# Broken clavicle. What to expect/ recovery time



## DAD BOD (Dec 15, 2017)

Well I broke my clavicle this weekend after going OTB fairly hard. Emergency room X-rays showed it was a severe fracture that needs surgery.
I’ll be scheduling that surgery hopefully later this afternoon when I speak to the surgeon.

What kind of real world recovery time can I expect? I’ve been reading time frames all across the board. I know the surgery helps you gain range of motion quicker , but how long realistically until I’m back on the bike? Will this terrible pain subside anytime soon?



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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

DAD BOD said:


> What kind of real world recovery time can I expect? I've been reading time frames all across the board. I know the surgery helps you gain range of motion quicker , but how long realistically until I'm back on the bike? Will this terrible pain subside anytime soon?


I broke mine pretty good but didn't get surgery, doc told me I'd be back on the bike in 6 weeks or so but I think it was more like 3 or 4 months before I was riding again. It's been about 3 years now so memory is fading, I do remember the pain went away pretty quickly and now unless I look in a mirror I'd never know it happened.


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## Cuyuna (May 14, 2017)

DAD BOD said:


> Well I broke my clavicle this weekend after going OTB fairly hard. Emergency room X-rays showed it was a severe fracture that needs surgery.
> I'll be scheduling that surgery hopefully later this afternoon when I speak to the surgeon.
> 
> What kind of real world recovery time can I expect? I've been reading time frames all across the board. I know the surgery helps you gain range of motion quicker , but how long realistically until I'm back on the bike? Will this terrible pain subside anytime soon?


 6 weeks to 3 months to heal to the point where you can handle jolting handlebars without pain. The acute post-fracture pain that you feel now will subside in 5-14 days.


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## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

Surgery to repair my clavicle fracture made it feel ten times better simply by having everything put back into place and stabilized. I can't recall how long it was before I was back riding again but I'm guessing 3 months. I learned to enjoy walking.


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## stellarider (Mar 17, 2018)

even though it sucked i'm glad i got the surgery (and subsequent plate removal a year later). IIRC it was at least 6 weeks before getting on the road bike and several months before mountain biking. needless to say i took it pretty easy on the mtb for a while. did a ton of hiking though, it was nice to get on some trails that don't allow bikes!


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## DAD BOD (Dec 15, 2017)

surgery was performed yesterday and I am in a world of pain. 3 young kids under 6 isn't helping either. I am so bummed out about missing this summer of riding. We get nasty winters here in NY and I had just gotten over my annual winter depression when this happened.

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## ReXTless (Feb 23, 2007)

Sorry to hear of the injury I'm in basically the same boat. I crashed last week and fractured my humerus. Also suspect my rotator cuff is messed up. I'm absolutely gutted to miss the riding season this year.

Best wishes and heal up fast!


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## rockman (Jun 18, 2004)

I broke my collarbone 5 weeks ago but did not have surgery. Started light biking at a little less than 4 weeks. Non-displaced fracture in the glenoid bone seems to be what is limiting my ROM but the collarbone break, while healing, still hurts. Good luck with it!


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## Dr Evil (Sep 20, 2015)

DAD BOD said:


> surgery was performed yesterday and I am in a world of pain. 3 young kids under 6 isn't helping either. I am so bummed out about missing this summer of riding. We get nasty winters here in NY and I had just gotten over my annual winter depression when this happened.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Totally understand your frustration man. It is what it is though. This too shall pass. As we discussed, it could have been a lot worse.


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## Balduccimoto (Apr 25, 2018)

I was in a motorcycle accident 6 years ago, I broke the clavicle in half, and I didn't do the surgery. I was back to work as an automotive mechanic in about 5 weeks. There was pain with heavy lifting, but it was manageable. I don't know how I healed so quickly.. Either it was the determination to make a pay check again or resting well. I had a much harder time with my broken 5th metacarpal.. Anyways, I wish you a speedy recovery.


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## guido316 (Apr 20, 2018)

I feel your pain!! Broke mine just like yours, your xray looks just like mine. Pain is high for the first week, then subsides. Military decided I didn't need surgery (20+ years ago) , I've got a knot where the bones knitted together. It took 5-6 months before I felt I was 100%. Biggest pain was the inconvenience of breaking my right side... makes doing all those personal things a challenge. Good Luck, remember better life thru chemicals, but only for a week!


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## Balduccimoto (Apr 25, 2018)

guido316 said:


> Good Luck, remember better life thru chemicals, but only for a week!


The pain killers are the worst. I came out from a week stay in the hospital and I was addicted. My symptoms were bad enough that I suspected it was related to my concussion and so I returned to the hospital for a check up. The diagnosis: "You're having withdrawals". Definitely take painkillers sparingly.


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## Mckinley (Apr 22, 2017)

Wishing you a speedy recovery!


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## guido316 (Apr 20, 2018)

One week on Demerol and I was in hurting status. Just sucked it up and moved on.


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## JRutter (Oct 24, 2016)

stellarider said:


> even though it sucked i'm glad i got the surgery (and subsequent plate removal a year later). IIRC it was at least 6 weeks before getting on the road bike and several months before mountain biking. needless to say i took it pretty easy on the mtb for a while. did a ton of hiking though, it was nice to get on some trails that don't allow bikes!


How did the plate removal go?

I'm at about week 6 post surgery (clavical was in 4 pieces) and I can tell that the plate and screws is going to bug the hell out of me. My main issues have been with the surrounding muscles and tendons being really sore, but range of motion is coming back.

I had a bad break of the distal radius on the same side, so got double surgeries. The wrist recovery has been more difficult and painful than the collarbone...


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## DAD BOD (Dec 15, 2017)

6 weeks post surgery and I’m feeling much stronger. I rode the bike around the neighborhood yesterday without any pain, rode some grassy sections and curbs, and really can’t wait to get out on the singletrack. I saw my surgeon on Tuesday and he told me the bones are healing nicely and that he wants me back in 4 WEEKS for another X-ray and he thinks he may clear me work full duty at that time. 
Injury - May 26 
potential clear date - July 31

And he rolled his eyes when I asked him when I can get back on the mountain bike. 

He then laughed out loud when I asked if I’ll be playing in my fall ice hockey beer league in September. 




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## ASCTLC (Sep 29, 2010)

I too am curious how the plate removal went/is going.

My crash was 4 days before Dad Bod's but my surgery was a week post crash. I'm scheduled for doc follow up this coming Tues for xrays to see if healing the gap is going alright so I can get out of the sling.

But it's this plate that bugs me! Patience is not a virtue I've been forced to learn in my 54 years so I'm trying to be positive that I'll get totally used to it. Doc advised me during the pre-surgery consult that 10-15% of the people who get plated have them removed about a year later so I figure I'll cross that bridge next year if I come to it.

What I'm curious about is the post-op nerve numbing. Is it going through it all over again after removing the plate like it is after having it put in?


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## DAD BOD (Dec 15, 2017)

ASCTLC said:


> I too am curious how the plate removal went/is going.
> 
> My crash was 4 days before Dad Bod's but my surgery was a week post crash. I'm scheduled for doc follow up this coming Tues for xrays to see if healing the gap is going alright so I can get out of the sling.
> 
> ...


From my understanding it's almost a 50/50 shot whether the nerves will reattach and you'll gain feeling back in the area. I'm also interested in the plate removal because I'm a police officer and I wear a heavy vest at work.

I haven't had to put it on yet as I've been working desk duty since my wreck but I know that if I decide that it's too much to deal with and have the plate removed, my collarbone will then look like Swiss cheese after backing out all of the screws and I will yet again have to go through another bone healing process aside from ANOTHER surgical incision/ staples/ stitches.

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## ASCTLC (Sep 29, 2010)

50/50? Damn, first I heard that figure for nerve recovery. I'll ask my doc about it Tues.

Same repair for me, I got 11 screws.


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## stellarider (Mar 17, 2018)

plate removal was far less traumatic than getting it put in (go figure). i had full range of motion after just a few weeks, a little bit of PT and i was good to go. SO glad i didn't keep the plate in, it was really annoying and made it hard to wear a backpack. the bone is still tender at times (3 years after initial injury) but i don't notice it often. btw the plate has made for a great keychain...


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## ASCTLC (Sep 29, 2010)

Backpacking is a main concern I have for the plate stellarider. Between the backpack and packing elk quarters out of the mtns during hunting season I can just predict it'll be a sore spot for me.

So glad to hear it was less traumatic to remove! How would you describe the shoulder numbness after the first surgery and the plate removal surgery? Did you have an extended numbness (numerous months?) that finally went away and did you not get any/much just having the plate removed?

Thanks! Andy


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## stellarider (Mar 17, 2018)

the numb patch hasn't really changed much since the first surgery. its an area about the size of a silver dollar. fortunately that is a part of the body where you don't really need touch sensitivity, it has been a complete non-issue for me. i have had some issues with my ulnar nerve (compounded by my regular activities) but massage and home care (stretching+strengthening) has helped tremendously.


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## ASCTLC (Sep 29, 2010)

DAD BOD said:


> And he rolled his eyes when I asked him when I can get back on the mountain bike.


My Ortho is a mtn biker and was kind enough to ask how my bike was...literally the second thing he said right after looking at my shoulder and stating I sure messed it up good. 

My wife commented: "Thank God, at least we know you're in good hands!".


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## ASCTLC (Sep 29, 2010)

I have significant pain with the nerve that runs right behind my clavicle down past my bicep. It awakes me at night a lot still. While massaging the incision scar with vitamin E I can hit that deep nerve behind the clavicle and when I do it's a very sharp pain from my delt down past my whole bicep.

PT said I need to keep at it and the nerve is supposed to acclimate to the point it feels no different than my other side (which I can irritate if I dig down to it).


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## GoldFly (Nov 6, 2015)

6 weeks or so and I was riding my bike (cautiously) again.

Now I'm 1 year post OP... I'm waiting until winter then will have the plate taken out. It's not terribly painful but definitely uncomfortable. Still can't wear a backpack. I still have the somewhat-numb patch as well.


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## DAD BOD (Dec 15, 2017)

My doctor won’t me anything more than an eye roll when I mention bike riding again. 
I know some may say that riding too soon is pushing your luck, and I understand the risks involved. 

My question is given the surgery I had, titanium plate installed, does anyone have an idea of how many weeks it would take for my bone to support a fall? 
Let’s say I wasn’t doing anything stupid but washed out on a turn and fell, when it wouldn’t otherwise have broken anything , when will my repaired clavicle be strong enough to withstand something that the rest of my body could without re-breaking ? 


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## stellarider (Mar 17, 2018)

i waited about 3 months before mountain biking again (mellow road riding after about 2). had a minor wipeout within the first few weeks of riding and it was all good. in theory the plate should hold it together just fine but its probably a good idea to err on the side of caution...


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## Balduccimoto (Apr 25, 2018)

I broke my hand and clavicle in October and returned to surf riding jet skis (high impact hobby) in March or April. Probably sooner if the weather had cooperated.

I returned to working as a automotive mechanic in about 6 weeks. Job involves lifting heavy objects and reaching over my head.


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

DAD BOD said:


> My question is given the surgery I had, titanium plate installed, does anyone have an idea of how many weeks it would take for my bone to support a fall?


Never? It already broke once when it was pristine!

Anyone here can only guess how long you should wait before riding and it seems weird that your doctor only rolled his eyes at that question. Mine told me to go whenever I felt strong enough and I was doing tentative, easy dirt rides after a few months and it was several more months after that before I did any hard mtb rides. I recommend avoiding crashes for awhile.


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## JRutter (Oct 24, 2016)

Hard to say because every fall is different. I've crashed multiple times in similar ways before my breaks and walked away with sore ribs for a few weeks. My ortho also rides, in fact his partner is a regular riding partner for me. They both told me that for the first period of healing, the bones are still sort of soft and the screws can actually pull out if too much force is on them. Once you hit the time period when they knit and harden up again, the concern is breaking the bone on either side of the plate because of the stress created by the reinforcement of the plate. I got official "permission" to do conditioning type rides after 8 weeks and am now at 11 weeks and doing technical singletrack (no jumps yet). I'm 50, so if you are younger and in good shape you might heal a bit faster.


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## elm. (Jul 20, 2018)

broke mine 6 weeks ago. Doctor told me it would be a 3 month recovery but gave me the go ahead to ride "light" singletrack last week. This being my 4th broken collarbone at the age of 22, I think I know my limits better than the doctor, even that sounds pretty ignorant. Been riding for a couple weeks and even lightly jumping. Drink lots of milk and try to stay in a good mood! I've always found that when you keep yourself busy and happy, you tend to recover faster, even though a doctor might not tell you the same thing.


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## Dr Evil (Sep 20, 2015)

elm. said:


> Drink lots of milk and try to stay in a good mood!


I would skip the milk thing. Milk (animal products) are acidic and lower your body pH. The more acidic you are the more the body will pull minerals from bone to buffer its pH. That will demineralize bone. The dairy association does a good job selling dairy (Got Milk?) but we have more osteoporosis compared to other cultures who have less dairy. They get their calcium from veggies. Do the same or supplement with D3 or coral calcium. Also, work on pH. PM me with any questions.:thumbsup: Here is some good info: https://kimberlysnyder.com/blog/2012/11/10/osteoporosis-the-real-causes/


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## elm. (Jul 20, 2018)

Dr Evil said:


> I would skip the milk thing. Milk (animal products) are acidic and lower your body pH. The more acidic you are the more the body will pull minerals from bone to buffer its pH. That will demineralize bone.


Thanks Dr. Evil! If you were truly evil you'd tell me to keep drinking milk. But maybe you are and this is all a trick. But maybe you are counting on me thinking this is a trick...


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## Dr Evil (Sep 20, 2015)

elm. said:


> Thanks Dr. Evil! If you were truly evil you'd tell me to keep drinking milk. But maybe you are and this is all a trick. But maybe you are counting on me thinking this is a trick...


Are you kidding? I'm a *****cat.

edit: Seriously? I can't use the term *****cat?:madman: PC sucks.


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## elm. (Jul 20, 2018)

Dr Evil said:


> Are you kidding? I'm a *****cat.


probably why you want all the milk for yourself


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## DaliTrout (Jun 29, 2006)

I'm sorry to hear of your injury and temporary limitation from riding. It's got to be one of the most common biking injuries.

I broke my right clavicle almost exactly 10 years ago. It fractured into 5 pieces and I ended up with a plate and 10 screws and a decent concussion even with the helmet. I never opted to have the plate removed and have had no issues with backpacking, the camelbak, or kids jumping off my shoulders in the pool. I waited 6 weeks before I got back on the mountain bike, and my first ride out of the gate missed seeing a pine tree down and pointed up trail that jousted me off the bike, barely piercing the (lucky?) left shoulder. I stuck to green-ways for a couple of months after that and it did take almost a year of riding to regain my trail confidence. The initial pain is mostly gone within the first 2-3 weeks, and I only used pain meds through the first 3 days.
The nerve numbness took a couple of years to more or less regenerate. It's an odd sensation, but largely inconsequential.
Here's to a full and quick recovery. There's still plenty you can get out and do, and even some of that on a bike.


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## jamesm113 (Aug 8, 2015)

Broke mine riding moto 3 years ago. My break was a similar fashion to yours - it was displaced about 1 inch down and 1 inch inward. My ortho said 80%+ chance it would not heal without surgery.

I regained feeling below the incision after about a year. I think it's possible for the nerves to regrow around the scar.

I had the plate pulled after 20 months (early last year). Should have done it sooner, in my opinion, it was painful, carrying backpacks/dufflepacks was never pleasant. Feels the best it ever has now. I barely notice it. Only get slight aches when I REALLY overdo it.

The first year was pretty rough. I couldn't ride for a solid 3 months. Lots of pain/discomfort/icing for next 9 months. PT was huge in getting things better - I highly recommend doing the exercises they give you.


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## gregnash (Jul 17, 2010)

Fall is always subjective, the compressive impact is normally not what breaks the bone, rather there is some sort of rotational torsion that causes the break or there is a sharp impact at the break site. So "supporting" yourself on a "fall" really comes down to the type of fall and how heavy your impact is. By "how heavy your impact is" really means how much force you are putting into the fall and impact points (hands, wrists, shoulder, etc.). This can be avoided and/or lessened by rolling, think stuntman style, to help dissipate the impactive force from one dedicated area to a larger, more spread out area. 

I would seriously reconsider riding until your Dr. gives you clearance. Clarify with them what you are wanting to do and what they believe is "acceptable" for your healing point. My brother, a PT by trade, broke his collar bone a few years back by stuffing his shoulder/collarbone through the rear window of a Jeep Cherokee that abruptly stopped in front of him. While he did not sling it, just used his own control muscles to hold it up and support it when necessary, it was a good 6wks before he was on the trainer again. True road riding was almost 3 months out and he was back on the trail in 4 months, light XC flow trail singletrack.

Thing is that everyone is different and heals differently. Take care of your body and it will heal quickly for you. Stay safe and heal quick dude!


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## teK-- (Dec 3, 2011)

gregnash said:


> I would seriously reconsider riding until your Dr. gives you clearance. Clarify with them what you are wanting to do and what they believe is "acceptable" for your healing point. My brother, a PT by trade, broke his collar bone a few years back by stuffing his shoulder/collarbone through the rear window of a Jeep Cherokee that abruptly stopped in front of him. While he did not sling it, just used his own control muscles to hold it up and support it when necessary, it was a good 6wks before he was on the trainer again. True road riding was almost 3 months out and he was back on the trail in 4 months, light XC flow trail singletrack.
> 
> Thing is that everyone is different and heals differently. Take care of your body and it will heal quickly for you. Stay safe and heal quick dude!


This.

Trust the professionals to conduct a proper assessment and confirm to what level of activity you can safely return to. The only way they will be able to tell is by reviewing xrays and also conducting various mobility/strength tests.

Here is a week-by-week summary of my recovery. I had a break in the middle third, with about 10mm of shortening. The surgery I had after 3 weeks was an intramedullary screw.

1 week post op I was doing some very light mobility exercises under physio guidance. Shoulder was stiff af and I could hardly raise my arm higher than my belly.

At 2 weeks I was cleared to push range of motion and do any thing up to 1kg resistance. I also started riding on an indoor trainer which helped immensely both physically and mentally. It was tiring for the first week to support my arm on the bars but it got better..

Stuck to the physios program which was expanded with new exercises and additional weight added when I saw him every 2 weeks.

At about the 5 week mark I noticed range of motion was fairly good and strength was building up very quickly from this point in.

At the 6.5 week mark ROM was measured at 88% and I was comfortably pushing around 4kg weights even though the surgeon gave me a conservative limit earlier.

At 7.5 weeks I got x-rays which showed good bone union and surgeon cleared me for return to full activities. Bone is not quite 100% until maybe 6 more weeks so I just gotta be extra careful when riding.

I don't have any pain and the scar is pretty neat. Ive been using this silicon scar removal ointment every night, which I'm not sure if it made a difference other than the scar is fairly flat now and looks less gnarly than at first.

There was a small numb patch where they cut under the collarbone but the feeling has been coming back progressively . Just need to keep working on getting that last 10% range back and continue rebuilding muscle.

At 8 weeks post-surgery I got back on the MTB.


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## teK-- (Dec 3, 2011)

DAD BOD said:


> My doctor won't me anything more than an eye roll when I mention bike riding again.
> I know some may say that riding too soon is pushing your luck, and I understand the risks involved.
> 
> My question is given the surgery I had, titanium plate installed, does anyone have an idea of how many weeks it would take for my bone to support a fall?
> ...


Based on all the reading I've done and from speaking with my surgeon it would be about 12-14 weeks to be solid enough to have a low re-break risk. Basically any riding before that you pretty much don't want to fall on it at all.

Research studies indicate it can sometimes take up to 22 weeks for the bone to be 100%


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## DAD BOD (Dec 15, 2017)

I’m at 22 weeks post op. I’ve been riding here and there, back to weight lifting , although not as heavy as I was pushing back before my injury. I returned to work after 12 weeks ( doctor wanted to be sure the bone was strong enough as he was worried about fights and stuff- I’m a police officer) 
And I’ve been back in the ice for a couple of weeks now playing hockey in my adult league. I’ve taken a few hits so far and feel just as strong as I did prior to my injury/ surgery 


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## Vegard (Jul 16, 2009)

If your clavicle was shortened you might actually end up stronger on that side than you were previously.


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## TwiceHorn (Jun 18, 2014)

Broke mine 12/4. Along with mallet finger fracture of left middle. Doc wasn't big on clavicle surgery but said it would heal faster. It is fairly laterally displaced and will have a substantial deviation.

I have ACA insurance with a five figure deductible, so cost-benefit really comes into it.

No surgery on collarbone, $6k for the finger surgery and splint wont be off and pin out until March. So that dictates any thought of getting back on bike.

Considering the cost, it's enough to deter taking much risk on the bike.


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