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Day 24: Cotopaxi, CO to Pueblo, CO
Total Miles: 43 (by bike) and about 37 by car (1605 miles by bike so far ~ 43.4% complete)
A lot has happened since the last update in the library at Westcliff, CO. We finally got riding again at some point after enjoying the town and talking to a lot of locals about how the place had changed, global warming, and what Westcliff was all about these days. Jess was still not feeling too well and so we decided we would roll slowly out of town and make our way to the end of the gradual 13 miles of climbing that would be the end of the climbing for the trip (at least until we hit the "hills" out east (“‘x’ miles to go, then we’re off the plateau” (Colorado, that is - this was our mantra during the last bit of climbing). The views were amazing and the ride was not to strenuous getting to the top of the climbing. We were chatting about the lack of female specific shops for things like skis, bikes, climbing gear and whatnot and saying someone needed to get on that ... the wheels are turning for a brilliant business. Then we got to the descent. It said 8% next (I think) 10 miles and it also said Wetmore was in 10 miles and Pueblo was in 40miles. Pueblo was our goal for the day and since it was going to be mostly downhill we were very excited (this descent would be equivalent to the climb into Cedar City which brought us onto the Plateau. Down we went and were cruising like we usually do with me a little bit in front of Jess since I go faster (she’s a little more cautious) and her a little back since she likes to go slower. A few miles down near mile marker 19 I came into a turn that was much sharper than I anticipated and I was approaching it too fast. I started pressuring my front brake hard and was starting to slow down considerably but not fast enough. Then I decided to try to feather the rear brake as well - that's when the rear wheel locked up, I hit some gravel, and the bike violently drifted off the road and I crashed into the guardrail at around 40mph. Luckily, the way the bike drifted I hit the guardrail at an angle and the rear wheel took the brunt of the hit and was trashed (It now looks like a pretzel or really bent wheel) and I was ejected off the bike and over the guardrail and landed in the grass beyond it. As I went over the guardrail my right arm (in the forearm) region smashed into the guardrail and really hurt and was pretty badly road rashed (basically a big abrasion). I laid still in the grass for a few moments assessing myself until I felt confident that the arm was the only thing that hit and then I yelled to Jess that I think I had broken my arm. She came over quickly and checked me out head to toe and there was barely a scratch anywhere else on me. I felt nauseated because of the event and I was freaked out. We managed to flag down a passerby and his wife who were so awesome (really, really amazing) and took us and all of our stuff (both bikes and all the bags - the bike was totally unfit to ride as the rear wheel wouldn’t turn and I could hardly hold up my arm, let alone move my fingers) to Pueblo. They dropped me off at the Emergency Room and took Jess to a hotel with all of our things and were then kind enough to wait and drive her back to the ER so she could be with me. At the ER I got the rush treatment because I was considered a Level II Trauma because of the speed at which I crashed. They just gave me a splint and I gave the Triage nurse my SOAP report and they calmed down considerably when it was clear only my arm had a problem. They drew blood like they always do and then had me wait for x-rays to see if I had broken anything in the arm and luckily I had not broken anything. The doctor said I was very lucky and I would have to agree. For now my arm is really sore and just very bruised. The abrasions are already starting to scab and the doctor said I will be totally fine in about 2 weeks. He also said most 'athletes' heal quicker and I will probably be able to ride in a few days. We’re lower in elevation now (at about 4000) and will be descending as we reach Kansas, so that should help the healing process. So now for the trip logistics: I feel that with a few days rest I'll get back in the saddle and keep on the journey and finish it like I planned. However I need to get my bike fixed and since it is a holiday weekend that might be a problem, we'll see (all of the bike shops in Pueblo are closed until Tuesday - Colorado Springs is the next large town that may have something, but that means getting me and my bike there). And the final thing is a matter of style. Do we hitchhike back to the scene of the accident and continue from there or do we call a Mulligan and ride on from Pueblo; I think I could go either way on this. Let us know what you think we should do. As for now I am staying in Pueblo for a few days getting it all sorted out and enjoying some rest (albeit not for the best of reasons). That's it from me folks, Jess has some things to say about this too. Oh and by the way I think we had ridden about 50 miles when I crashed. I was lucky and am very thrilled it is just some bruises and scratches.
Arthur’s super lucky - I was right behind him and saw him fly off his bike over the guardrail and into the bushes. At first, it didn’t really occur to me that this could be serious - I’ve sort of turned off my “worry about Arthur eating it hard” instinct since the winter when he routinely double ejected from his skis and did double flips into the snow, always getting up with a mouth full of snow, googles cockeyed, helmet crooked, and a big smile on his face. Then my mind went into the “wait a minute, this is different - there isn’t any snow, he was probably going about 40 mph and there’s a guardrail involved” - I got really worried and the EMT instinct kicked in. Hoping that Arthur wouldn’t move (spinal precautions, etc.) but also wanting to see him get up (for my own peace of mind), I was so relieved when he sat up and shouted “I think my arm’s broken.” I still can’t believe that he didn’t hit his head somewhere along the way, he’s unbelievably lucky to have come out of this with a few (okay, many) scratches and bruises. His skills and acquired practice in falling really served him well yesterday.
On the way back from the ER, Arthur was on the phone with his parents relaying the events of the accident - the taxi driver overheard this and piped up telling us that his brother had been in a similar accident coming down the hill from Westcliff. He described the scene of the accident and it sounded like the same exact spot - from the look of the guardrail and the debris on the ground I suspect many people take that turn a little too fast. I’m sure you can imagine the procession of thoughts going though my head on the way to the ER, not knowing if Arthur was going to be able to continue on with the trip (I felt a tad bit guilty thinking all of these things with him hurt beside me, but hey, I’m human) - do I continue alone or fly home with Arthur, try to catch up with another group doing the trip (we talked to Randy and Scott and they’re about 30 miles ahead of us, after our rest here we unfortunately probably won’t see them again - we’ll really miss them but hopefully we’ll get to rendezvous in the Philly/NY area). The thought of returning home mission not accomplished wasn’t a happy one. Needless to say we’re both incredibly relieved to be able to continue - this sort of put the riding into perspective - for something that causes soreness and tiredness day after day (neither of us were happy campers when we were suffering from altitude’s affects), it’s interesting how important it becomes when it’s almost taken away from you. This has certainly reaffirmed our commitment to the quest.
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josh
non-member comment
best...blog...ever
With regards to whether to continue on from the point at which you currently are, or going back to the point from which you got a ride to the ER: part of me says, you wiped out at 65km/h and for effect flew over a guard rail and busted your bike. There's no better way to earn a guilt free car ride advancing your trip. However, there's another part of me that says, by going back to the scene of the accident and starting from there, you would essentially be saying "FUCK YOU road, you think you can dominate me? I own you." In the long term (i.e. telling this story the rest of your life which you will) you earn even more copious amounts of bragging rights by saying you went through this and didn't miss an inch of road.