Hi chaps,

Got back from hospital with three stitches, a wrist support and a pretty messed up face.

Was riding at Golspie, on one of he black deacent sections. Im a pretty good, if not now a very good, rider. I hit one section and decided to take the chicken run as i wasnt sure what was beyond a lip i could see, as I was going down the chicken run I looked left to see it was just a rocky chute.

So… I got to the next lip, and assumed it was a chute so approached it as per a chute. Only, I got to the lip and there was just a 4 – 5 foot drop to flat. I wasn’t going fast enough, and my head was down ready to drop down a chute. So I manualled and pedalled to keep the front wheel up, but I was just too slow and the front dropped and I faceplaneted that 4/5 feet to flat.

Smashed up face, grazed shoulder and trashed helmet. The helmet meant I didn’t get a broken nose mind.

Other than walking the trail, is there anything I could have done? Manualling and wheelinging as far as I could get seems the best option at the time. I couldn’t bail, or at least it didn’t feel like I could.

Gutted, as I cleared the Lactic Ladder too 🙁 and Alps in four weeks, hoping I’ve not broken or fractured my wrist.

I do look like Sylvester Stallone’s mum now. A meme picture would be good

Scope it first or follow someone who has ridden it before.

Oh….and which bit is 4 feet to flat?

I recon You’ve already answered your question. Look before you leap!!
I can recommend the 661 pro wrist brace(it’s just got me through a weeks riding around Morzine)!!

Chicken run all the way once to scope it out. Head back up and enjoy.

Heal well mate. Could have been much worse.

Ouch! Sounds like we have to scope out all black run’s techie sections now. Just the development of the sport and riders?
Hope you make the alps!

As already stated look before you leap but you already know that, I did a lot of DJ on BMX in my younger days, bailing is in its self a skill, well worth mastering, in that case jump up, do the splits, push handle bars down beneath legs….simples.

Im a pretty good, if not now a very good, rider
Computer says no.

Cheers chaps. Makes me feel better that no one has any other options. I did think I may have had time to jump off the back, but I’m sure I would have done if I did.

I’ll be running chicken runs until ive scoped from now on. Just one of those things that I ‘knew’ it was a rocky chute. And it just wasn’t.

I did have ice cream and jelly and custard tonight. And tomato soup through a straw.

And, the most hardcore thing I’ve ridden was the red descent to the car park with only one hand.

As above, don’t commit to something if you don’t know what it is.

Also, there are no 4 foot to flat drops anywhere at golspie, unless you ride off the side of the trail. I’m kind of assuming it was on VTOL from the chicken run description?

(there’s an unrollable step in the gauntlet, fairly near the top, but it ain’t 4 feet. I learned this by riding off it with brain completely deactivated, thinking “It can’t actually be an unrollable step, this is a trailcentre”, like an absolute dick)

Nwill. Good beta. I’ll do some practing on grassy sections . the woodwork at Golspie would be idea for that, I bailed a couple of time on that today and its a much nicer landing. 😉