The Ususal Suspects At It Again - Denver Area Ride 4/25/15

[low drag]

Hey gents, 14er is ready to roll for this weekend. I"m sure he's looking at a map as I type this....

Here's what he sent me in an email when I mentioned it looks like rain: "Yeah semi typical summer day nice in the morning, rain in the afternoon. No big deal. I'm still thinking the TerryAll/Jefferson area would be good."

Anyone else in? We can get going early and be back early to avoid the rain. If it does rain we can stick to pavement and head home. I'm a bit curious to see how my new tires act on the wet clay/gravel as well, I'm sure there will be some residual wet spots on the trails.

 

[1sand0s]

Sorry guys but I have to work this weekend. Have fun and be safe!

::003::

Carl-

 

[Bushyar15]

If it starts out nice like today did (Friday) I'll go and at least see how muddy or otherwise… Where and what time is the meet up?

 

[14kmtnman]

I would say 8:30 at the Conoco in Morrison.

 

[low drag]

I would say 8:30 at the Conoco in Morrison.

Read my mind!
Bushy. We'll meet up at about 8 and sort out a route. If it gets messy on the way up we'll head back home. At least we'll get a nice ride up 285

 

[14kmtnman]

I'm going to be pushing 8:30 pretty heavy. I have to run an errand up to Golden & back home before I can get there.

 

[low drag]

OK with me. We can meet at 8:30

 

[Bushyar15]

Change of plan.. Not going to make it...

 

[Bushyar15]

How was the ride? Did you get to hit some off-road?

 

[low drag]

We got out to Jefferson, the ride up 285 was pretty nice. LEOs still along the way so 14er took it easy.
When be passed Grant and started the last section of the climb to Kenosha pass it started to get chilly fast.

We got off to the north of Jefferson and hit that trail we usually hit in summer. It was wet/slick in many places. 14er took a spill in one of those slick spots, busted up his windscreen along with his ankle and ribs. Last evening he was doing OK but the ribs started to bother him. I was planning on dropping him a note later today.

After your spill and now this I'm giving some serious thought to getting some boots that have more ankle protection....

 

[Vanderwho]

Y'all ought to be sure your health insurance is paid up. ::013::

(FWIW, I had a delightful ride up Coal Creek and down Golden Gate canyon. There's a mile or two of curves in Golden Gate I just love to ride eastbound. Ran through there at about 8/10 ...loving this bike!)

 

[14kmtnman]

Health insurance - Check ::008:: I knew it was soggy as soon as we got off the main road. To start, I was the first one thru a 20ft wide & almost 2 ft deep water crossing. So I broke the ice that was 1/4 to 3/8 thick. Interesting to say the least. As we were going down the trail, I came over a rise & thought I would stay in the middle of the track which is usually dryer than the ruts. Not the route of choice this time around even at 5-10 mph ::005::. Sometimes these crashes happen in slo-mo. No so this time. 1 second I was up & going forward & the next split second I was down hard! I heard my fan come on which I thought was a good sign ::012::. I reached over & turned off the key & noticed my left foot was still under the bike. I was able to get my foot pulled out from under the bike before Low drag got there. At the same time I noticed that it was very difficult to breathe or inhale deeply. Not a good sign. As I was standing up to help Low drag get the bike upright & on the side stand it was very apparent that my left foot was in big trouble too. We both noticed that my new folding shift lever did what it was supposed to do & not bend everything else out of shape. ::012:: The AltRider crash bars really did their job & protected all of the fragile parts (fan) ::012::. My new windshield did not fair as well :'(. Like my ankle it is in many pieces now. The side wings came out unscathed as well as my helmet. It is amazing I didn't hit the bank with my helmet. The mud doesn't look like much, but is very very slimy slippery snot.

So after seeing urgent care I have the xrays showing multiple fractures of the ankle & instructions to see an Ortho surgeon ASAP. No weight on the ankle & I'm supposed to keep it elevated. It looks like i will be out of the riding scene for several weeks :'(. I'll find out how long once I talk to the surgeon. Updates to come.

 

[Bushyar15]

Dang 14er!!!!!!!! Sorry to hear and see that. Man that really sucks.

Did your body hit the windscreen? Is that how it broke?

Its interesting to me how the mud "slickness" is so different in different places. That stuff up by Terryall or that area is very slick. While the stuff over in that Shelf Road area isn't or wasn't slick and was much more firm even with snow on it…

Keep us posted and hope all goes well at the doctors office!

 

[low drag]

Take note of the wheel track through the mud, just above and left of center. If you zoom in you can make out a rock. I figure that when the rear wheel went over said rock the weight of the bike came down and slid to the right. You can see the marks in the mud where the tire slid.

I'm going to have to get one of those folding shift levers. It seems like a nice low cost piece of insurance.

 

[True Grip]

14er sorry you got hurt and not playing Doctor here but will play xray tech. Out of the 2 bones in the lower leg you broke the distal fibula which is the non weight bearing bone. If your gonna break one that's the better one to break. Likely a plate with screws and staying off it for several weeks while it mends. You shouldn't miss the whole season just some. Stay positive and if you smoke quit. Smoking slow bone growth. Hope your riding soon!

 

[14kmtnman]

Bushy - Not my body, but the ground is what broke the windshield. That thing was 7 inches taller than stock & 6 inches wider. So it was a big barn door. Great for winter time/cold temp riding. I was getting close to changing back to the stock one for the summer time. A little late now. I had dirt in the screw holes above the headlight on the left hand side. I have not gone out in the garage to really look the bike over yet. Maybe after I get my cast put on & I can do some standing & walking.

True Grip - Thanks for the heads up. The doc told me the same thing about the non weight bearing bone. 1 thing to be happy about. I never smoked, but do take lots of vitamins & such as well eating healthy. It should heal quickly.

 

[Vanderwho]

Condolences, 14k, on the get-off and resultant damage. Best wishes for rapid healing. (FWIW, I'm looking at surgery the middle of next month to repair a torn rotator cuff. Had nothing to do with riding. I'll probably be out of commission for a while, myself, with my arm in a sling.)

 

[Vanderwho]

Oh, and ...BTW... you might be taking this "Chicks dig scars" thing a wee bit too far... ::025::

 

[1sand0s]

Hey 14r, I'm really sorry to hear about your mishap and hope you heal up quickly. These big bikes are not very forgiving once you get out of shape on the trails and It seems ankles are the weak point when these heavy bastids pin your foot to the ground! Last year mine was swollen for a while after going down in New Mexico in some foot deep talcum powder type sand.

Best wishes, Carl-

 

[14kmtnman]

Well, just going with a cast & no surgery. No scars, so no chicks. I'll be in the cast for about 2 weeks & then a boot for another 4 weeks. I will have to pretend I'm doing ::26:: & this ::001:: for a while....