First big crash

[gavgav]

Out on a clubrun last Sunday enjoying the Derbyshire countryside I experienced a speed wobble for the first time ever on the descent into Charlesworth village. This quickly developed into an uncontrollable wobble and sad to say I was unable to avoid crashing. Hit the chapel graveyard wall a glancing blow with my left shoulder travelling at about 40mph and went down sliding about 25 yards down the hill to a stop.
Destroyed the left shifter on the bike but remarkably the rest seems fine.

I wasn't so lucky myself. Took two hours to get to hospital, an hour of which was trying to get me enough morphine in so I could be put on a spinal board properly.
Upshot is four displaced fractured ribs, broken collarbone, separated shoulder and a nice two piece shoulder blade plus road rash to left leg, hip, shoulder and knuckles. That said I'm so lucky not to have suffered a head or neck injury. Helmet hit the road and is scuffed and cracked from the impact so did the job it's paid to thanks very much. New one required.

Lots of new kit was out that day that is now trashed, either in the accident itself or scissored off in the Manchester Royal. Been looked after brilliantly over there before discharge and now face months of healing and probable surgery to plate things up.

As I said I never experienced this wobble before and the combination of that lack of experience in how to deal with it, extreme downhill section of road, a bend with a high wall and a gravelly corner right at the point where I really needed to be hard on the brakes but couldn't all conspired to put me up the creek without as it were. Apparently its 'common to assume that something has failed on the bike, wheel or head bearings as this is what it feels like This reaction creates a 'never going to save this' attitude at the outset. The thing to do is to level the pedals and clamp the top tube between the knees to stabilise things and hopefully bring things back under control. My descending in future is going to be a little more circumspect....
Anatomy lesson.

rash

jersey

forgot this one, CT scan image of my new two piece scapula, floating lower section highlighted.

and a last juicy CT image looking up and out of my ribcage at the shoulder , bit gruesome seeing your own internals like this but what a picture!

. Get well and mended soon! Note to self, remember this when flying downhill!

 

[nickyboy]

For a change I rode down Monks Road yesterday and thus the bit of road the OP crashed on.

I can see the problem, not at all safe. There is a straightish 400m of about 14% downhill so you can easily get up over 40mph if you want to. Immediately after this the road turns right about 30%, it narrows to single vehicle width AND there is a bloody big wall if you go straight on. So you have to scrub off a lot of speed to safely go through the narrower bit and negotiate the swing to the right. Leave it too late (and the narrow bit is about 16% so it is easy to carry too much speed) and you're into the wall. I was a bit tense, braking hard, so I can imagine a speed wobble is easy to generate.

Then you're onto the 20% bit with a T junction at the bottom!

Get well soon

 

[Chrisc]

. Get well and mended soon! Note to self, remember this when flying downhill!

Thanks! :-)

For a change I rode down Monks Road yesterday and thus the bit of road the OP crashed on.

I can see the problem, not at all safe. There is a straightish 400m of about 14% downhill so you can easily get up over 40mph if you want to. Immediately after this the road turns right about 30%, it narrows to single vehicle width AND there is a bloody big wall if you go straight on. So you have to scrub off a lot of speed to safely go through the narrower bit and negotiate the swing to the right. Leave it too late (and the narrow bit is about 16% so it is easy to carry too much speed) and you're into the wall. I was a bit tense, braking hard, so I can imagine a speed wobble is easy to generate.

Then you're onto the 20% bit with a T junction at the bottom!

Get well soon

Yeah that 10 foot wall is the graveyard wall too and that's what I leaned into to try slow down, the corner is also covered in gravel so it's hard to brake once you arrive. My wobble developed all of it's own accord, I think maybe the wind hit my wheel and set it up, it was hellish windy that day but whatever it was I found no way out. :-(
I think I might not bother ever visiting that hill again. Not much desire to see it. I was also lucky to get out of the way of cars trying to get round me adrenaline is a great thing and let me get up and drag the bike and myself to the side before I flopped.

The policeman taking details thought I was out of it, asked my surname, Me: Charlesworth, Policeman thinking uh oh, head injury: "No, no, not where you are, what's your surname? Me: Charlesworth, Policeman: this is worse than I thought, Name, what's your name? Me: Charlesworth, really, it is! Policeman, you're kidding? Me: Nope, not today mate.

Went to hospital again yesterday and am making good progress, better range of movement than expected, I have been digging the allotment tho and building raised beds for the missus as part of my rehab. Bones aren't set yet, are at a 'jelly' stage apparently and will set over the next few weeks. Won't be allowed back on the bike for some time tho, another 8-10 weeks minimum so no ride to see the TDF for me. Gonna have to get a lift to as close a vantage point as poss and sit and wait with a beer. Ah well, doesn't sound too bad when you put it like that does it? :-)

For anyone unfamiliar with speed wobble/tankslapper this video is the most graphic demo I have seen of just how fast it develops and how hard it is to control. My bike felt like this, trying to hang onto a bucking bronco.

 

[EltonFrog]

I too have just discoverd this thread. Bloody Hell! That looks like it was really really hurty, I'm glad you're on the mend and feeling better. I have never heard of speed wobble before, I have learnt a very valuable lesson today.

You're attitude is commendable, I hope you are back on the bike soon.

Any up date on the Rapha?

 

[Chrisc]

I too have just discoverd this thread. Bloody Hell! That looks like it was really really hurty, I'm glad you're on the mend and feeling better. I have never heard of speed wobble before, I have learnt a very valuable lesson today.

You're attitude is commendable, I hope you are back on the bike soon.

Any up date on the Rapha?

Thanks, glad you found out about wobble the easy way and spread the word! :-)
My Rapha is in progress, they seemed unfazed by the carnage so I'm very hopeful!

 

[Chrisc]

Shirt arrived back today from the Rapha repair shop.
Just need to find a way to get grass stains out and we're sorted. :-)

Still another 4-6 weeks before I can ride again but still waiting for my new fork from Bianchi.
It's been coming for sometime now ...

Anyway, pic of the FREE shirt repair, FREE to return and sent back to me FREE as well!
All stitched together internally so it's smooth inside before being patched up.
Great service.

Before

After

 

[Chrisc]

Well just saw the consultant. Healing apart from the shoulder blade which is unstable and means I can forget riding a bike for some months to come.
Which is a bugger ....

 

[Arjimlad]

Bad luck. Any physio suggested to improve stability ?

 

[Chrisc]

Bad luck. Any physio suggested to improve stability ?

Yes thanks, first appointment is in two weeks. I feel well enough to ride which is frustrating but then again it doesn't take much to move the shoulder blade and then I know about it. :-)

 

[Arjimlad]

A long wait.. already and to come. :-(

 

[Chrisc]

Yep but it looks like I'll be OK at the end of it, albeit with less strength and movement than I'm used to but I will get back out there.
My bike will be a it dusty is all :-)

 

[grimpeur]

Over the years I have seen quite a few people come to grief on fast descents (Peak District) and am thankful I've managed to avoid a big off like yours (so far at least). It's scary how quickly things can get out of control when descending on narrow roads especially if the road surface is poor and /or wet- so easy to gain speed, so hard to slow down. I generally avoid these sorts of roads these days if possible and guess you may do the same in future. But don't let this put you off getting back on the bike- there is still plenty of fun to be had out there even if you never go into the hills again. Good luck and best wishes for a speedy recovery.

 

[Chrisc]

Thanks! I'll certainly be more wary once I get back but hard to avoid the hills round here. There's no flat bits for miles. :-)

 

[Chrisc]

Mini update on this old news.
Finally back in the saddle with my commute. Things won't be the same because things aren't in the same places that they were BUT I just got my first 100 mile (111m) week since last April in last week. Then fell ill with a virus... at least I'm more relaxed about enforced rest days now :-)
Next target 50 miles, it's like starting over from scratch here, I remember when 100 was a walk in the park.