Hanging up my boots after 54 years in the Dirt

[Gord]

From my first ride on a Heathkit Boonie Bike in late 1969, I have been hooked on the dirt biking experience.

I’ve often wondered what it would take to make me give up riding. October 14, 2023 I found out. Fortunately it is a decision I get to make, not one that is made for me.

It was a nice fall day in the Limerick, nearing the end of our season. Towards the end of my planned ride, I turned off a forest road on to a widish trail with gentle climb. Bottom of 3rd, gently accelerating, boom! It happened fast. I hit something nasty hidden under the leaves, swapped into something else nasty, was pitched high-side into something else nasty on the ground.

Wind was knocked out, terrible feeling but knew what to do. Don’t panic, tiny, painful breathes until somewhat normal (but still painful) breathing returns.

Was alone (I know!) so lay for a long time before trying to move. Rolled to sitting, waited, stood. Self-diagnosis was accurate but incomplete: left collarbone, multiple ribs on left side, sprained right thumb.

Pulled the bike up without much difficulty, mounted with considerable difficulty, started with no difficulty (thank you electric start!) and took short cut to truck at the “Y” (1 minute by forest road).

No chance of loading bike myself, so walked past trees to where I knew a young woman and 2 girls were parked. They were loading up, I wasn’t going to ask them to load but did ask if they could stop by pit to find help. Soon, 2 4-wheelers and a biker showed up and quickly got me loaded. Called and confessed to my wife and drove 80km home.

She took one look at me in truck and brought out a chair. Half way to front door I felt faint and needed it. 911, paramedic, ambulance, straight to Civic Trauma Unit.

Lots of tests and scans (with incredibly painful transfers!) and “accurate but incomplete” was completed:

• Broken left collarbone
• Broken left shoulder blade
• Broken left ribs 1-10
• Broken left transfer processes 5-9 and 11
• Ruptured spleen (grade 4)
• Bruised left lung
• Broken right rib 1
• Sprained right thumb

19 separate broken bones, and for good measure some of the ribs are broken in 2 places.

The only thing that needed intervention was the spleen. My first manscaping experience as they prepared to run catheter from groin to cauterize remains of spleen..

4 days in trauma centre, 2 more in hospital, now recuperating at home.

I always wear full armour, currently Alpinestars A-10. This brutal outcome from relatively minor crash is something I never want to experience again. More importantly, I never want to put my family through this again.

I’m hanging up my riding boots , almost 54 years after that first ride on the Boonie Bike. It was a good run.

 

[rossw]

Sorry to hear Gord, hope you heal quickly.

This is the reason I just bought a spot tracker.

Maybe after 6 months of winter you will have a change of heart ;-)

 

[smokin]

Heal quick Gord!

Undoubtedly a hard decision to make, but I've known a couple of busted up bikers who probably should have made the same decision.

Next year will mark 58 years since I slung a leg over a bike. I've taken it down a notch every decade or so since turning 40 and I'm going to have to take it down another notch (or two). But us long time riders know you don't have to hit the ground that fast to do lots of damage and as years go by time works against any amount of skill, conditioning or experience you may have to fight the law of averages.

Anyway, thanks for sharing your story. I hope to remember this cautionary tale next time the voice in my head whispers: 'Come on Doug, faster!'

 

[Gord]

Thanks for kind wishes. With time on my hands, I checked out gps tracks from last ride.



First map is entire ride. This is my usual route lately - park at “Y”, ride mostly single track until almost back to truck, turn around and ride same trails in reverse. About 2 hours, often that’s enough, sometimes I head to pit end for more.

The marker is the incident, on return run.

Pretty sure I rode that section my first time at Limerick in ‘97 or ‘98 and have easily ridden it over 200 times since then.



Second map is last section of return. It took longer than I thought to get going, stopped almost 15 minutes.

GPS (mine, at least) is not great for instantaneous speed, but forest road looks right (40ish, peak of 51, slow down for corner). Second last speed (19) is at exit to corner. Final speed (15) is presumably average of peak speed and sudden stop. So I’m guessing 25-30 km/h at time of crash.