Mountain Bike Forums

5 riders out this (Friday) morning. Harry Q and Gizzajob were heading off for a big one before tapering for the Etape Du Tour. Me, Cacophony and Rogan turned at Cavendish for an easy Friday potter.

Coming back between Beamsley and Nesfield, BAD CRASH.

It was on the 2nd blind bend. You know, the downhill before the ‘s’ bends where you can turn off for the Addingham bridge. The hedges are high on the right, its difficult to see what’s round the left hand bend, there is a small rough passing place for cars on the right hand side of the bend.

We always go single file round here. Today was no exception, Cacophony, Rogan then me. I looked across as we rode down the slope. I always look at a gateway in the wall to check if any cars are coming towards us. Today a car must have just gone passed the gateway before I looked and was coming towards the corner. It was hidden from us behind the dry stone wall.

Cacophony went round the corner. He was well on the left, brushing the foliage as you do on this corner when you take it well. The car was right there coming towards him. When he feels better he will probably be able to give us a better report of this bit. Rogan was still entering the corner and I was behind him.

Was the car coming too fast, or was it hugging the right hand side for some reason. I don’t know, but the road is very narrow at that point anyway. The timing of the meeting of bike and car was the worst it could be. Cacophony managed to miss a head-on with the car, and squeezed between the car and the wall, but he was hit in the area of the front wing/wing mirror.

I’m not exactly sure , but this looked to ricochet him between the car and the wall, with Simon ending up eventually on the floor at the other side of the road behind the car, having fallen heavily. The driver simultaneously swerved into the left bank.

Simon got to his feet , but it was obvious that his arm was broken as it was in the shape of a ‘J’ between his elbow and his wrist. There was also blood coming down his face from a cut above his forehead. How unlucky is this. Simon had washed the pads from his helmet in preparation for the Dave Lloyd Mega, and left it off. He NEVER rides without his helmet. We had just been chatting about the old days and how riding without a helmet is so liberating.

The driver was quite shocked, but we piled Simon’s bike in the back of his car and he drove off to Airedale Hospital. It seemed the best option for speed. Simon wanted to be taken home , but that is shock.

Update from Mrs. Cacophony (Miranda) - Wrist badly broken, staying in hospital tonight and having operation tomorrow. Probably staying tomorrow night as well. Been sedated - Cacophony will take a lot of sedating - he will be angry, frustrated , annoyed etc.

My heart goes out to him, the start of the summer, loads of good stuff coming up, he has been getting fitter and fitter. And then for this to happen.

I will drive over to the hospital tonight. Any suggestions for suitable gifts welcome.

What is there to say? Thanks for letting us know. I feel sick to the stomach. It could have been any of us. We all know that bend, that gap in the wall to check, but also aware that there is that tiny, tiny chance of missing something behind the wall. It’s just so incredibly unlucky, at that time of morning. I’d like to join you tonight, if that can work out?

That really is terrible news, I feel so very sorry for Cocophony, as has been said he was getting really fit and had the summer ahead of him.

I guess he is going to be laid up for a while, I could pick up some bike magazines this lunch time for a bit of light reading if you don’t think that would be ‘rubbing salt in the wounds’. There is a lot of stuff about the Tour at the moment, but I guess he may already have these.

If you have any other ideas, I can nip into Bradford over lunch to get things.

He wont have the mags - he flicks through them in WH Smiths. Its a technique he learnt in his younger days for the top shelf publications!!

I heard just after getting back this morning and I too had that sick feeling that Earthdreamer mentioned. Had a text from Cacophony - he says “VERY painful. Snapped through. Theatre this afternoon for plate”

Thoughts are with him. I guess the one positive is that it could have been worse - the day he is not wearing a helmet too - he is fortunate his head didn’t take the impact.

I suggest some lads/mens mags to go with Pro*Cycling - depends which arm he has broken.

New update: Setting with cast OK without surgery/pins etc, so hoping to get home tonight.

I would like to express my thanks for all the thoughts and kind words that have been expressed regarding my little contretemps with a car.  I thought there may have been a mention on the website but have been overwhelmed by the concern expressed by all. 

Although El Cid wrote a very precise report I thought I would put it down from my point of view.  We were returning from Bolton Abbey chatting about life and cycling as usual, I was riding with Rogin who is new to the rides and told him that at this point we should line out as there is a dangerous bend.  The bend veers left slightly downhill and is in effect blind, there is a gate which allows a brief view of what is coming if anything. I checked through the gate and there was nothing coming (I believed).  On the very apex of the corner a car appeared, at this point if there is a car a bike usually passes on the inside, this car was going slightly too fast and took up the passing space available.  I could see there was the danger of a head on and managed to wrench the bike left (it is amazing what the mind remembers at these points) the car was now rapidly slowing and for a split second I believed I had averted any danger however the wing mirror then hit my right bar which ricocheted me to a bush/wall and back on to the rear wing of the car, I spiralled around the boot of the car, the bike falling from under me.  In the time honoured fashion of trying to stop a body from hitting tarmac at great speed I flung my arms out. I was lucky that my head hit the area between tarmac and stone wall, not wearing a helmet for the first time in years my head then seemed to just make contact with the ground, I stood up immediately and thought I’ve cut my head but could see just small drips and realised it was not too bad a cut.  Glancing down at my arm I saw that it was swollen and I felt as if I could carry on riding.

I then heard the voice of El Cid saying “What happened here?” quickly followed up by “Is your arm broken?”
“No” was my reply looking back down to see that my wrist was in fact looking like one side of the San Andreas Fault “Um! Yes…… shit”
El Cid then took complete control of the situation telling the driver to open his boot to put in my bike and take me to Airedale Hospital. At this point I was running on Adrenalin and so the pain although harsh was not too bad. At Steeton, 2 miles from the hospital, the pain started to overtake the Adrenalin and really kick in. On entering the A&E, being the only one there, the staff realised I was in a bad state were marvellous. I won’t go in to the ins & outs of the hospital section of our story, Ill save that for a rainy winter evening. However after being told I would need an operation to properly set it with pins, only to be informed that the doctor who set the wrist had done such a good job, that the operation would not be necessary was a the best news of the day and allowed me to return to the bosom of the `Cacophonies`. Where I’ve been treated the way I should normally be treated as head of the household. How long will this last??

I will of course be unable to ride the Dave Lloyd Mega on Sunday, but have shifted my sights to the next event, the Pendle Pedal in Early August. This gives me 5 weeks to get fixed. When discussed with the lovely Mrs Cacophony that a session on the turbo was being planned, the look of furiosity was so powerful that I shrank to merely a couple of inches in height. We have since decided that I’m going to take off a few days before returning to the fray. I shall ride the turbo with a pair of Tri bars allowing me to distribute my weight without undue pressure on my wrist. The pot is meant to be on for 6 weeks but I have to return to the consultant in a week and shall discuss the matter then.

Once again may I express my thanks to all for their best wishes.

Fantastic news to hear you sounding so positive. I’m wondering if there is something in tempting Fate by not wearing a helmet. The only time I’ve not worn one in many years was in the Lakeland Loop, where I crashed and ended up in hospital, fortunately only with stitches required rather than breaking anything.

Really glad that you were taken care of so well at Airedale. I guess early Friday morning is a much better time to crash than late Friday evening!

I’m expecting you to come back leaner, quicker and stronger then ever. No reason why not.

I, for those who do not know me, am the Rogan mentioned in the trio of riders on the ill-fated ride back to Ilkley on Friday morning.

It is a shame that my first post is in relation to such an incident but it is great to read the positive words of Cacophony and I can only echo the sentiments expressed that I hope he makes a speedy recovery.

Rogan

Jeez, sounds like a pretty mad crash. Could have been worse by the sound of things though!

Hope you are ok Cacophony....