# are you kidding me. the terrible horrible ride.



## JPSeuropa (Jul 12, 2010)

I had the worst ride last weekend. Started fine and I was feeling good. Went past a broken root hiding in a patch of leafy stuff on the edge of the trail. Hit it with my foot and broke a toe. Happily not the big toe, but still swollen enough a week later my bike shoes are not comfortable. Anyway, continued on. Then caught handlebar on a tree while going slowly, twisted up...could not unclip, fell to a downhill section full of broken branches, several cuts. ( how does one get cut through bike shorts without ripping them, I dont understand) Anyway, continued on. Went through a section where there were just a million flies in my face, inhaled several both nasally and orally. I hate those things, killed a ton. Anyway, continued on. Went through a section where a small sapling caught my helmet strap and somehow unhooked it. Its a sign!!!!! Headed home with great caution.. 
Still nursing the foot, not improved by a little one stepping on it this morning.


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## ballisticexchris (Jun 14, 2016)

Sorry to hear this. I have had the same type of bad luck on some of my motorcycle off road rides in the past. Good news is you made it home safely


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## Collapse (9 mo ago)

I had one last week as well. I do some sprinting down by the river where I’m at. The ride was fine except the homeless people living in the bush right off the trail, some guy smoking something from a glass pipe and another guy who was high as a kite accused me of following his girlfriend as I pulled up to an area he was sitting in, then started to take video of me. Happy days lol - hope your foot is better


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## DennisT (Dec 29, 2019)

1. Go home.
2. Hide under bed.
3. Get spouse to leave meals beside bed.


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## NorCalTaz (Nov 12, 2013)

Sounds like it's time to find a Trail Gnome and rub his belly


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## socal_jack (Dec 30, 2008)

Sorry to hear about your uterus prolapse


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## Yootah (Jun 30, 2017)

JPSeuropa said:


> I had the worst ride last weekend. Started fine and I was feeling good. Went past a broken root hiding in a patch of leafy stuff on the edge of the trail. Hit it with my foot and broke a toe. Happily not the big toe, but still swollen enough a week later my bike shoes are not comfortable. Anyway, continued on. Then caught handlebar on a tree while going slowly, twisted up...could not unclip, fell to a downhill section full of broken branches, several cuts. ( how does one get cut through bike shorts without ripping them, I dont understand) Anyway, continued on. Went through a section where there were just a million flies in my face, inhaled several both nasally and orally. I hate those things, killed a ton. Anyway, continued on. Went through a section where a small sapling caught my helmet strap and somehow unhooked it. Its a sign!!!!! Headed home with great caution..
> Still nursing the foot, not improved by a little one stepping on it this morning.


But is your bike ok?


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## plummet (Jul 8, 2005)

Some days it doesn't work.

Earlier this year I bunny hopped off a curb, somehow stuffed it up, and stabbed my biggest 2 toes on my left foot into the ground breaking them. That was at the finish of the very first run on the first day of a 10-day epic mountain biking trip......

Argh!!!!!!!!

All of the riding was black, double black, doesn't have a grade it so freaken hard and remote. 
It was the most insane week of riding I have ever done. 
Dammit, I had to do it riding at 95% nursing 2 broken toes!..... 
But I still did it! I wasn't going to let broken toes stop me!


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## chazpat (Sep 23, 2006)

You just need to recalibrate your scale: if I didn't end up at the ER, it wasn't a terrible horrible ride.

My ride this morning was less than ideal. Trails were damp and full of roots so I spun out on a lot of climbs I normally make. At one point on a steep techy spot, I stalled out and my front end started lifting. I could have shifted my weight and got a foot down but I decided it would be "fun" to just go on up and slide off the back. My shorts caught on the nose of my saddle and I couldn't get my legs back so I tumbled backwards with the bike on top of me. Was able to just laugh it off.

Later I came up on a log stack that was on a bit of a cross-slope. Second log up was a pine with all the bark stripped off and when my rear tire hit it, bike shot out from under me, landing my hip/ass on the top log. Walked it off but still hurts a little.


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

The worst day of riding is better than the best day at work.

...or so I've heard.
=sParty


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

Well I'd definitely take your worst ride over my last ride.


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## JPSeuropa (Jul 12, 2010)

Well, today was magical. Foot feels like I have wads of cotton jammed in my shoe, but little pain. The toe was stepped on yesterday which sort of reset the healing clock...but all was good. Traction was great today. Weather was cool. I was rested and energetic after a week off the bike. A great day!!! ...and the terrible, horrible day is forgotten.


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## DennisT (Dec 29, 2019)

JPSeuropa said:


> The toe was stepped on yesterday


Justifiable homicide


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## kpdemello (May 3, 2010)

Sometimes the universe speaks and tells you to go home. On the other hand, there have been days when I've pushed through and turned a **** ride into a great ride. Sometimes taking a minute to stop, recalibrate, and be in the moment helps. YMMV.


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## telemike (Jun 20, 2011)

JPSeuropa said:


> I had the worst ride last weekend. Started fine and I was feeling good. Went past a broken root hiding in a patch of leafy stuff on the edge of the trail. Hit it with my foot and broke a toe. Happily not the big toe, but still swollen enough a week later my bike shoes are not comfortable. Anyway, continued on. Then caught handlebar on a tree while going slowly, twisted up...could not unclip, fell to a downhill section full of broken branches, several cuts. ( how does one get cut through bike shorts without ripping them, I dont understand) Anyway, continued on. Went through a section where there were just a million flies in my face, inhaled several both nasally and orally. I hate those things, killed a ton. Anyway, continued on. Went through a section where a small sapling caught my helmet strap and somehow unhooked it. Its a sign!!!!! Headed home with great caution..
> Still nursing the foot, not improved by a little one stepping on it this morning.


Years ago I bought a pair of ridiculous shimano spd sandals to keep riding on a repaired toe. Heavy as heck, but I've used them for five injuries so far.


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## Yootah (Jun 30, 2017)

telemike said:


> Years ago I bought a pair of ridiculous shimano spd sandals to keep riding on a repaired toe. Heavy as heck, but I've used them for five injuries so far.


I always wear proper footwear on the trail, but pedaling around town in my Tevas on a summer night is almost magical.


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## kosmo (Oct 27, 2004)

JPSeuropa said:


> Well, today was magical.


So...you used up all the bad juju in one ride. Celebration!

We'll now move on to solving the next life problem that needs internet assistance. 🙃


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## jimPacNW (Feb 26, 2013)

Jayem said:


> Well I'd definitely take your worst ride over my last ride.


Yup, what bunch of whiners  - for perspective, 6 weeks ago on my last ride: Fast crash on a group road ride, front guy didn't see or point out a rock, 2nd guy in the draft line hit it and went wonky and down, 3rd guy (me) ran over his bike and went up/down. Concussion, 5 fractures (+ 2 cracked teeth and 2 chipped teeth), quite a bit of face road rash and a new line-scar on my lip, plus a sprained wrist on the not fractured hand side. Fractures include; cheekbone, hand, 2 in the neck and a spinal compression fracture (which still hurts quite a bit). They missed the spinal compression fracture at the ER, when my back still hurt really bad a couple of days later I went back in. ER splinted my hand slightly 'wrong', the bone solidified before I saw the orthopedist 2 weeks later, and my little finger is crooked and I feel it when typing, hopefully that will resolve. I might be able to get back on a bike in about 5 or 6 weeks. 

Any crash you can ride home from isn't really all that bad.


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

jimPacNW said:


> Any crash where you don't see your bones with your own eyes isn't really all that bad.


Fixed


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## dysfunction (Aug 15, 2009)

Jayem said:


> Fixed


Thinking of, how's the recovery going?


With that said, I'll take a broken bone ligament/muscle tears.


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

dysfunction said:


> Thinking of, how's the recovery going?
> 
> 
> With that said, I'll take a broken bone ligament/muscle tears.


They are having me bend my leg up to 45° now. I'm only allowed to weight it when the brace is at 0° though, they think a couple months to get everything back to normal for activities. I can at least go to the gym now and do some other stuff.


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## JPSeuropa (Jul 12, 2010)

Sorry if it sounded like whining. I have had my share of injuries for sure and this was nothing, but I have never had another time where the forest gods were telling me "Go home fragile creature before I have to shout at you...and you wont like it, I promise!"


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## dysfunction (Aug 15, 2009)

Jayem said:


> They are having me bend my leg up to 45° now. I'm only allowed to weight it when the brace is at 0° though, they think a couple months to get everything back to normal for activities. I can at least go to the gym now and do some other stuff.


It's progress. I have a love/hate relationship with physical therapy (and thus, therapists). Hopefully it heals up faster than expected!


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## jimPacNW (Feb 26, 2013)

Jayem said:


> They are having me bend my leg up to 45° now. I'm only allowed to weight it when the brace is at 0° though, they think a couple months to get everything back to normal for activities. I can at least go to the gym now and do some other stuff.


 I missed your injury news, I've been selfishly preoccupied, - I'm hoping it's a speedy recovery for you. I had the knee brace last fall, due to a broken patella from a cyclocross race crash (drove myself home, depressing the clutch was painful). I didn't find 0 degrees to be practical, so I would allow for movement when sitting etc. When I went to see the orthopedist about starting rehab, I was sitting there in the chair with my knee bent at near 90 deg in the brace, he came into the room and said "oh, we were going to try to do that today!". I had a lot of stiffness and limited range for a while, but it's fine now, although a bit noisier/crunchier than it used to be on stairs.


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## jimPacNW (Feb 26, 2013)

JPSeuropa said:


> Sorry if it sounded like whining. I have had my share of injuries for sure and this was nothing, but I have never had another time where the forest gods were telling me "Go home fragile creature before I have to shout at you...and you wont like it, I promise!"


the danger of posting about any injury is that people are going to one-up you, it's a certainty.
That does sound like a day to challenge your determination for sure, and anything broken is no fun, - a broken toe seems to be a stub or step-on magnet!


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## kamaaina1 (Dec 16, 2012)

DennisT said:


> 1. Go home.
> 2. Hide under bed.
> 3. Get spouse to leave meals beside bed.


Followed by a nice cold IPA!


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## Lone Rager (Dec 13, 2013)

After a number of such incidents, I switched to flats after riding clipless for well over 20 years. It was a steep learning curve.


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## Tone No Balone (Dec 11, 2004)

Same here maybe 30 yrs of clipless, now flats….
Here is after the first ride.










i have since got new shoes and pedals and seems to have gotten over the learning curve.


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