Hi guys..
Before i get on with the story, could someone please post the pics for me. Let me know, & i'll email the pics to you. Also, i'd like to apologize for the spelling errors in advance.
This was a pretty interesting weekend. It started with my alarm going off at 6 am on Saturday morning. I was supposed to meet a bunch of people at a bike shop on the North side of Chicago for my weekend bike ride. Today’s bike ride mileage was supposed to be in the 70+ range miles. The mileage was no big deal except for the fact that I was just feeling a little tired and sore. I had golfed 18 holes yesterday with my younger brother, Adam, and had walked a good 4 miles on the golf course. So I hit the snooze button figuring that I can squeeze in some extra nap time. After all, I had till 7 am before I had to leave the house. I finally roll out of bed at 6:30 am and go get ready. I grab all my cycling gear, some food for the ride and a breakfast bar to eat on the way to the meeting point. Pump the bike tires and loaded up the bike. All set and ready to roll..!
About half an hour into the drive, it then occurs to me.., I forgot to bring my riding sunglasses (Oakley M-Frames). No Biggie, I have another set of glasses (Oakley Eye Jackets) in the car, I’ll just use those. Then a minute later, I also remember that I had forgotten to bring my riding gloves. No big deal again, I can ride gloveless, its not like I’ve never done that before.
Arrive at the Higher Gear bicycle store on Fullerton with 10 mins to spare and parked the truck around the corner. Get changed and put on some arm warmers and wore a tank top under my riding jersey to stay a little warm. This morning’s temperature was in the high 60’s F (about 20 deg C). Ride up to the bike store and meet some of the other riders and chat a little before we get rolling. I thought that was going to be the only dork wearing arm warmers. Amazingly almose everyone was wearing arm warmers. Met some of the other regulars. Among them, were Dean, Arnie, Diane & Dania. Dean usually acts as the ride captain who usually keeps everyone in-check during the rides which helps make the rides more enjoyable for everyone. Dean had just come back from Europe from vacation. There was Arnie, an elder gentleman who had recently started biking (5 years) and has done numerous century rides. Then Diane rolls up with her friend Dania. Diane is the one who introduced me to this group ride. The common thing we have is that Diane is also doing the Florida Ironman this coming November. I usually compare training notes with Diane. This is the first time I was riding with Dania. She was just recovering from a sinus infection. Our ride route is usually an out and back ride that winds along the upscale neighborhoods on the Northside of Chicago to the far north suburbs (abt 21 miles out). It’s a pretty scenic ride but the only thing you had to watch out for was the condition of the roads. The road conditions were less favorable with the number of potholes along the course. About 13 riders start the ride. Some were a little faster but we all knew where we were headed, and the group split up based on abilities.
During the ride I tell Diane that my heart rate was a little higher than normal and I had no uumph in my legs. Diane’s respond was “It must just be one of those days”. I knew what she meant.. the higher heart rate could have been attributed to various events leading up to the ride. I had a really hard bike session on Tuesday and could have been still recovering. I also had 2 good run sessions during the week, with one of them on Tuesday night just after the Tuesday bike ride. Hydration could have played a role too. I made sure that I drank periodically along today’s ride. My legs were ok, but just that I expected more out of them. I tried to chase down the first group as they split but after a short chase, my legs gave up and I just eased up on the throttle and waited for the rest of them to catch up and join that pack.
We end up at our designated stop (a bike shop called Higher Gear in Highland Park) at the end of the bike ride. We chat a little and stretch out a little before continuing our bike ride. A little later we hop on to our bike and proceed a little further north. Arnie and Diane wanted to fit in 100 miles today, and I was up for it. I figured that as long as it was not going to be a hammerfest I could hang with them. I knew that they were not hammer heads and that they would take it at a reasonable pace. After making our turnaround, we head back towards town. We pass the bike store where we stopped earlier and kept on going. Our group had dwindled down to 7 riders. There were six of us (Dean, Arnie, Diane, Dania myself and a fireman) and we had just picked up another rider from a gas station along the way headed the same way into town.
Some miles pass and then I find myself waking up from a very peaceful nap. I felt like I was awakening from a very satisfying 10 hr nap on a Sunday afternoon. I open my eyes to a bright blue sky and Dania kinda appears in my sights up-side down. All I see is her head up to her shoulders. I was thinking to myself “Something is wrong with this picture, why is she upside down?” She was holding my shoulders & head down while telling me “Don’t Move..!, Don’t Move..!”. I did not know what had happened or how I ended up laying on the street. I lift my right hand up to see my palm and then it occurred to me, I must have taken a spill. My palm was bleeding from getting it scraped up on the road. I felt no hurt at that time. I looked around and see Arnie on the phone. I figured that he was calling for help or something. I peeked a little to my side and see my bike on the grass along side the street. It looked to be in pretty good shape. That was little comforting cause it meant 2 things. One, I wouldn’t have to replace the bike, and secondly, if the bike was still in one piece, it meant that the crash was probably not very spectacular. Soon, the paramedics arrived and I got put on a stretcher with all the works. I had a neck brace on and also head blocks to prevent my head from moving. Got carted into the ambulance and was headed straight to the Emergency Room. As I got carted into the ambulance I recall Diane saying “Paul, John from Higher Gear bike store has your bike.” All along the ride, all I could think of was how tired I was and wanted to get a little shut-eye and relax. I also could not believe what I saw while laying down in the back of the ambulance looking up at the ceiling of the ambulance. I kept thinking “This ambulance looks pretty stripped down”. I had always imagined that the ambulance would have the state-of-the equipment and all the fancy gadgets. Oh well.., I close my eyes to try to relax and then the paramedic kept bugging me to keep my eyes open and kept ensuring me that we were pretty close to the hospital. Pretty soon, I was unloaded and wheeled into the ER.
At the ER, the doc did what he had to do. I could not care less, as all I felt was just plain tired. One of the nurses, was bugging me for personal info while others were tending to my wounds and checking to see if I had suffered any serious injuries. I remember one of them telling me that he was going to clean the road rash from the palm of my hand. I think he was expecting me to cringe in pain as the water contacted the wounds, but all I felt was a cool watery sensation. Then came the toe wiggle test to see if I had suffered any paralysis. Everything was A-ok..! Adam & his wife appeared soon after I had arrived and had arranged to go pick up my truck from downtown and my bike from the bike shop. I got a chance to take a look at my helmet, and saw the point of impact. I also got a chance to look at my face in the mirror. I kinda knew it was a little swollen as I could see the shadow of the bulge from the corner of my left eye. It looked like someone had stuffed a golf ball under my skin in my left cheekbone. The nurses took care of the swelling with an ice pack. The helmet had 4 cracks on the helmet. The helmet had done its job and broke on impact like it was designed to. I was glad to be able to sit there and look at the helmet as compared to having someone swing by the accident scene to suck my brains off the street with a shop-vac. I complained about chest pains around my ribs section on my left side. I then got carted to the get a CAT scan and some X-rays. The doc also explained that he wanted to test my urine sample and explained that sometimes the kidney could suffer from the impact of the accident. Returned back to my ER room and kinda fell into a light sleep. Then woke up a little later and the doc told me that everything was ok. CAT scan revealed nothing and no fractured ribs. The urine test however, revealed something. There was a very small trace of blood in my urine. The doc explained that sometimes, during rigorous exercise, small traces of blood will show up in the urine sample. I was fine with that. I was given orders to get a follow-up check-up from my own personal doc to make sure that my kidneys are ok. I was also warned that I would be real sore on Sunday. Went home and took a nap on the couch. I had a bad-ass headache.
Damage report:
- Scraped up left cheek
- Scraped up knuckles on left hand
- Scraped up palm on right hand
- Road rash behind left shoulder blade
- Sore rib cage on left side
- Bruised thigh muscle
- Torn bar tape on my bike
- Handlebar may need replacement
- Scuffed up right brake levers
- Broken helmet
- Scratched glasses
Later on in the day, I spoke with Diane and she filled me in on what had happened. I must have hit one of those potholes and went airborne. Came down and landed of the side of my head. Apparently, I was unconscious for about 5-10 seconds (maybe more, I don’t know). I apparently mumbled to Diane to call the “847” area code phone number on my Road-ID bracelet (http://www.roadid.com) attached to my ankle to tell Adam about the incident. All my vital info was on that bracelet and I usually never ride or run without it. I am still in a quest to find out more of what happened. I don’t recall seeing anything or flying in the air or that moment where you would usually cry out “Oh Shit..!” just before impact. I have no memory of the accident AT ALL. I also learnt that the ride back to the city was pretty solemn.
I am truly glad to be in great company when I went down. I later find out that Dania is an ER doctor and I owe her and all the other riders involved big-time for pulling me through. Also, big thanks to Adam & his wife for helping out.
Moral of the story, ALWAYS wear your helmet, and pay attention to the road. If possible, wear other protective equipment also (gloves & glasses). Looking at my helmet, I would surely have been another statistic without the helmet.
Below, are some email responses from the other members of the group that helped shed som light on what actually happened that caused me to go down.. as I DON'T REMEMBER A SINGLE THING FROM THE EVENT.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Message from Diane..
...you very clearly said "oh shit"...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Message from Arnie..
Paul,
I am very glad to hear you are doing well. I bet Dean $5.00 you would be back soon. Just take it easy and come back… I love getting money from Dean.
I put pictures of the days ride up on the web site. It took all I had to take a picture of you lying there, but if it helps one person wear their damn helmet, it’s worth it!
I was in back of you when I saw you swerve to the right, then the left, then flip over the bike, then the bike flip over you. I think the judges scored you 10.0, 10.0, 10.0, 10.0 and 7.6. I think the 7.6 was from the Russian judge, but I am not sure.
One of the reasons I love riding with Dania is that she is an Emergency Room Doctor. Aside from the fact that she has a wicked sense of humor. I will ignore her lapse of thinking Will Ferrell is funny.
She just stopped, put her bike down, calmly walked over to you and made the initial assessment of your condition. She then made sure you stayed conscious until the paramedics arrived. She provided the paramedics with a briefing of your condition, your eyes were rolling into the back of your head (unconciousness) and you had obvious contusions on your face and hands. She directed the paramedics to get your head in a C-strap (neck brace) and kept instructing you to keep your eyes open and to not move your head. Once your neck was immobilized she let the paramedics take you to the hospital.
It always sucks when one of us has an accident. It becomes another reminder that we do engage in a dangerous sport and really need to pay attention and stay focused on the road. I am sorry it was your turn to provide the lesson and trust that you heal quickly and return to form.
(Dean, you are going to owe me $5.00!)
Arn
P.S. Thanks for providing the web site with the ID strap info on it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Paul,
It was right at the intersection of Cedar and St Johns Rd in Highland Park. There is a sewer on the right side of the street that has a nasty sort of concrete frame around it. The larger problem is that it is under a tree and hence shaded from view. I think you saw it and swerved to avoid it. I asked the cops to paint lines around it so other’s would see it.
I will send you the full jpg later.
Glad you are able to formulate complete sentences.
Arn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Message from Dean..
Hello Paul,
Thanks for the update on your condition...I am really glad you are ok. F.Y.I. the area where you took the spill has been painted bright orange so all cyclists can be warned. Thanks to Dania(our ride ER Doctor) and Arnie (the calm in the storm) for handling the situation with grace! Accidents always seem to happen when we are riding at a slower pace and chatting...not concentrating on riding. So from now on the ride will be kept at a much faster pace of around 30mph.
I hope you will join us again soon,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Paul..
Paul..
Before i get on with the story, could someone please post the pics for me. Let me know, & i'll email the pics to you. Also, i'd like to apologize for the spelling errors in advance.
This was a pretty interesting weekend. It started with my alarm going off at 6 am on Saturday morning. I was supposed to meet a bunch of people at a bike shop on the North side of Chicago for my weekend bike ride. Today’s bike ride mileage was supposed to be in the 70+ range miles. The mileage was no big deal except for the fact that I was just feeling a little tired and sore. I had golfed 18 holes yesterday with my younger brother, Adam, and had walked a good 4 miles on the golf course. So I hit the snooze button figuring that I can squeeze in some extra nap time. After all, I had till 7 am before I had to leave the house. I finally roll out of bed at 6:30 am and go get ready. I grab all my cycling gear, some food for the ride and a breakfast bar to eat on the way to the meeting point. Pump the bike tires and loaded up the bike. All set and ready to roll..!
About half an hour into the drive, it then occurs to me.., I forgot to bring my riding sunglasses (Oakley M-Frames). No Biggie, I have another set of glasses (Oakley Eye Jackets) in the car, I’ll just use those. Then a minute later, I also remember that I had forgotten to bring my riding gloves. No big deal again, I can ride gloveless, its not like I’ve never done that before.
Arrive at the Higher Gear bicycle store on Fullerton with 10 mins to spare and parked the truck around the corner. Get changed and put on some arm warmers and wore a tank top under my riding jersey to stay a little warm. This morning’s temperature was in the high 60’s F (about 20 deg C). Ride up to the bike store and meet some of the other riders and chat a little before we get rolling. I thought that was going to be the only dork wearing arm warmers. Amazingly almose everyone was wearing arm warmers. Met some of the other regulars. Among them, were Dean, Arnie, Diane & Dania. Dean usually acts as the ride captain who usually keeps everyone in-check during the rides which helps make the rides more enjoyable for everyone. Dean had just come back from Europe from vacation. There was Arnie, an elder gentleman who had recently started biking (5 years) and has done numerous century rides. Then Diane rolls up with her friend Dania. Diane is the one who introduced me to this group ride. The common thing we have is that Diane is also doing the Florida Ironman this coming November. I usually compare training notes with Diane. This is the first time I was riding with Dania. She was just recovering from a sinus infection. Our ride route is usually an out and back ride that winds along the upscale neighborhoods on the Northside of Chicago to the far north suburbs (abt 21 miles out). It’s a pretty scenic ride but the only thing you had to watch out for was the condition of the roads. The road conditions were less favorable with the number of potholes along the course. About 13 riders start the ride. Some were a little faster but we all knew where we were headed, and the group split up based on abilities.
During the ride I tell Diane that my heart rate was a little higher than normal and I had no uumph in my legs. Diane’s respond was “It must just be one of those days”. I knew what she meant.. the higher heart rate could have been attributed to various events leading up to the ride. I had a really hard bike session on Tuesday and could have been still recovering. I also had 2 good run sessions during the week, with one of them on Tuesday night just after the Tuesday bike ride. Hydration could have played a role too. I made sure that I drank periodically along today’s ride. My legs were ok, but just that I expected more out of them. I tried to chase down the first group as they split but after a short chase, my legs gave up and I just eased up on the throttle and waited for the rest of them to catch up and join that pack.
We end up at our designated stop (a bike shop called Higher Gear in Highland Park) at the end of the bike ride. We chat a little and stretch out a little before continuing our bike ride. A little later we hop on to our bike and proceed a little further north. Arnie and Diane wanted to fit in 100 miles today, and I was up for it. I figured that as long as it was not going to be a hammerfest I could hang with them. I knew that they were not hammer heads and that they would take it at a reasonable pace. After making our turnaround, we head back towards town. We pass the bike store where we stopped earlier and kept on going. Our group had dwindled down to 7 riders. There were six of us (Dean, Arnie, Diane, Dania myself and a fireman) and we had just picked up another rider from a gas station along the way headed the same way into town.
Some miles pass and then I find myself waking up from a very peaceful nap. I felt like I was awakening from a very satisfying 10 hr nap on a Sunday afternoon. I open my eyes to a bright blue sky and Dania kinda appears in my sights up-side down. All I see is her head up to her shoulders. I was thinking to myself “Something is wrong with this picture, why is she upside down?” She was holding my shoulders & head down while telling me “Don’t Move..!, Don’t Move..!”. I did not know what had happened or how I ended up laying on the street. I lift my right hand up to see my palm and then it occurred to me, I must have taken a spill. My palm was bleeding from getting it scraped up on the road. I felt no hurt at that time. I looked around and see Arnie on the phone. I figured that he was calling for help or something. I peeked a little to my side and see my bike on the grass along side the street. It looked to be in pretty good shape. That was little comforting cause it meant 2 things. One, I wouldn’t have to replace the bike, and secondly, if the bike was still in one piece, it meant that the crash was probably not very spectacular. Soon, the paramedics arrived and I got put on a stretcher with all the works. I had a neck brace on and also head blocks to prevent my head from moving. Got carted into the ambulance and was headed straight to the Emergency Room. As I got carted into the ambulance I recall Diane saying “Paul, John from Higher Gear bike store has your bike.” All along the ride, all I could think of was how tired I was and wanted to get a little shut-eye and relax. I also could not believe what I saw while laying down in the back of the ambulance looking up at the ceiling of the ambulance. I kept thinking “This ambulance looks pretty stripped down”. I had always imagined that the ambulance would have the state-of-the equipment and all the fancy gadgets. Oh well.., I close my eyes to try to relax and then the paramedic kept bugging me to keep my eyes open and kept ensuring me that we were pretty close to the hospital. Pretty soon, I was unloaded and wheeled into the ER.
At the ER, the doc did what he had to do. I could not care less, as all I felt was just plain tired. One of the nurses, was bugging me for personal info while others were tending to my wounds and checking to see if I had suffered any serious injuries. I remember one of them telling me that he was going to clean the road rash from the palm of my hand. I think he was expecting me to cringe in pain as the water contacted the wounds, but all I felt was a cool watery sensation. Then came the toe wiggle test to see if I had suffered any paralysis. Everything was A-ok..! Adam & his wife appeared soon after I had arrived and had arranged to go pick up my truck from downtown and my bike from the bike shop. I got a chance to take a look at my helmet, and saw the point of impact. I also got a chance to look at my face in the mirror. I kinda knew it was a little swollen as I could see the shadow of the bulge from the corner of my left eye. It looked like someone had stuffed a golf ball under my skin in my left cheekbone. The nurses took care of the swelling with an ice pack. The helmet had 4 cracks on the helmet. The helmet had done its job and broke on impact like it was designed to. I was glad to be able to sit there and look at the helmet as compared to having someone swing by the accident scene to suck my brains off the street with a shop-vac. I complained about chest pains around my ribs section on my left side. I then got carted to the get a CAT scan and some X-rays. The doc also explained that he wanted to test my urine sample and explained that sometimes the kidney could suffer from the impact of the accident. Returned back to my ER room and kinda fell into a light sleep. Then woke up a little later and the doc told me that everything was ok. CAT scan revealed nothing and no fractured ribs. The urine test however, revealed something. There was a very small trace of blood in my urine. The doc explained that sometimes, during rigorous exercise, small traces of blood will show up in the urine sample. I was fine with that. I was given orders to get a follow-up check-up from my own personal doc to make sure that my kidneys are ok. I was also warned that I would be real sore on Sunday. Went home and took a nap on the couch. I had a bad-ass headache.
Damage report:
- Scraped up left cheek
- Scraped up knuckles on left hand
- Scraped up palm on right hand
- Road rash behind left shoulder blade
- Sore rib cage on left side
- Bruised thigh muscle
- Torn bar tape on my bike
- Handlebar may need replacement
- Scuffed up right brake levers
- Broken helmet
- Scratched glasses
Later on in the day, I spoke with Diane and she filled me in on what had happened. I must have hit one of those potholes and went airborne. Came down and landed of the side of my head. Apparently, I was unconscious for about 5-10 seconds (maybe more, I don’t know). I apparently mumbled to Diane to call the “847” area code phone number on my Road-ID bracelet (http://www.roadid.com) attached to my ankle to tell Adam about the incident. All my vital info was on that bracelet and I usually never ride or run without it. I am still in a quest to find out more of what happened. I don’t recall seeing anything or flying in the air or that moment where you would usually cry out “Oh Shit..!” just before impact. I have no memory of the accident AT ALL. I also learnt that the ride back to the city was pretty solemn.
I am truly glad to be in great company when I went down. I later find out that Dania is an ER doctor and I owe her and all the other riders involved big-time for pulling me through. Also, big thanks to Adam & his wife for helping out.
Moral of the story, ALWAYS wear your helmet, and pay attention to the road. If possible, wear other protective equipment also (gloves & glasses). Looking at my helmet, I would surely have been another statistic without the helmet.
Below, are some email responses from the other members of the group that helped shed som light on what actually happened that caused me to go down.. as I DON'T REMEMBER A SINGLE THING FROM THE EVENT.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Message from Diane..
...you very clearly said "oh shit"...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Message from Arnie..
Paul,
I am very glad to hear you are doing well. I bet Dean $5.00 you would be back soon. Just take it easy and come back… I love getting money from Dean.
I put pictures of the days ride up on the web site. It took all I had to take a picture of you lying there, but if it helps one person wear their damn helmet, it’s worth it!
I was in back of you when I saw you swerve to the right, then the left, then flip over the bike, then the bike flip over you. I think the judges scored you 10.0, 10.0, 10.0, 10.0 and 7.6. I think the 7.6 was from the Russian judge, but I am not sure.
One of the reasons I love riding with Dania is that she is an Emergency Room Doctor. Aside from the fact that she has a wicked sense of humor. I will ignore her lapse of thinking Will Ferrell is funny.
She just stopped, put her bike down, calmly walked over to you and made the initial assessment of your condition. She then made sure you stayed conscious until the paramedics arrived. She provided the paramedics with a briefing of your condition, your eyes were rolling into the back of your head (unconciousness) and you had obvious contusions on your face and hands. She directed the paramedics to get your head in a C-strap (neck brace) and kept instructing you to keep your eyes open and to not move your head. Once your neck was immobilized she let the paramedics take you to the hospital.
It always sucks when one of us has an accident. It becomes another reminder that we do engage in a dangerous sport and really need to pay attention and stay focused on the road. I am sorry it was your turn to provide the lesson and trust that you heal quickly and return to form.
(Dean, you are going to owe me $5.00!)
Arn
P.S. Thanks for providing the web site with the ID strap info on it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Paul,
It was right at the intersection of Cedar and St Johns Rd in Highland Park. There is a sewer on the right side of the street that has a nasty sort of concrete frame around it. The larger problem is that it is under a tree and hence shaded from view. I think you saw it and swerved to avoid it. I asked the cops to paint lines around it so other’s would see it.
I will send you the full jpg later.
Glad you are able to formulate complete sentences.
Arn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Message from Dean..
Hello Paul,
Thanks for the update on your condition...I am really glad you are ok. F.Y.I. the area where you took the spill has been painted bright orange so all cyclists can be warned. Thanks to Dania(our ride ER Doctor) and Arnie (the calm in the storm) for handling the situation with grace! Accidents always seem to happen when we are riding at a slower pace and chatting...not concentrating on riding. So from now on the ride will be kept at a much faster pace of around 30mph.
I hope you will join us again soon,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Paul..
Paul..
