First descent of first morning in the Alps…

Planned and dreamt about for months, this the result of my very first descent of my first day in the Alps. I was taking it easy to check all was working properly, then had an understeer on a tight corner at less than 5 km/h. Flipped me over the handlebar and 20 m down the mountain. My back, chest, elbow, knee, shin and foot armour all worked perfectly, as did the full face helmet and mask. What bony bit was unarmoured…. the hands (had gloves but not enough to stop my 4th metacarpal from splintering). Just two weeks since I twisted my ankle (hat tip to my brother for the malicious trampoline move) but luckily I’m not superstitious and am not nervously anticipating this summer’s 3rd injury… Not that I can do too much reading a book anyway. Have great hols all!!!

oh poop ! You daft apath.

I hope the doc helped you with your pin number after…

My credit card never saw the light of day; carte vitale and mutuelle covered all. I needed some silver lining! Going to use my lift day pass to read a book up the mountain. My wife doesn’t know she’ll be driving all the way home yet…

ooooh. Ouch. And Bummer.

Do a “moto gp rider” – dose yourself up to the eyeballs on hardcore painkillers and go riding anyway.

Rope your hand onto the bars? 😀

Ohhh, what a bollocks. I went the other way and fell off a cliff literally half a mile from the end of the final descent, in the pyrenees. Sort of good karma, bad karma…

Oh I feel for you there……my equivalent was on day two of a week’s 7 Stanes trip a few years ago, my front wheel washed out towards the end of the first half of the red at Kirroughtree (before you pick up the black).

Dislocated finger tip, bust tendons and a chip off the bone that means I can now no longer completely close my right hand into a fist!

Heal well, and enjoy the surroundings you’re in anyway!

Yup been there, end of day two, separated left ankle with plenty of ligament damage and a small fracture. Spent the rest of the week driving the automatic car we’d hired around and about and getting very drunk in Vallandry, so not too bad…

Oh no…..!

Looks like the same type of spiral fracture I did to the same bone in my left hand.

They put my whole arm in plaster though from the elbow to the end of the first finger bone with a funny kink in it (bent wrist & knuckle).
Apparently it was to stop me moving my hand, as that could cause the bone to shorten more than it might do if not held like that (through the ends of the bone sliding past each other, given that it’s a diagonal break).

As it is, it’s shortened a bit & has never been right since, to be honest. It’s not bad and fine for most things, but just not right.

How long have they said it’ll need a cast? Mine was reviewed at 4 weeks and they ended up keeping it on for 6…..

OP – that was me last year. Only difference was I waited till after lunch! I also bust another metacarpals (And two ribs.).

Heal fast!

GW rode for a week in the alps with a cast on his leg – fact*

*no, he actually did.

oh poop ! You daft apath.

@weeksy – stones. glass houses 🙂

That’s a bummer OP. Fortunately I have gotten away with a big chest first slam on a (luckily) flat rock at start of Passport – PdS, another slam and a big slide on greasy woodwork (quality bruise) and a hamstring tweak on warm up day of a guided holiday (utilised to max for excuses not to be able to ride switchbacks)

Full recovery is often a misnomer as many things are never really “right again” its a matter of adapting

I twanged my ACL once, luckily it was the last day 😮

I would be heading back to the UK to get some one to have a proper look.

Odd cast that.

Thanks all, just got back from the mountain, whence I did hit the beers with my book (how could I know so little about the origins of WW1!).

I didn’t expect to fall so badly. The crash was so slow but I couldn’t stop myself on the slope, and was partly concentrating on not landing on my injured (and tightly taped ankle). Best bit was walking into the refuge bar and being recognised… Lift operators had already ‘phoned around for a good giggle at a Brit stacking it on my first run: I didn’t think me getting my French ID out would add much to the banter.

The hand still isn’t hurting much but I could feel the crunchiness straight away. I got a wave of nausea and wanted to lie down in the sun but forced myself up, walked to the nearest track then freewheeled very gently down (thank you rear Zee brake!).

My wife isn’t back from hiking yet but I’m expecting zero sympathy.

I have a check up in town on Wednesday but 4 week anticipated mend time – covering three week trip to Japan… Next target, Roc d’Azur!

Cheers,
Left-hand-typey Gaidong