I know you’re probably all bored with the MM threads – but I was the bloke who bust my leg on the Somme descent on Sunday morning. I had 4 great laps and was nearly through my 5th – team was doing well and no missed change overs or anything – really enjoying the course, when I put my foot down on the Somme descent (after telling myself to take it easy at the top), as I was going a tiny bit off course – foot stayed where it was and body rotated around it – cue a snapped fibia near the ankle and broken tibula. Wasn’t even a good crash! Just got out of Worcester Royal with a 7 inch pin in my leg, so I’ll be off the bike for at least 4 months. I crashed 4 feet from a pair of marshals, who did all the right things, and the 2 St Johns Ambulance volunteers were brilliant – gave me AnteNox and put my leg in a splint and carried me down to the ambulance (thanks as well to the American bloke who lent me his jacket and was trying to pursuade the marshals to re-route the section (although I still don’t think it was dangerous, just tricky). The St Johns blokes even took my shoe off after warning me that the hospital would cut it off (I had a few lungfulls of AnteNox for that bit, but it didn’t hurt as much as shelling out £100 for a new pair would have done).
Nick Craig even spoke to me as he passed about 5 riders on the same bit of descent. Very impressed with the bearded bloke on the 29er who must have cleared the whole descent without touching his brakes – came past me at about 30mph – and I didn’t hear another crash at the bottom so he must have got round the corner. Thought it was a great event though – having done it for the last 4 or 5 years, and the weather made it (I slept through the rain and muddy night laps having done my stints earlier.)Good atmosphere from the riders and spectators, and at 11pm on Saturday I really enjoyed the drumeers while eating my baked potato after my 2 night laps. Lots of nice girls on the course as well, which makes a difference.
