Are We All Getting Too Old for This????

I know I haven't been out with you guys for a while but have been riding in other fields. I rode end to end of Ireland last week. 400 miles in 4 days on a road bike. Spit. Great countryside with more hills than the LEJOG version. Once finished, I got the old hardtail out, dusted it down and arranged atrip with the girls on a Wednesday night at Swinley. Your blogs about injuries and scrapes and falls put me off the Thursday nights until my skills are improved.
Seven of us, set off at 1830 with only me on a hardtail, the rest on their comfy sofa bikes. I managed to keep up as the temperature hit 25 degrees. We rode the normal trails and I asked if 'the labarynth' could be on our schedule. Simon had stated that it was a cracking ride.
We went down this great track and it lived up to it's reputation. After it was knocked off, Andy, an ex downhill racer suggested we go and do a jump he had done last week. We made our way to an area furthest from the car park and virtually on the M3. Andy went to the top of the hill to get the required speed for take off. The rest of us lined the route to watch the spectacle. Andy made two aborted approaches and appeared to be going too fast for the corner before the jump. On the third attempt, Andy hit the jump, off line, and launched into the air. He landed off line on an incline and was thrown over the front of the bike and landed with an awful thud against a substantial tree stump.
I was fearing the worst but Andy moved and got to his feet. However, he had taken one hell of a bang on his left shoulder and back. His helmet was split on the left side also. The bike was a mess with all the cables wrenched out snapped and fluid peeing out. A quick assessment said that Andy needed to be checked out properly and quickly. Two guys went to get a vehicle in to evacuate and we started to walk out with Andy. He deteriorated after the initial adrenilin rush and shock set in. It would now require Ambulance.
Andy was evacuated and the ambulance took him to Frimley Park Hospital. He suffered, Collar Bone- fused joint- displaced. two #ribs, Shoulder ligaments ripped and back muscles torn. Big bump on head.
You can see him jumping on 16/6 and 23/6 on you tube. Put in Bracknell Cycling with 23/6. He is such a nutter that he only had one day off before returning to his loft extension business. RESPECT.