saddle rapidly and looking down from a great height at the bike embedded in a grass banking thinking this is gonna hurt. I was right. I also had to ride 8 miles back to civilisation to get help with my damaged arm tied to the bars by my riding buddy. I fell off twice more before we made it. Can't remember if that hurt more than my latest but that one hurt continuously for 4 months. I think there is a limit to the amount of pain your brain can process at one time and with the multiple fractures, skin loss and torn ligaments I have never been so medicated for so long or so debilitated. I am very thankful for my famliy who looked after me so well!
Blackout G's sound exciting, Not a pilot, I've never flown in anything other than commercial airliners and one Cessna 172 we chartered once on holiday to do some aerial exploring. I did consider learning to fly after that experience but yet to do anything about it.
I don't climb, I don't do heights but I did used to pothole, I didn't mind abseiling /laddering 150 foot pitches in darkness, can't see the drop so no fear. Strange eh? My youngest daughter is an avid climber though, no problem with height at all there!
I have suffered, voluntarily, a few lab based VO2 max tests yes. Last was a 62, not bad for an old guy and apparently better than any of the professional rugby team less than half my age that the lab routinely test here. Gratifying to know. :-) As you will know, cycling is all about how you are able to metabolise oxygen, how you are able to recover from effort and how well you tolerate lactic acid build up during continuous efforts, your functional threshold power. At my age I can only say "I coulda been a contender!" :-)
I was considering entering some masters (old farts) races prior to my accident and I'm hopeful that I can get back to that level. Whether I am prepared any longer to make the effort is another matter. I might just end up training back to the level required for my own satisfaction.
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