When I arrived at Lafayette, I learned that Mark and I would be the only two Club One members that would be doing this ride. Although a bit disappointed at not seeing other Club One peeps show up, I was prepared to get in a good ride. Once Mark got suited up, off we went. Riding though the residential area of Lafayette, I noticed that the chilly air was piercing through my gloves. Numbness started to enter my thumbs. What the hell?!
I tried to think warm thoughts but to no avail. My hands were freezing. Yeah, I know you east coast readers are thinking, "Whimp!" Having been born in a tropical country and grown up in lovely L.A., I will readily admit that I don't handle cold weather very well. I started thinking about upgrading my gloves to pogies.
(In case you're wondering where you can find pogies, check out www.icebike.org.)
BAD INCIDENT #1, albeit a minor one, happened to Mark while we were waiting for a red light. I was talking to him when all of a sudden I see him tilting over before falling on his right side. *scratching my head* "Uh, Mark, what just happened?" Apparently, Mark wanted to walk over and push the light button so we could get a green light faster. Ummm, perhaps, he should have unclipped before trying to walk over to the light? I'm just sayin'. ;-)
Anyhoo, we eventually met up with the Duros and Left Coast Riders at a Shell station. Before we left the station, Mark warned me that these guys can ride pretty fast so I better be on my toes. Sure enough, these guys started picking up the pace and I was hanging in the back trying to keep up. Thank goodness for that red light where we had to turn left to turn into the Livermore hills. Although I didn't expect them to slow down, I at least knew their pace and did my best to stay with them.
We eventually made it to rest stop number two where we refilled our water bottles and consumed some calories. Being the camera-happy person that I am, I whipped out my camera and started snapping pictures as I also tried to gulp down a cup of hot coffee.
All of a sudden, I heard people getting on their bikes and rolling. Damn! I took another gulp of coffee before throwing out the remains, jammed my camera into my jersey pocket, and adjusted my other jersey pockets before I jumped on my bike and started pedaling quickly towards the group. I'm not sure if it was the sudden acceleration but all of a sudden I felt a twinge in my lower right hip/ass area. Damn again! I was a little concerned that the dull pain might develop into a sharper one as the ride progressed but I figured I'd just wait and see what happened.
We had a fair amount of riders in the group and they were pretty good about calling out objects on the road. At one point, I heard someone yell "rock." I immediately saw a mini-crater on the ground and people splitting off to the left and right. I then saw Mark hit the rock before he lost control of his bike. I was behind him so I quickly glanced over my left shoulder to ensure there weren't any cars on the road before I split off to the center of the road. Bam! Down Mark went! We all stopped and checked on Mark. Aside from some aches, Mark appeared well enough to continue riding. His bike was also in tact enough to continue the ride so on we went. That was BAD INCIDENT #2.
As we approached the Pleasanton bart station, we learned that Bonnie had a rear flat tire so we waited for her and Deb to catch up with the group.
The ride continued for a while before the group split off. Eventually, it was Mark, Bonnie and I riding into Lafayette together. Bonnie asked me if I was tired and I said no (although, I still felt that little twinge on my right side.) Mark asked, since I wasn't tired, would I extend my ride by skipping the bart ride and riding home instead, to which I responded, "No. Considering what's happened on this ride already, I'll end up with a flat and I'll have to wait for someone to come along and help me fix my flat." Mark retorted, "You rode home by yourself on our last ride." I replied, "Yeah, but I'm superstitious and I believe that bad things happen in 3's. So, I'll be taking bart today."
As we neared the Lafayette bart station, Bonnie noticed that she had a front wheel flat. She figured that she could make it up the little hill and into the station before she got off her bike to fix the flat. As I turned left into the parking lot on Deer Hill Road, I heard Bonnie yell out. I looked behind me and saw Bonnie on the ground in the middle of the street. I put my bike down and ran over to her and Mark. Bonnie was in serious pain and couldn't get up. BAD INCIDENT #3!
The first driver that stopped to check on Bonnie happened to be an EMT. He asked her various questions and did a mini-physical exam. Although, it appeared that Bonnie might be o.k., she yelled out in pain as she tried to get up. She appeared to be experiencing severe pelvic pain when she tried to sit up. Traffic started building up as various drivers asked if they could help out or call 911. One woman even got out of her car. We let them know that, while we appreciated their offers, we had already called for an ambulance and were waiting for them to appear.
The Lafayette police were the first to appear. They set up their two patrol cars to ensure Bonnie didn't get run over while laying on the ground.
Eventually, the firefighters and paramedics showed up. At this point, Bonnie was freezing and she couldn't get into the ambulance fast enough.
While waiting for the ambulance, I learned the following things:
1. Never give a seriously injured person water or food; it might send them into shock. (Bonnie asked for water but we had to
deny her request per the first EMT's recommendation.)
2. Off-the-clock nurses, paramedics, and cops are more likely than doctors to stop and assist random injured people in
public places. (This is according to the lady cop's personal experience.) What's up with this?!!
3. When you continue to ride with a flat tire, you run the risk of going down. (Perhaps Bonnie's flat, front wheel hit a bot dot
as she attempted to make a left hand turn and the tire gave in, causing her to go down? Bonnie was also tired at this point
so perhaps that was also a factor?)
4. BAD THINGS DO HAPPEN IN 3'S!!!!! (Affirmation of pre-existing knowledge.)
Mark was going to go to the hospital to check on Bonnie. As soon as I get an update from him on Bonnie's status, I'll add it to my blog.
As you can see from some of these pictures, Bonnie remained a trooper and let me snap pictures of the event. If you're interested in seeing the other pictures, you can find them at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7616589@N06/
BONNIE UPDATE: I just got off the phone with Mark and he said Bonnie has a pelvic fracture but she will not require
surgery or rehab. She'll have to endure some pain but her fracture will heal on its' own. Although a fractured pelvis sucks, I'm happy to hear that Bonnie is now on her way to recovery.
2 comments:
ouch! fyi, there is another reason you don't give an injured person food or drink. if they require surgery, it's best to have an empty stomach for anesthesia.
another fyi -- fractured pelvis is very common for women because of the way we fall (due to where we carry our weight). men, on the other hand, tend to break collarbones.
Hi Velogirl. Thanks for the fyi's, I always like learning something new. =)
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