Things have been a little 'quiet' on this website for the past few months... I tend to go through phases with this stuff but this time I have an excuse.

Back in November last year, about a week before I was due to start my 'Long Service Leave' (six months away from my regular job!), I went out for a (bicycle) ride with my Dobermann, 'West'. We headed over to a nearby Horse Trotting Track, where I would take him a few times a week.

Having done most of our first lap at a relatively slow pace, I decided to get into a bit of a sprint and see if I could outrun my dog. I had done this before (the dog was off the lead) but on this occasion I was using a new lead I had purchased earlier that week. I wasn't paying attention as I got into a sprint (about 35 km/h) and didn't notice the lead slipping down off the handlebars onto the front wheel...

I heard something and looked down just in time to see the font wheel lock up. The font wheel stopped dead and literally launched me over the font and into the ground. I was riding my Specialized Demo 9. That bike has 'huge' font suspension. This is a good thing when you're planning a downhill run but not so great when you do the old "dog lead in the front wheel" trick.

I hit the ground HARD! I'm not a small boy and at ~35km/h, hitting the ground at a steep angle is not a good idea! It hurt!

For the first time in my short (40+ years) life, I was unable to get up off the ground by myslelf... My dog came over and sat next to me as I groaned with pain. Fortunately, I had a phone with me and was able to call my wife for help: She arrived a few minutes later with my daughter and son-in-law in tow.

They took me straight to the local hospital (while I tried to object) and I ended up spending the night there. I was sent home the next day (after having some xrays) and given plenty of pain killers... but they only took the 'edge' off. I was sent to Albany for more tests a few days later this revealed something interesting. While I had apparently not broken any bones (this time), the scans revealed that I had previously (see this post) broken four ribs and cracked a vertebra. Yet, I was in more pain now, than after the previous accident!

This 'bicycle accident' was by far the most painful experience in my life so far... and it took me about 6 - 8 weeks to get over it and start to feel 'healthy' again (I slept in a recliner chair for the first three weeks because laying flat on my back was too painful): No major 'structural' damage but lots of deep bruising and internal bleeding.

Today's tip: Do not try this at home!