Colorado had been good to us. Gorgeous sights, entertaining nights, lots of Push programming/Friendship Visits, multiple days off and a general sense of relief for finally escaping Wyoming. I knew it was too good to be true. I'll soon post reviews of Boulder, Denver and Colorado Springs but first I'll tell yall about my most memorable moment of the summer thus far.
The day started in Lamar and we were headed to Garden City, Kansas, crossing into our sixth state of the summer. I stayed up late the night before working on the wake up music mix for our 5 am wakeup preceding yet another century ride. Usually Maroon 5, Michael Buble, Shwayze, Dierks Bentley, and the Goofy Movie Soundtrack don't work together but they did this particular morning and the team was loose and ready during morning circle up. Good news that added to the general pleasant mood of the morning was that the team was now allowed to ride in pacelines of up to 6, increasing the time each rider could draft behind those in front of him.
The ride technically began in Colorado but the scenery looked just like Kansas. Once you get 50 miles east of Denver, the Rockies are lost behind you and the eastern half of the state consists of mostly high plains. Around mile 15, I finished my turn pulling (the lead position in the paceline where you take on all the headwinds to ease the ride for those behind you) and fell to the back. I got lazy and fell several bike lengths back from the group so I put my head down and cranked out a few hard pedal strokes to close the gap and take advantage of the draft. When I looked up, I realized I had built too much speed and was too close to James (the rider in front of me). I veered slightly to the left as my front tire passed and overlapped his rear tire. There was a rumble strip immediately to my left so I stayed too close to James and my front and his rear tire began to rub. In retrospect, I should have just eased my bike onto the rumble strip until my bike was a safe distance away from James instead of trying to avoid the bumps. Now since his rear tire is fixed, he likely didn't feel anything at all. However, my front tire was going crazy since it was flexible and we were traveling about 22mph. I've rubbed tires in the past and been able to pull out and stabilize the bike but this time was different. As I tried to fight my shaking handlebars, my front wheel jerked right and I began to feel myself falling over the right side of my bike. My hands hit the asphalt first (like an idiot I wasn't wearing gloves) and transferred almost all of my momentum directly onto my right shoulder. My head and right hip smacked the road too and my speed bounced me once as I rolled into the grassy ditch.
I temporarily blacked out when my head hit the road. Thankfully, my helmet took all the force (unfortunately it also broke, even though that's what it's designed to do). Because of that, I was destined to see an orthopedic surgeon instead of a neurosurgeon as well. Kids, always wear your helmets. When I sat up on the side of the grassy hill, I heard a dull ringing as I tried to take in my surroundings. I slowly took off my sunglasses with my left hand, I had no idea what kind of trouble my right arm was in yet. The paceline stopped and James ran back to help. I asked for water as I tried to take a mental tally of what parts of my body worked and what might be in trouble. However, due to the adrenaline and general shock that my body was in, I didn't really feel any pain. I had to be told that there was a deep gash in my right hand that was bleeding all over my shorts. I hardly noticed that my right shoulder was fixed in an unnatural position. I knew my shoulder was my main problem spot but also guessed I shouldn't try moving it. It only took 10 minutes after one of the guys called Drayton (our crew chief) for him to arrive, get me in a van, and speed back towards the Lamar ER.
Once in the ER (Drayton, James, and Jeremy I can't thank you enough for sticking with me) the four of us discussed my accident with the staff and developed a plan. Not wanting to further scare myself or the guys, I started joking around with the awesome Lamar nursing staff (Toni, thank you) in an effort to make light of my injury. They gave me some pain meds, cut off my jersey, and eyeballed the shoulder. Broken collarbone, was the prognosis. Inside my head I was thinking "shit!" but tried to joke around as we went to get x-rays. I wish I had the file with my pre op x-rays, they really are spectacular. The aftermath? Open fracture to my right clavicle (collarbone. also meaning one of the pieces had punctured the skin), fractured scapula (shoulder blade), bruised ribs, and lots of road rash (scrapes) covering the right arm. Yippee. Looks like my summer of riding is over and a trip to a Denver surgeon is in my immediate future.
After yet another shot in my ass (4 in 30 minutes), Drayton took me to Denver as James and Jeremy rejoined the team. The Lamar staff did us huge favors as the only thing Drayton and I had to do were arrive at the Denver hospital and the surgeons were waiting. I like to thank Dr. Oster, my primary surgeon, for fixing me me. Post op x-ray shown below. Huge thanks to my incredible Denver nursing staff (Maria, thank you for putting up with my playful sarcasm/bad humor and keepin me in line). These nurses made sure I stayed comfortable and finally convinced me to start taking my pain meds. Also thank you Mrs. Thacker, mother of cyclist Ben Thacker for visiting Drayton and I twice during our two day stay.
My right shoulder, post op, with a plate and 9 screws in my clavicle.
While leaving the hospital was uncomfortable, I was happy to be out. They had me on an antibiotic drip for 48 hours due to the open fracture on my collarbone or I would've been released sooner. Drayton and I made the 8 hour drive and met up with the team in Pratt, Kansas. We arrived at 12:15 am and since the team had a 5:30 am wakeup, I assumed they'd all be sleeping. However, they were all awake and waiting to welcome Drayton and I back to the team. It was a very happy moment to be reunited with the guys and catch up on the last 2 days.
This has been one of the most significant moments of my life for all the wrong reasons. However, I am unbelievably thankful that my helmet protected me from any head or neck trauma. I'm thankful to be apart of a life changing summer, an event that is bigger than myself or my teammates. While I have become what I was originally riding for I'm thankful that my disability is only temporary. As I struggle to find meaning in my injury, I will continue to show thanks and appreciate the little things. If you're going to be slowed down by injury, spending time with a great group of guys whose purpose is to help serve those with disabilities isn't the worst place in the world to be. I swear, these guys need to stop asking if I need any help. Haven't they figured out how stubborn I am yet? Hah, I'm thankful for their company. Alright, I can tell this is a long one so I'll wrap it up. I'll post recovery details soon. Thanks for readin
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