Cubist
Still wavin'
- Location
- Ovver 'thill
I was intending to do the Colne Valley Mountain Bike Challenge next Sunday. Cubester and I had been training up to it for months, and yesterday set off to ride one of the challenging sections, the climb from Marsden to Wessenden Head . We parked in Slaithwaite and rode off along the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, a bit of a leg-warmer intending to get onto the hillier stuff once we got the other side of West Slaithwaite. The towpath is pretty tame so thought nothing of climbing this innocuous little step:
Only trouble was, as I went to the left hand edge and lifted the front wheel , I snagged on something and lost my balance. With nothing to grab hold of to save myself falling I remember thinking, "Looks like I'm going to fall over this little wall."
Trouble was there's a sheer twelve to fifteen foot drop the other side of the little wall, and I landed on my back. I also remember watching my bike bouncing high into the air, and cartwheeling towards the river at the bottom of the field I had landed in. I couldn't move at all, and a very worried young Cubester who had seen me pitch over the wall appeared above me. It took about three minutes to turn myself over, having determined that I could move my legs and swear a lot.
You go through some pretty strange thought processes, such as "Where's the little rubber piece gone from my glasses?" and "Boy, nettle rash burns at this time of year."
Cubester eventually found a route down to me, and bless him he was really scared. I had to put on a show of getting to my feet and telling him I was fine, but I could tell it was pretty serious. Another bizarre process kicked in when I saw how secondhand my brand new race saddle looked (crushed rails from it's cartwheeling exploits).
To cut a long story short I managed to ride the mile or so back to the car, load the bikes in the back and drive home. I reckoned it was only severe bruising, and that my hydro pack had taken the brunt of the fall.
Mrs Cube wasn't impressed, and insisted on taking me to A&E. The pain was excrutiating by now, and I could neither sit, stand or lean on anything comfortably. Brilliant service on a busy Saturday evening saw a big dose of painkillers and a few hours rest on a trolley. The X-rays showed a crushed vertebra which requires only pain relief and rest. Mrs Cube is sceptical that I need to take an entire summer off gardening.
I asked the orthopod whether I would be fit to ride the CVMBC on Sunday, but he suggested it might not be the best idea.
Only trouble was, as I went to the left hand edge and lifted the front wheel , I snagged on something and lost my balance. With nothing to grab hold of to save myself falling I remember thinking, "Looks like I'm going to fall over this little wall."
Trouble was there's a sheer twelve to fifteen foot drop the other side of the little wall, and I landed on my back. I also remember watching my bike bouncing high into the air, and cartwheeling towards the river at the bottom of the field I had landed in. I couldn't move at all, and a very worried young Cubester who had seen me pitch over the wall appeared above me. It took about three minutes to turn myself over, having determined that I could move my legs and swear a lot.
You go through some pretty strange thought processes, such as "Where's the little rubber piece gone from my glasses?" and "Boy, nettle rash burns at this time of year."
Cubester eventually found a route down to me, and bless him he was really scared. I had to put on a show of getting to my feet and telling him I was fine, but I could tell it was pretty serious. Another bizarre process kicked in when I saw how secondhand my brand new race saddle looked (crushed rails from it's cartwheeling exploits).
To cut a long story short I managed to ride the mile or so back to the car, load the bikes in the back and drive home. I reckoned it was only severe bruising, and that my hydro pack had taken the brunt of the fall.
Mrs Cube wasn't impressed, and insisted on taking me to A&E. The pain was excrutiating by now, and I could neither sit, stand or lean on anything comfortably. Brilliant service on a busy Saturday evening saw a big dose of painkillers and a few hours rest on a trolley. The X-rays showed a crushed vertebra which requires only pain relief and rest. Mrs Cube is sceptical that I need to take an entire summer off gardening.
I asked the orthopod whether I would be fit to ride the CVMBC on Sunday, but he suggested it might not be the best idea.
