Knocked off my bike last night, by another cyclist on a cycle path. Left wrist took brunt of impact, got broken fingers and a severely dislocated wrist which due to nature of dislocation means it requires an immediate operation and probably months of physio.

I’m currently feeling a big sorry for myself, facing losing a ton of fitness I’ve worked hard to get, a broken bike, an operation tomorrow, and most worryingly I’ve been warned that I’ll most likely get early onset arthritis.

So feel free to cheer me up with tales of keeping fit on the turbo. Would now be the time to kick off the trainer road 14 week programme I had been planning for over the winter?

“Cyclists .. they are always to blame aren’t they..”

Sorry to hear this, tp. I had a rather scary near-miss on a cycle path in Lancaster a few years ago. The oncoming cyclist obviously couldn’t see I was riding a recumbent trike, and therefore wider than he expected.

But you haven’t told us how the other guy is?

The sooner you start visiting the pain cave with the consent of the doctors, the less fitness you will lose. Gws!

Knocked off my bike last night, by another cyclist on a cycle path.

Both too busy dodging Road Tax to look where you were going?  😉

I have a turbo you can have F.O.C if you need one.

But you haven’t told us how the other guy is?

He and his bike appeared fine. Very apologetic. The guy he was overtaking at the time also came down. A misjudgement on his behalf, but I’d describe as very much an accident.

Ton, that’s a lovely offer but I have a smart turbo, fan, trainerroad/zwift account already.

Where in the UK are you, OP?

You have my sincere sympathy. I know what it is to crash and watch the hard-won fitness trickle away. But I’m sure it won’t happen to you!

I’ve been warned that I’ll most likely get early onset arthritis

I was warned that when I broke my ankle 40 years ago. It’s alright so far – I think keeping it moving helps. Best wishes for your recovery.

Seems appropriate to tell me story of a cyclist I “met” on my commute. to entertain someone who has been in a accident with one of those weirdos. I’ve a video, might post it up, probably not though, so my powers of descriptivity will have to do.
So, I’m riding to work on the bus lane, slight rise to the road, bends to the left. I see a bus ahead (50metres maybe) stopped in said bus lane. His right indicator begins a-flashing. “Ah,” thinks me “that is unfortunate timing, if I proceed to overtake this bus, which is indeed moving off from a stationary position and will therefore be travelling at a lower speed than myself, I will be next to, or indeed parallel to, said bus as he accelerates and therefore the situation could render me at a disadvantage, position-wise upon this section of road. I doubt, due to the angle of my approach, whether this bus driver will have seen me or my bicycle as I close the distance between our forms of transport”. (This obviously was a discourse which took my (still reasonably sharp at my age when it comes to matters of bicycle road use, mainly because of the dangers therein) brain a matter of milliseconds to process. Basically, bus pulling out, stay behind it. So as I catch it it moves off and I slow and then match it’s speed.
Whereupon! on my right-hand side, outside of the bus lane a cyclist (I believe referred to in some quarters as a “roadie”) appears and begins, what must be said the **** stupid manoeuvre, of trying to overtake me and the bus. By now we’re approaching full speed again. So, thinks I, this roadie **** is going to be stranded next to the bus in the main carriageway and he’ll either continue his overtake, attempting to reach a velocity faster than the bus, or he’s going to pull in behind in and desire the piece of road on which his “fellow cyclist” is travelling. This, my brain processed in it’s usual speed, by emitting the words “You ****” (rhymes with brat) from my mouth.
To cut, what is becoming a far too long story short (I’m bored, but not that bored), he eventually pokes out his left finger expecting me to move aside so he can re-join the bus lane behind the bus.
Then we get to a roundabout where he tries to undertake 2 cars to go straight on, the front of these cars is turning left without indicating it’s desire to do so and nearly wipes the dozy roadie moron out.
It’s all well being Mr. Speedy, but you gotta use yer brain too, aintcha.
I love commuting, me. 😀

bust wrist = winter turbo (convenient as it’s just round the corner) = coming into next summer in a better state than you are now, not worse.

OTOH, shitter! Heal up quick

I’ve been warned that I’ll most likely get early onset arthritis.

I was warned that when I broke my ankle 40 years ago. It’s alright so far – I think keeping it moving helps. Best wishes for your recovery.

Yeah I think thats standard doc-speak when stuff is getting bolted together.

Turbo as soon as home, you’ll be fine. Been there, but mine was a badly broken back. I’m missing half on my L1 now, stuff arthritis carry on, might not happen.

I was off for about 4 months – but over 6 weeks immobile in hospital !

GWS !

I thought the early onset arthritis line was just one of those standard lines medics seem required to say in these situations along with ‘you were lucky really’.

Well I’ve just been told I’m in surgery later this afternoon. I’ve also just been informed that the injury is actually worse that first assessed.

Basically I’ll be off road bike for min 6 weeks, with a year to get back to as good as it’ll ever get, but bad news is realistically the surgeon expects whilst quality of life Will not be too badly affected, I will most likely have chronic pain when cycling on a perm basis. He’s said in all his years he’s never seen one as badly dislocated. And I won’t be going back on the mtb any time soon.

I’ve gone from feeling sorry for myself to being pretty pissed off..

This is time to think about how to prove him wrong. It may also be time to think about which new bike would most be able to reduce any pain you may experience.

Something with soft, supple suspension and a decent long travel fork.

Also, best of luck with the surgery. Do post when you get out and are fully with it. Or not, if you feel like venting in a drug-addled state of haziness.

When I got knocked off my bike and broke my right wrist and left elbow, I was told I wouldn’t ride again for at least 3 months. 6 weeks later, I was back on my bike. You see, Doctors don’t take into account the stubbornness and determination of cyclists! 🙂

The Wessex Rehab Centre at Salisbury NHS did wonders for my right hand after my RTA, an intensive program of exercises Mon-Fri 0900-1700ish with communal accomodation laid on by League Of Friends, which saved me time and money from daily commutes to/from Southampton. They seemed to cover a big area of the country in terms of referrals, there was a chap there from Wales at the same time as me in early 2014 IIRC.

I fractured two metacarpals on my dominant hand plus mangled my wrist, when I got referred ~4(?) weeks after my hand surgery (having had upper jaw surgery the previous week), I had literally no movement in my knuckle and thumb/finger joints and very little in my wrist.

Within 5 weeks, I had recovered all finger/thumb range and vastly improved my wrist’s range of movement.

I never have regained the wrist’s full range (on my left wrist I can bend away from my inner forearm to almost 90 degrees, the right wrist can still only do ~50 degrees max), but it’s not affected me in normal day to day life.

It only ~5.5 years ago now, but I think I cycled for the first time after the RTA around April/May 2014 on an old MTB, it was a bit uncomfortable for my right hand and wrist for the first couple of weeks but things got better… Albeit back then I was simply gentle commuting, doing ~30 miles a week, which for a year or so was only spring to early autumn.

It took until June 2016 for me to see how much weight I’d put on and how unfit I had become, it was only then I cut down on the excessive snacking for ~6 months before then trying to get fit again, initially on the fatbike and then from May 2017 on a road bike too for the first time since the RTA.

If you have fitness to lose, which it sounds like you do, use that as your focus to get back doing bike turboing (and/or other aerobic exercise) ASAP. Find ways to make your current bike, or a new bike, be tolerable on the turbo eg. some negative reach bars.

You can get arthertisis from any break. Doctors always tell you the worst case scenerio.

Hope the recovery is speedy keep positive. I fractured my wrist in March. Hadn’t realised it had fractured thought it was just a sprain. Was back on the bike a few days later but it was pretty tender. Just had it x.ray’d and correctly diagnosed as a Scaphoid fracture the other week. It shouldn’t stop you going on the turbo.

Finally made it back home after 3 days in hospital. Left arm totally unusable.

On to practicalities of the situation, my insurance is not paying out for any of the damage..as apparently my possessions are only insured in the home. When they leave the house they aren’t covered..wtf? If It had been one of my good bikes I have those on a separate policy, but not the caad x. Rear wheel is totally ruined, as is one of the shifters, the carbon fork will definitely need examining but I wouldn’t want to ride it after that impact, my shoe got damaged, and my 2 tops had to be cut off in the hospital. And that is just what I’ve spotted from initial inspection.

I’m a member of British cycling but I don’t think I have the legal cover..and besides they don’t operate claims against other cyclists.

So do I need to go through my own insurance to get his to pay out? Harsh as it may sound I dont see why i should have to suffer the financial pain of this ontop of the physical injuries.

“they don’t operate claims against other cyclists. ”

They exclude claims against other British Cycling members, not all cyclists.

To, glad you are out of hospital and back home, if nothing else, you can relax a bit away from ill people!

Did the surgeons give any indication of how it went, or is it too early for that?

To make a successful claim you would have to be able to show the other cyclist was at fault. Do you have a witness? Could you have done anything to avoid him that you didn’t?

I would think it very hard to prove the other was at fault. But get legal advice if you want to go down that road.

Think it went ok..but got to go back in 10 days for a check up.

Jacked up on super strong pain meds, which are making me feel awful though.

Get well soon.
I went to my Gp last time they gave me codiene based meds post op – changed them for tramodol. 🙂

Heal quick.

Sorry to hear about the accident sounds like you were very unlucky. I broke my wrist many years ago, not cycling, and it was a bit of a weird one requiring an op to get it all straight again and narrowly avoided the need for any metalwork. OK I was younger but it healed pretty quickly. Though I had the cast on for about 6 weeks, after about 3 or 4 it felt fine and was able to use the hand and do normal day to day stuff. I cut the bit of the cast that went between my thumb and rest of the hand so I could use the hand normally again. At the time I was into weights, so even started using light dumbbells. I’m sure your fitness won’t suffer, with it being your wrist you have not excuse not to visit the turbo in the pain cave, and I’ve no sign of any issues with the wrist so far.

Did you get the name and address of the hitter and hittee? Might be worth following up and – dare I say it – making a claim under his personal liability insurance. This is part of his household contents policy if he has one.

Evidence he caused it is going to be the key – that’s why the other hittee might be key. Get advice.

Heal quick and well.

I had an off 5 months ago. Broken clavicle that needed an op to fix, broken scapula, 5 broken ribs, whiplash, concussion, roadrash and a big gash in the head. Spent a week in watford general in the old duffers ward feeling sore and extremely sorry for myself. Once the sling was off, I was feeling a lot happier and a couple of weeks physio after that had some movement in my shoulder. I bought a turbo and zwift at that point. I used old style turbos 20 years ago but hell this is a whole lot more fun and competitive. With the shoulder not weight bearing i set myself up on the most upright of the n+1 fleet and with the shortest stem possible. With that and a fair bit of sitting up during the early rides I was at least maintaining a fitness level. 3 months and a lot of zwift after the crash I was back out on the mtb.

So rest up, take the drugs, do the physio daily, bodge whatever you need to to make zwift work, enjoy zwift, acquire more gear, put it down to experience and remember what hunter s thompson said.

Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!”

I’ve still got the jeans I had to buy a after I broke my ankle , 2 sizes bigger! I lost the weight afterwards but it took a few months, so the jeans are in quite good nick

With a wrist hopefully you can get on a turbo much sooner

That sounds like really **** luck.

Last time i was in the lakes i was dropped on a descent by some chap with no left hand. He had his left arm connected to the bars using some form of metal ball / socket type thing. He then used his right hand to control F&R breaks via a double lever thingy.

So never say never.

You will not lose the fitness you think you will. I have had periods of three months off the bike. Top end drops and I’m down 50 watts on FTP, which shows in vets races. Endurance does not. Managed 185 watts for 12 hours on almost no training a few weeks ago, compared with 200 last year on absolute peak fitness and 4.2 W/kg FTP.

Heal fast. Been there done that, have the metalwork. Do your physio religiously. Wrists are complex and need to be exercised. On the positive side, mine now tells the weather.

Ps top tip. Order a snowboard wrist guard for protection. I wore mine for a year after my wrist op. I also rode my recumbent trike which I bought to commute one handed and of course still ride it now. The other party’s insurance paid for that eventually.

Ahaha Perchy- where would we be without your giggle jokes!

👍

Feel your pain op as have screws in my fingers
But no broken wrist yeeeeessh!!!!!!!

Reporting kimbers post as a stealth ad.
😉

senor j

Subscriber
Reporting kimbers post as a stealth ad.
😉

Not for sale , I’m riding less & getting fatter, I’ll need then again one day

Also to the OP

After I broke my ankle (day the clocks went fwd so mid march) I was told id be out all summer, but I rested it for the 1st six weeks (got fat but became a PS3 boss) then did physio religously & swam as much as possible, did the Megavalanche 3months later.

Sorry to hear you are injured OP. Heal quick.
On the subject if using turbo, have a look in ebay and get some s/h tribars to allow you to put your wright through your elbow or forearm in the short term. It may allow you to be cimfier and facilitate some exercise.

Which cycle path was it on and how did it happen? It’d be useful to learn from this guy’s mistake, or be able to spot the situation.

No idea how long it’ll take, but I hope you mend well and quickly.

You’ll be back OP. Do the physio, and you’ll get there -it takes time. Coming upto 4 years since very nearly being in a wheelchair – yes my back causes pain, especially if I have natural trails and need a ‘hike the bike’, but on the bike it’s OK, not prefect, but manageable.