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Club Events 2007 : 2007-06-08 : COC - Jumpingpound Loop MTB, and CCC - Calgary Farmers' Market

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COC - Jumpingpound Loop MTB, Slow and Moderate Pace, Plus Tailgate BBQ Yes, dad, I'm too clumsy for this kind of thing, and yes, dad, maybe I should start to act my age, but I'm not going to! Before we set out, Marty gave me a challenge... he wanted to see blood on my legs (not just mud) to prove that I'm a hardcore mountain biker. I didn't disappoint him. This didn't turn out to be Jumpingpound Loop MTB Plus Tailgate BBQ... it turned out to be Jumpinpound Loop MTB Plus a Trip to the Emergency Room. We cycled the first little section of trail together, and then split into the fast group and the Rhonda and Kelly group. Just before the middle of the trail (where there's an exit to the vehicles), I took a tumble off of my bicycle... a very gentle tumble (slipped off the trail, went over sideways, trippity-trippity-trip down a small bank, grabbed a tree with my left hand to stop my fall), unfortunately culminating with the brake lever of my bike impaling my right thigh. I mean, it IMPALED it. 5" of brake lever in my leg. I looked at it and thought my leg was wedged in between a couple parts of the bike so I was going to try to un-wedge my leg, when I felt something poking out of my skin. I thought maybe I broke my leg (although I didn't feel like it) and then realized that it was the end of the brake lever poking out from underneath my skin. I extracted the lever from my leg and called to Kelly for help (ok, so actually I freaked out and shrieked to Kelly for help... something like "Kelly... blubberblubber... help... Kelly... help... blubberblubberblubber...Kelly!!"). I was extremely lucky that I didn't hit any major arteries... but it was still pretty gross with blood and flecks of fatty tissue and other pieces of me that belong on the inside scattered about on my leg and pants. Do NOT view the photo album unless you want to see a photo of this. Poor Kelly raced to help me, assessed my wound, and created a temporary tourniquet from my shoe lace, and then at my urging, raced off to try and find the boys. She walked up and down the road, yelling, to no avail. Returned to the vehicles and left notes and then returned to me and kept me company. Because the boys were doing a figure 8 with the trail, and I was right in the center of the trail, we waited there for about twenty minutes and then the boys arrived. Gave me a bit more first aid and helped me limp my way out the short 0.25km to where Marty had the truck waiting. Thanks to everyone for being so great. Kelly... thank you for taking such good care of me... you're awesome, girl. Aaron, thanks for the first aid. Glen and Phil, thanks for helping me down the hill (and for being short enough to do so). Jake, thanks helping get the bikes out. Rick, thanks for photographing the whole ordeal - I'm looking forward to seeing your photos asap!! Most of all, thanks to Marty for taking me to the hospital and spending the entire evening with me there, leaving me only for a half hour while the wound was being cleaned lest he hurl (sissy) from the sights and/or sounds. The doc froze my leg, cleaned the wound by squirting it with saline, and then they put polysporin and bandages on it. Because it's such a large and deep wound, he decided not to stitch it right away - he's leaving it open for four days for it to expel any crap that may still be inside and then I get to go back for stitches. I have to wear a knee-stabilizing splint for the four days - it goes from my hip to my ankle, so I'm really hobbling around. Like when I broke my finger, I have no pain... weird. However, the needles (freezing, tetanus and antibiotic IV bugged the heck out of me... especially the needle for freezing... OUCH!!). My bicycle has officially been named "Christine" (bone up on your Stephen King if you don't get the reference). This is the third time Christine has gotten me, and while unloading her when we got home, she gave Marty quite the gash on his leg as well. There's no doubt, I'm the number one COC-Breaker (TWO injuries, now, requiring a hospital visit). Ed has the solution, though - he's going to get me a portable padded cell. Marg thinks I should just have a travel airbag attached to me. Alissa says a giant plastic ball like a gerbil ball would work better - I could happily run around safe inside my big plastic ball (which Alissa will market as a "Rhonda Ball"). John and Sandy think I should just get myself a suit made of bubble wrap. Hmmmmmmm... the good ideas are just pouring in! From now on it's just "Fluffy Bike" for me, and every effort to keep the things that belong inside of me on the INSIDE and the things that belong on the outside, OUTSIDE!! -- Rhonda Update, June 11th: I am going to see my GP tomorrow. He advises to NOT have it stitched up at all because it will get infected. He says it is better to leave it open and wait for it to close/heal on its own. Argh! I have been looking forward to getting the stitches so I don't have a disturbing open hole in my leg, and also so I can resume activity. Well, I guess living with the open hole for a bit longer is better than getting an infection. How, exactly, did this happen, you may ask? Brake levers are not especially sharp or pointy, and skin is not easy to puncture. Well, I have a fairly large scrape below the hole on my leg. I wasn't going fast, but I believe what happened was the handlebars swung around quite quickly and the brake lever scraped up my leg underneath my capri pants. The angle must have been such, or perhaps my skin buckled, so that instead of continuing to scrape up my leg, the lever actually pushed its way through my skin. A very freak accident. If I'd been wearing longer pants it probably wouldn't have happened, and I had bike shorts on that were quite tight around my thigh a few inches above where the lever went in - I think they may have contributed to my skin buckling where it did, enabling the lever to pierce my skin. Want to see more photos? See my personal album.
CCC - Brunch and Shopping at Calgary Farmers' Market We'll have brunch in the food court (lots of great vendors) and then do some shopping at the Calgary Farmers' Market. When you get into the market, head into the far right corner. Meet your coordinator at the edge of the food court seating area, in front of Simple Simon's Pies. We'll grab a table together.

Notes

Actions

COC - Jumpingpound Loop MTB, Slow and Moderate Pace, Plus Tailgate BBQ

Yes, dad, I'm too clumsy for this kind of thing, and yes, dad, maybe I should start to act my age, but I'm not going to! Before we set out, Marty gave me a challenge... he wanted to see blood on my legs (not just mud) to prove that I'm a hardcore mountain biker. I didn't disappoint him.

This didn't turn out to be Jumpingpound Loop MTB Plus Tailgate BBQ... it turned out to be Jumpinpound Loop MTB Plus a Trip to the Emergency Room. We cycled the first little section of trail together, and then split into the fast group and the Rhonda and Kelly group. Just before the middle of the trail (where there's an exit to the vehicles), I took a tumble off of my bicycle... a very gentle tumble (slipped off the trail, went over sideways, trippity-trippity-trip down a small bank, grabbed a tree with my left hand to stop my fall), unfortunately culminating with the brake lever of my bike impaling my right thigh. I mean, it IMPALED it. 5" of brake lever in my leg. I looked at it and thought my leg was wedged in between a couple parts of the bike so I was going to try to un-wedge my leg, when I felt something poking out of my skin. I thought maybe I broke my leg (although I didn't feel like it) and then realized that it was the end of the brake lever poking out from underneath my skin. I extracted the lever from my leg and called to Kelly for help (ok, so actually I freaked out and shrieked to Kelly for help... something like "Kelly... blubberblubber... help... Kelly... help... blubberblubberblubber...Kelly!!"). I was extremely lucky that I didn't hit any major arteries... but it was still pretty gross with blood and flecks of fatty tissue and other pieces of me that belong on the inside scattered about on my leg and pants. Do NOT view the photo album unless you want to see a photo of this.

Poor Kelly raced to help me, assessed my wound, and created a temporary tourniquet from my shoe lace, and then at my urging, raced off to try and find the boys. She walked up and down the road, yelling, to no avail. Returned to the vehicles and left notes and then returned to me and kept me company. Because the boys were doing a figure 8 with the trail, and I was right in the center of the trail, we waited there for about twenty minutes and then the boys arrived. Gave me a bit more first aid and helped me limp my way out the short 0.25km to where Marty had the truck waiting.

Thanks to everyone for being so great. Kelly... thank you for taking such good care of me... you're awesome, girl. Aaron, thanks for the first aid. Glen and Phil, thanks for helping me down the hill (and for being short enough to do so). Jake, thanks helping get the bikes out. Rick, thanks for photographing the whole ordeal - I'm looking forward to seeing your photos asap!! Most of all, thanks to Marty for taking me to the hospital and spending the entire evening with me there, leaving me only for a half hour while the wound was being cleaned lest he hurl (sissy) from the sights and/or sounds.

The doc froze my leg, cleaned the wound by squirting it with saline, and then they put polysporin and bandages on it. Because it's such a large and deep wound, he decided not to stitch it right away - he's leaving it open for four days for it to expel any crap that may still be inside and then I get to go back for stitches. I have to wear a knee-stabilizing splint for the four days - it goes from my hip to my ankle, so I'm really hobbling around. Like when I broke my finger, I have no pain... weird. However, the needles (freezing, tetanus and antibiotic IV bugged the heck out of me... especially the needle for freezing... OUCH!!).

My bicycle has officially been named "Christine" (bone up on your Stephen King if you don't get the reference). This is the third time Christine has gotten me, and while unloading her when we got home, she gave Marty quite the gash on his leg as well.

There's no doubt, I'm the number one COC-Breaker (TWO injuries, now, requiring a hospital visit). Ed has the solution, though - he's going to get me a portable padded cell. Marg thinks I should just have a travel airbag attached to me. Alissa says a giant plastic ball like a gerbil ball would work better - I could happily run around safe inside my big plastic ball (which Alissa will market as a "Rhonda Ball"). John and Sandy think I should just get myself a suit made of bubble wrap. Hmmmmmmm... the good ideas are just pouring in!

From now on it's just "Fluffy Bike" for me, and every effort to keep the things that belong inside of me on the INSIDE and the things that belong on the outside, OUTSIDE!!

-- Rhonda

Update, June 11th:

I am going to see my GP tomorrow. He advises to NOT have it stitched up at all because it will get infected. He says it is better to leave it open and wait for it to close/heal on its own. Argh! I have been looking forward to getting the stitches so I don't have a disturbing open hole in my leg, and also so I can resume activity. Well, I guess living with the open hole for a bit longer is better than getting an infection.

How, exactly, did this happen, you may ask? Brake levers are not especially sharp or pointy, and skin is not easy to puncture. Well, I have a fairly large scrape below the hole on my leg. I wasn't going fast, but I believe what happened was the handlebars swung around quite quickly and the brake lever scraped up my leg underneath my capri pants. The angle must have been such, or perhaps my skin buckled, so that instead of continuing to scrape up my leg, the lever actually pushed its way through my skin. A very freak accident. If I'd been wearing longer pants it probably wouldn't have happened, and I had bike shorts on that were quite tight around my thigh a few inches above where the lever went in - I think they may have contributed to my skin buckling where it did, enabling the lever to pierce my skin.

Want to see more photos? See my personal album.

CCC - Brunch and Shopping at Calgary Farmers' Market

We'll have brunch in the food court (lots of great vendors) and then do some shopping at the Calgary Farmers' Market.

When you get into the market, head into the far right corner. Meet your coordinator at the edge of the food court seating area, in front of Simple Simon's Pies. We'll grab a table together.

Photos

CCC Details
CCC List
COC Details
COC List
Rhonda
Kelly
Hospital visit
The injury

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