yes. I had basically the same crash situation as you last fall at 26mph, but I got lucky and didn't break my collarbone. But did crack my helmet in half as my head broke my fall. I was seriously shaken from that, and rightfully so. I could have broken my neck and died or gotten brain damage.

After that I decided to stick to only triathlons and time trials (I was just venturing into road racing). And I realized it's mainly the training that I love so much, so I just focused on that and the process.

But now I'm already starting to get the itch to race bikes again. I've always ridden with a cycling racing team on the weekends and it's so much fun. Just need to be more careful in races and not be afraid to wear myself out at the front. Getting dropped is a much better alternative than a DNF.

Sorry to hear that, hope you mend soon! I've had several bad crashes over the years, resulting in broken ribs on 2 occasions, and a pair of broken arms on another. It hasn't stopped me from riding, the joy of being fit and getting outdoors far outweighs the risk of doing so . It has however made me rethink how, where and when I ride.

I almost never ride my TT bike outdoors other than on closed roads, as I believe there are too many hazards on the roads near me to not have instant access to brakes. I descend more carefully and avoid certain roads when it's wet or the leaves have come down. And in races I don't mind losing a few seconds to stay in my comfort zone rather than pushing my handling ability to the limits.

I did USCF racing during my wasted youth, and then again for a few yrs in my early 30s.
Maybe it was luck that I never went down in a race.

One of the last events I did was a circuit race with a monster downhill near a ski resort.
Pavement quality on the descent was bad and the organizers cautioned beforehand...
Of course, that didn't stop people from going full-gonzo.

One guy hit a pothole and went airborne into a guardrail, as he bike cartwheeled past.
Apparently he required facial surgery, and had no medical insurance.
This was before go-fundme, but a call went out within the cycling community to contribute.
Personally, I felt if you don't have health insurance, shouldn't you be mindful of the risks you're taking?

Agreed, this is a hobby, and risking injury for $100 prize money is hardly worth it.
So why not get your kicks doing centuries, sportifs, and triathlons only?

The adrenalin rush ain't quite the same, but it's similar.
And centuries.. you can always jump in w/ a group that's riding balls-out.
It's not officially a 'competition' -- but in my Walter Mitty mind, it's the TdF, and our break is 8minutes up on the peloton. :)

1989: Tour de Trump
2016: Trump elected emperor.

We could be onto something here:
"We'll have cycling insurance for everybody. Nobody'll be left by the side of the road."
"Who knew healthcare for cyclists was so complicated?"

'Repeal and Re-Race'!

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/04/donald-trump-2016-tour-de-trump-bike-race-213801

Doesn't USAC's insurance kick in to help at that point? That is part of what we pay for with licenses and race fees-

How old are you?
What is your trajectory as a rider? By that I mean fun, get as good as you can get etc..

All is not lost- ride the trainer and do some specific structured work as soon as you are able.
In 2000 (when I was a serous bike racer)- I broke my collarbone- literally on the 1st day that I felt like I had "real" legs all season.
I chilled out- got back on trainer, then mtb on road (with a raised stem)- 4 weeks after the injury I won state road race going solo for over a lap and holding off a major chase-

I went over my handlebars at 30mph in September and fractured my left greater tuberousity. I couldn't do squat for a month and then I could only run slow while being very careful. I ran a couple of very slow marathons in December and January. I still have some pain now, but I've done 1 70.3 this year and have 4 more lined up. I'm really careful while riding, but I find that the swimming is good PT and the running is fine. Just hang in there and realize that it will get better.

I think about the risks v rewards of cycling regularly. Running is my favorite way to play outside, so my biggest fear is getting in a cycling accident that ruins my enjoyment of running long term. OTOH, because you're not pounding the ground when you're cycling, you can be repaired from almost any accident so you can return to traveling under your own power on two wheels. I don't need the thrill of racing bicycles, but I do still need (after nearly 50 years) the joy of traveling on a bicycle. Good luck with the recovery!

Very sorry to read about your misfortune, I hope you heal up good and fast!

I have not experienced something as you have but I'm thinking of a personal situation where I can relate to this type of difficult mental struggle.

I would say to you that instances such as this provide opportunities to discover new things which you can direct your motivation towards. While you won't be able to pursue the races and results you originally wanted to, try to use the time to find something that can make you even better once you return. Perhaps a new leg stretching routine, some creative strength training, massages, or read some motivational/instructional books or videos. Even perhaps volunteer at races or something to gain new perspectives if that's your thing. This way once your injury heals, there will be SOMETHING which you've worked on and you'll ultimately be better than you were before once you get your training fitness back, which you of course will.

Reading your post it seems like your motivation is still there, you just need a way to apply it to something. As others have said, once you heal and you've been through this journey you can independently weigh whether bike racing is 'worth" it. I don't feel like it's up to anyone but you whether the feeling you get from racing is worth the risk, and if TTs or tris or GFs can give you the same satisfaction. You'll figure that out.

Time will pass. Nice weather will be there for you sometime in the future. Try to find a way to make this experience spit you out stronger on the other end! Good luck.

Most important part of this is just to keep your chin up. This is part of the process and there will always be up and downs. You are never as bad as you think you are on your worst day. Stay positive, DO what you can do every single day, and take steps forwards as often as your body allows.

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Holy ?hit. Have insurance and a broken collarbone will add up to thousands of dollars? Somebody is making too much money off your broken collarbone. Anyway you can enjoy racing without taking many risks although probably not in stand alone bike racing. I am a real chicken going downhill. I pass all the big guys going up and they pass me going down. I've done hard races like St.Croix and Muskoka and I do much better in mainly flat ones. But I always have fun and so far have never got injured in a race. The good thing about your situation is you don't have to decide anything for certain right now. Give it some time. This is about having fun.

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They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

Life is hard, and we have little control over much of what might cause an unexpected turn. A few years ago, I was training for an A marathon. But I got a bone infection in my foot and was on 3x-day IV antibiotics for 6 weeks. That, and some additional recovery that followed pretty much ended all running for six months. That killed an entire season and then some.

Yours may have been a bike crash, but it could just have easily have been a car crash, unexpected health issue, or about anything else. Do what you love, and do not worry about life's curve balls.

I had/have similar feelings. My first Full Ironman last November, I crashed my bike and fractured my right wrist in 2 places. All the training sacrifices, expenses from traveling, family, all so I could crash my bike and fracture my wrist. After the race I had to go straight to the ER with my wife sitting in the waiting room with our youngest crying and spent the next weeks in a cast and paying medical bills. Then the first race of this season, 70.3, I built my self back up, got over the negatives then 2 weeks before the race my legs started cramping up and I couldn't bike or run. During the bike leg around mile 40 I cramped both legs Hams and Quads, felt like pure lactate acid flooded, and lost all power output for the rest of the bike. I walked 13.1 miles to keep my legs from going into balls. Great end of the season and start of the season. Huge waste of monies and sacrifices. Now I am with you, is this shit worth it? I already have my race scheduled planned and paid for so I have no choice but to suck it up and find a way.

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http://www.sfuelsgolonger.com

Love your response! Thanks.

Two years ago, after going ass-up, and over my bars at 27mph, I wound up with a plate and seven screws in my right clavicle, and also additional surgery to repair a separated a-c joint (my shoulder was hanging like 6cm too low).

I was doing disciplined, and dedicated sessions on the trainer for 4 weeks, sometimes 2/day, and was back bike racing again after 5 weeks post-surgery. I had a few different sets of arm slings/padding, so I could have dedicated sets for training, and also for everything else (training slings got really soaked, etc). I was REALLY fit at the end of this period.

IME: the best rehab for my collarbone and shoulder joint was swimming—once I had enough recovered range of motion. For me, this was closer to 12 weeks post-surgery. In talking w/ other bike racers, they said they struggled with ROM issues. Now, my repaired side has better mobility and strength than my non-repaired side.

But back to your question: know that there is probably a finite timeline for recovery, and then you get to go race again. Use the time to come out more fit than before your crash. Maybe also set your trainer up outside, if possible, to take advantage of the nice weather. Good luck.

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no sponsors | no races | nothing to see here

The "is it worth it?" question is pretty natural after a big wreck like that. Having been through a couple of them, one much worse than this (broken femur), I've learned that you have to give it some time before making a decision either way. The "PTSD" aspect of it diminishes in time. I know one person who quit after the first broken collarbone. Most others I've known came out on the other side with the realization that they didn't want to walk away just yet.

And then there are (or were, in this case now, quite sadly) people like this:
https://truebs.com/...ford-is-why-we-ride/


Best of luck. At least with a collarbone you will be able to keep a reasonable level of fitness via the trainer.

http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...uanmoretime#p6269449

Getting cancer cost me $11,600, I hit the maximum out of pocket 2016 and 2017.

I've had plenty of bad bike crashes including tearing my collateral ligament off the bone in a crash. Been knocked out and compressed my c 6 and c7 discs to 50% of their normal size. I wake every day with excitement knowing I'm going to train on the bike today. I ride to live and live to ride.

• 10 years ago I was diagnosed with an auto-immune liver disease that has had me on and off steroids and immunosuppressants. I will probably need a liver transplant at some point in my life.
• 6 years ago I broke my right hip. 3 screws to hold it together and 3 months without my foot touching the ground. (Mountain bike)
• 5 years ago I broke my left wrist (Mountain Bike)
• 3 years ago I broke my right clavicle (5 pieces) 10 screws to put it back together (Mountain Bike).
• 1.5 years ago I was hospitalized for 2weeks because because my immune system attacked my kidneys and I was in kidney failure. After that I did 6 months of Chemo and Steroids. When I came back, my base wattage was 125w instead of the normal 225.
• Today I'm writing this after the last day of the 5 day Pisgah Stage Race.

Everyone takes what they need from whatever they chose to do. For some it's validation. For others atonement. For me, it's adventure. I was a nationally competitive hurdler. I will never achieve in cycling as I did on the track. I'm ok with that. I will probably have more setbacks in my life (my auto-immunity is a bitch). I'm ok with that. I will continue to come back to cycling on my own terms. I will continue to achieve what I can, but I will forever hold the sights, sounds, smells, thoughts, epiphanies, experiences, friendships and everything else associated with cycling forever.

My outlook changed. I am motivated by increasing fitness, but I am not defined by those numbers. I wanted to push myself in this race, but really I wanted to experience riding in a different part of the country.

If you question whether cycling is for you, first ask if the terms are those that you have chosen before you question continuing in the sport. Good luck on your journey.

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I talk a lot - Give it a listen: http://www.fasttalklabs.com/category/fast-talk
I also give Training Advice via http://www.ForeverEndurance.com

The above poster has eschewed traditional employment and is currently undertaking the ill-conceived task of launching his own hardgoods company. Statements are not made on behalf of nor reflective of anything in any manner... unless they're good, then they count.
http://www.AGNCYINNOVATION.com

I wrecked last August. My surgery was in December. I couldn't swim for 4.5 mos. I rode on the trainer for a couple months. I'm back to riding again (I've been running), outdoors. Did my 1st OWS, yesterday.....and the progress (just being able to swim again) has been fast. 3/22 I was ecstatic to swim 50 yds. Twice this week I swam 1 mi. straight (including yesterday in open water).

I know how you feel (re: the wreck and injury sucking the fun out of things). I have been contemplating an OLY in a couple weeks (I'm doing Choo 70.3 in May and IMLOU in Oct.). Yesterday, as I got in the lake....I imagined getting ready for the swim of my tri. Nothing. No enthusiasm. I like OWS's. I had fun doing the swim. The thought of racing doesn't excite me, right now. I hope that changes.

I can empathize with you. In early January I had a wreck in which I broke my collar bone and fractured my ribs. I had surgery a week later to put in the largest plate available into my shoulder because of the severity of the break and nine screws to hold it into place. The plate they put it is so big that it starts at the base of my neck and extends to the distal edge of my shoulder. Four weeks later, I slipped coming downstairs and broke my 2nd metatarsal.

I was able to ride the trainer about 4 weeks after the broken foot and started swimming a few weeks later.

Today I went for a run (exactly 3 months from my accident) and had pain in the middle of my back - enough that I could only run about 30 mins. I think it's probably inflammation in the ligaments in the middle back from the jarring of running. When I crashed and broke my clavicle, I landed on my back and the impact literally blew outward shattering the clavicle.

I had a very big year planned that appears to be in jeopardy. Hard pill to swallow of course, but if it means I can only swim and ride for the majority of this year and get back to running later this year, then so be it. Fighting it isn't going to help. Accepting it and looking for answers from those you trust is really the only thing you can do.

Good luck.

I signed up pretty much just to reply to this, since I am currently roughly in the same position. After having a great off season building up and boring myself to death in my garage on the trainer and treadmill I was excited about the coming racing season and also the great weather. However at the first MTB race of the season which was really more of just an excuse for everyone to get together and have a little fun on the tail end of winter, I got run over by a fully loaded box truck and broke my pelvis in half and fractured a couple of vertebrae. This has of course ended any possibility of racing seriously this season, mainly just focused on at least walking again. This is not the first incident i have had however. I have broken both of my collarbones, my arm, my wrist, my leg, and probably a couple of ribs that I ignored. These have been from mountain biking, road riding, WW kayaking, and even commuting when i got T-boned by a car going about 50. However with each setback it was simply a matter of acknowledging what had occurred and what will be necessary to allow it to recover. I have had to sell bikes to pay medical bills, lost entire seasons before they even start, and thrown away a great season right at the very end (qualifying run for 4x at nationals way back when). I guess that the point that I am getting at is that despite everything, I love this shit and realize there are risks but with proper assessment they can be avoided. If you are even posting here than you likely feel the same way and although you may be bummed out right now (believe me I understand, I have been in a bed for the last 2 months) when you heal up and start feeling good, all of those doubts will disappear and the stoke will return.

  
I had a couple of those about 15 years ago. Thinking of my 3 young kids, I decided never do a mass-start road race again.

Someone else suggested that you can enjoy road racing safely. That's bullshit. Unless you always ride 100 feet back from the peloton, somebody is going to do something squirrely, or crash in front of you eventually. And you can't do jack about it. Pros crash all the time. Amateurs crash even more. If you race, you will crash. Probably multiple times.

So my encouragement is that you can start thinking about never crashing again: limit yourself to Time Trials and Hillclimbs.

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My latest book: "Out of the Melting Pot, Into the Fire" is on sale on Amazon and at other online and local booksellers

Yes, got hit by a car. Crashed in races. Lost money, time and suffered a significant amount of pain. But I usually get back to it after a while. The harder the hit, the longer the downtime. But I get back to it. I just like it. I love it. After a fall two years back, I returned to racing but just stayed out of the leading packs and tight spaces. I did not mind racing and not winning. I like the entire race thing, and enjoy it whether I win or dont.

There is one thing that does slow me down, or makes me consider doing so and that is my family. Accidents can always happen, but I really try not to impact my family financially, emotionally or in being present, physically healthy by doing my sports. So yea, I take risks, but I know im taking them, and sometimes I conciously minimize those risks. I will probably not stop racing bikes any time soon, not for temporary injury reasons at least.

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Swim with swimmers, bike with cyclists, run with runners. Train with those who are hard to keep up with. Soon you will be hard to keep up with.

I had a nasty bike crash last summer, fracturing my spine at C6/C7/T1 requiring fusion surgery. I had pretty much the same "existential crisis with regards to the sport" when I was recovering through the autumn and winter. But slowly, I got the urge to swim/run/ride again, and start training and racing.

So I think what you're going through is pretty normal, and that feeling of "is it worth it" will wear off. You'll figure out what you love about the sport, pursue it, and get back on your feet. You just might need more time to heal physically and mentally.

Just make sure you have good insurance. :)