I Fall, Go Boom

On Saturday August 20, 14 OC Velo riders set out to do the Cool Breeze Double Metric Century.
Within 100 feet of the start a rider got a flat! That right there should have been the sign of what the rest of the day would be like.  Of course being a bunch of macho guys that can't see the forest for the trees we didn't see this sign of impending doom. Not being one to sit idly by as others work, I took Bob's wheel and promptly changed the tire. I think it took longer to dig out the thorn than to change the tube.

Another 12 miles and Lee got a flat. As I was helping change Lee's flat, Kurt got a flat. Oh boy, if only we could see the sign in front of our eyes. We finally got to the first stop in Ojai and within minutes were on our way to the second stop alongside Lake Casitas. After the climb to Ojai, these were flyer downhills that quickly brought the average speed up to some real numbers. After Lake Casitas the road turned upward again and John got his first flat.

I commented that I wanted to take a picture but ran out of film... little did I know that John's ordeal with flats was far from over. After a few laughs about needing more film we headed off once again. We finally met in Carpinteria for a good rest stop. We had all agreed this was the point the club members would separate from each other as the faster guys were going to be substantially faster as the day wore on.

John, Lee and myself set off for the last real big climb. In true fashion, I fell back as we started off. Whenever I come to an extended stop it takes me a really long time to loosen up and get going again. I was slowly catching John and Lee when I came around a corner and there they were just starting to change John's second flat. After a few laughs that weren't nearly as big as the first time around, we changed out the tube and motored on once again. At least now came the fun downhill. I live for the downhill adrenaline rush!

Click the picture to enlarge

Well sure enough, I had too much adrenaline coursing through my veins. A series of mistakes within the matter of a second or two and I was doomed to fail at navigating a tight left hander. At left, is a Google Earth shot of my impact with Mother Earth. Somehow I realized my impending crash and I planned rather well in a very short period of time.

Realizing my fate, I opted to go straight into the side of the mountain and decided to lift my front wheel as far as possible to lessen the angle. Yeah right! I slammed into the dirt berm at a high rate of speed and immediately went from 30 to 0 in nothing flat. I distinctly remember hearing a loud snap and then I went over the bars. I guess because I was holding onto the bars my arms didn't extend out in time. That ended up being a good thing as I would have probably broken an arm, wrist or maybe a collarbone.

Life slowed to a crawl; no, slower than a crawl. I was launched toward a nasty looking dead branch that was perched a few inches off the ground. Realizing the branch was about to impact my larynx I held my head up as high as I could and I did a "belly flop" into the side of the mountain. Two inches of dirt and earth material swirled around as I stood up. Actually it was more like JUMPED UP! I was alive and I shouldn't be. My first words were, "I should be dead", my next statement was "My larynx should be broken". Briefly, I flirted with death, but ended up cheating it. I am one lucky guy for sure. The crash into the side of the mountain left virtually no marks, a small bruise under my chin, a few scrapes on my arms and shoulders and a sinking feeling in my chest.

Click the picture to enlarge

Within seconds John and Lee stopped and asked all the pertinent questions, but my only concern was my overwhelming need to get right back on the bike and keep riding. That's a throw back to my car racing days. It was stupid then and it was stupid now.

I did get right back on that bike with its massive cracks that wended along the top tube, steerer tube and downtube. This was serious. John and Lee hung back and watched me wiggle down the road. They must have had some interesting discussions about how to stop this madness. Somehow with the Grace of God I made it to the next rest stop which was almost 12 miles away. My bike rode like a weeble wobble toy that we played with as kids. Everytime I pushed on the pedals the front end would go one way and I spent that entire 12 miles counter steering to keep the bike straight. I couldn't even use the front brake for fear of shearing off the entire front of the bike.

At the rest stop I proffered to quickly get some water and ride on. Thankfully (though not so at the time) Dave knocked some sense into me and convinced me to give it up and not be stubborn. It actually took quite of bit of cajoling to get me to throw in the towel. However, I have to admit Dave was 100% right. I was an accident looking for a place to happen and there were certainly enough opportunities that would present themselves.

A volunteer from Channel Islands Bicycle Club offered to bring me back not only to Ventura but to actually bring me to my hotel. Thank you Hector, us Puerto Ricans need to stick together this side of the Rockies. Someday I hope to repay your generosity though certainly not in the same manner.

There is a slight advantage to getting back before most of the riders; there's plenty of empty stools at the bar.

Kidding aside, there was another major incident on this ride toward the last few miles of the ride. One of the OC Velo members took a hard fall and had to be transported to the hospital. I won't write more than that because I don't know his status at this time and I'll wait for him to write his own story. Let's all hope that he is home and healing before long.

Lastly, this was the day of flats and incidents. SIX FLATS among four riders, one person transported to the hospital and my broken bike made for a day fourteen OC Velo riders will never forget. I wonder how many of us are planning next year's ride. I for one am ready to sign up right now.