LIKE us on Facebook 
Post by meandmymonkee on May 19, 2010 13:19:10 GMT -5
Been riding FATS about a year now, and just had my first off this morning.
Got there about 10am, only vehicle in the lot. Rode Deepstep CCW, Skinny CW to Brown Wave CCW, then back onto Skinny to complete the CW loop.
About 500ft from the southern tip of Skinny, on a nice downhill section, I came across a new tree fallen across the trail. It was masked by a plant at a slight bend in the trail. I was carrying too much speed to stop. Rear brake locked and still moving very quickly, I pulled on the front and went over the bars.
Not sure if the bike actually hit the tree or not, but there was no damage. I did not hit the tree, because I cleared it as I separated from the bike. Landed very heavily on my right side. Momentum of my head smacked it into the trail, hard.
I have some deep bruising to my shoulder, and also the outside of my arm near the elbow, and a few scratches on my right leg.
The main reason I am posting this is because I am sure the helmet saved me from very serious injury. My head hit the ground hard. real hard. I can still hear the sound. There were a few roots there and they caused dents in the styrofoam.
After a few minutes to recover, I muscled the tree out of the trail.
The shoulder is starting to stiffen up already, but I feel fortunate.
So, my lessons for the day. Trails can change from one day to the next, and helmets save lives.
Got there about 10am, only vehicle in the lot. Rode Deepstep CCW, Skinny CW to Brown Wave CCW, then back onto Skinny to complete the CW loop.
About 500ft from the southern tip of Skinny, on a nice downhill section, I came across a new tree fallen across the trail. It was masked by a plant at a slight bend in the trail. I was carrying too much speed to stop. Rear brake locked and still moving very quickly, I pulled on the front and went over the bars.
Not sure if the bike actually hit the tree or not, but there was no damage. I did not hit the tree, because I cleared it as I separated from the bike. Landed very heavily on my right side. Momentum of my head smacked it into the trail, hard.
I have some deep bruising to my shoulder, and also the outside of my arm near the elbow, and a few scratches on my right leg.
The main reason I am posting this is because I am sure the helmet saved me from very serious injury. My head hit the ground hard. real hard. I can still hear the sound. There were a few roots there and they caused dents in the styrofoam.
After a few minutes to recover, I muscled the tree out of the trail.
The shoulder is starting to stiffen up already, but I feel fortunate.
So, my lessons for the day. Trails can change from one day to the next, and helmets save lives.
