Riders : Mick & Simon
Area : Swinley
Well, the forecast for the weekend was great, in fact it was promising to be a bit too great so Mick and I decided we would go for a nice early start on Saturday morning to avoid the scorching midday temperatures that the weather people were predicting.
So by 8:00 we were both at the car park and ready to ride. We decided to go away from the normal routes so headed off in search of some new trails. This proved harder than we had first anticipated and soon we were back on the more usual trails. So after completing “Tank Trap” we then headed to star point No. 5 where we decided we would head over to the far back of Swinley and see what tracks were on old MOD training area. Not a lot to be found in the area but we did get some miles under our belts with some steep climbs. We eventually came to the top of “Labyrinth” where we only ride the first section and then head back up to the reservoir to pick up some more single track on the way back to star point 5 again. From there we picked up two more bits of single track before heading home for a cup of tea and a bacon roll.
Whilst on our way back we were discussing riding preferences (Downhill and jumps Vs Single track) we both agreed that the single track was more our cup of tea. Mick then went onto explain that he was always wary of the risky stuff as he was self employed and couldn’t afford to be off work with a cycling injury. He had a very close call on the previous Wednesday night ride when he lost the front end on a tight berm and ended up on the deck luckily with no major injuries. I agreed totally with this view given the injuries I have had over the last year.
I think this conversation must have been the “Kiss of Death” for me because as we approached the car park on the last fire road I took the sweeping left turn and caught a load of loose gravel under the front wheel which took the bike from under me. I hit the deck like the proverbial “sack of shit” and ended up sliding along the loose gravel with the bike. At first I wasn’t quite sure what hurt the most, my Knee from the gravel of my shin from where two teeth from my chain set had punctured it right on the bone. Then it became more apparent were the real pain was coming from – my left hand. After a few minutes with my breath back and some very strong words of frustration I decided I was ready to get back on the stead and finish the last 100 metres back to the cars. It was at this point I realized I had a bit of a problem as I could not close my left hand to grip the bars so we ended up walking back to the cars.
Back in the car park Mick kindly dismantled my back and stuck it in the car as there was no way it would be going on the roof. We then headed over to the café for the refreshments and to closely examine the left hand which by now was about the size of a tennis ball. We both agreed that it may be advisable to seek a medical view as our engineering skills were not coming up with any real diagnosis. We sat for a bit longer admiring the scenery (well the sunshine does really bring it out) and then headed our separate ways.
On the way back home whilst trying to negotiate gear changes with a hand that was now the size of a grapefruit and through gritted teeth I made the dreaded call to the better half asking if she would mind dropping me off at casualty before we took the girls swimming. The call went far better than expected and she was even pleasant to me whilst on route to the hospital. In fact even the casualty staff were pleasant especially the casualty sister as she insisted that due to all the cuts on my legs I should have a tetanus. As she still had hold of my hand at this timeI agreed and she quickly administered it before I changed my mind.
I was then taken to xray and after a short wait I was called back into the consulting room by the still smiling casualty sister, before I had even got my bum on the seat she turned round and send “well you’ve done a fantastic job of breaking that bone” and boy when I looked at the xray she wasn’t lying. She then trussed me up like a oven ready chicken and sent me home to a still smiling wife.
It’s now Friday, I have seen 3 consultants over the last week , two NHS (which I won’t bore you with here) and one private hand consultant who has dealt with this type of fracture before. So this coming Tuesday I go under the knife for open reduction and fixation of comminuted metacarpal fracture with ligament reconstruction. In boy’s speak their going to pull the bones back together, straighten the knuckle and finger and pin the lot.
And before you ask. No, I am not going to sell the bike!!!
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