Back in the saddle, 1st ride after injury

[JetSetDemo]

Well it’s been 10 weeks since I broke my collarbone, left hand and 2 ribs and I took the plunge and did 30km at Sherwood pines today. It was an incredible feeling to be riding again. I did 2 loops and cut 8min off of the second loop. It’s going to be a while till I’m fully fit but I did feel my confidence coming back.

Not sure if these is a return to riding after injury thread already but if not would be good to listen to others stories.

Demo

 

[flash]

Welcome back! It does feel great.

I've broken ribs twice. Both times it was a huge relief to be back on the bike but both times I was super cautious. Body armour for a month or two until the heat makes it completely unbearable. Takes me a couple of months to completely relax and just ride the bike again.

Gordon

 

[Rahr85]

Mine is well documented here. broke 3 ribs, healed up pretty well but was very cautious as to what i hit when returning onto the bike. once i felt like i had healed up enough i did the blue route at pines and then just some local road/trails for another month or so before going back to doing things with some risk involved.

When i crashed i had all the protection i could have on so for anything risky i'm just staying with the same protection levels.

Bike Park Wales - Takes your breath away

Hello all, i figured i would give this it's own thread as things didn't quite go as i had planned and there is a lot of fragmented content regarding this over the site. Before this all happened i was going to be using an ebike pedal pass but one of the other four guys managed to fall off at...

www.emtbforums.com

 

[Davvee]

It will be 5 weeks on Monday since I went otb on Death Valley in pines and fractured my t6 in my back. I’ve just started having little rides to get my confidence up but it doesn’t help that I suffer with really bad anxiety. Hopefully I’ll get back to pines in a week or so and complete the green or blue and build up to the red. Only been riding a year and emtb since end of July.

 

[RustyMTB]

Got the itch four weeks after breaking my arm last year. Really it was too early, I was hurting after but loved being back on the bike. Took a cosmic bollocking off the missus for that & she was right. I'd have been right in it if I'd crashed again but no regrets.

 

[steve_sordy]

"cosmic bollocking" Wow, that sure is some bollocking!

 

[billwarwick]

Well it’s been 10 weeks since I broke my collarbone, left hand and 2 ribs and I took the plunge and did 30km at Shirewood pines today. It was an incredible feeling to be ridding again. I did 2 loops and cut 8min off of the second loop. It’s going to be a while till I’m fully fit but I did feel my confidence coming back.

Not sure if these is a return to riding after injury thread already but if not would be good to listen to others stories.

Demo

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Oh, you managed to get your bike back off Dom then?

 

[JetSetDemo]

Oh, you managed to get your bike back off Dom then?

Went down with the wife to pick it up from the FOD a few weeks later, it survived!!!

 

[Zimmerframe]

Went down with the wife to pick it up from the FOD a few weeks later, it survived!!!

Did you manage to scrape all the molten chocolate and ice cream off ?

 

[JetSetDemo]

Did you manage to scrape all the molten chocolate and ice cream off ?

Is that what that was in the saddle, I wasn’t sure.

 

[Doomanic]

Did you manage to scrape all the molten chocolate and ice cream off ?

Do I look like I spill ice cream and chocolate???

 

[Muttley]

I broke my collarbone 5th Sep so still early on road to recovery. First couple of days after the break I was seriously thinking of selling the bike as I cycle alone. I managed to push the bike home this time but worry it could have been a lot worse. Was a slow innocuous fall but hit a hidden rock but I'm now looking at getting some armour, any recommendations?

 

[JetSetDemo]

36km at Cannock today in prep for the Surrey hills forum ride tomorrow. My shoulder is fine it’s my bloody hip that kills, nothing that 6 BrewDog won’t fix ??

Nice mix of the dog and monkey plus around 5 miles of off piest

 

[JetSetDemo]

I broke my collarbone 5th Sep so still early on road to recovery. First couple of days after the break I was seriously thinking of selling the bike as I cycle alone. I managed to push the bike home this time but worry it could have been a lot worse. Was a slow innocuous fall but hit a hidden rock but I'm now looking at getting some armour, any recommendations?

I have this Dainese Trail Skins Pro Tee Armour - Black

 

[JetSetDemo]

Of course no idea if it would have saved my collarbone as it was in the car and not on my torso when I did mine.

 

[KnollyBro]

I broke my collarbone 5th Sep so still early on road to recovery. First couple of days after the break I was seriously thinking of selling the bike as I cycle alone. I managed to push the bike home this time but worry it could have been a lot worse. Was a slow innocuous fall but hit a hidden rock but I'm now looking at getting some armour, any recommendations?

I don't think any armor will stop you from breaking a collar bone if you put your arms our to break your fall. After countless crashes, I have learned to tuck and roll with arms jammed up into my chest to protect my ribs and let my POC elbow pads take the impact. This method of exiting the bike will take lots of practice and does not work all the time and I much prefer the "West Coast Dismount" where one simply sees you are about to eat sh!t and you jump off to one side and land on your feet. Once again, practice makes perfect and your results may vary depending on the terrain. Neither method worked in my latest crash going over a 6 foot drop to an off camber rock where my foot slipped off and shattered my heel bone, I was out for a year.

I understand one's trepidation after a crash but starting up slow and regaining confidence is the only way back. Especially as you get older. I am 59 and have been riding for a little over 10 years and have crashed too many times to remember. Since my last big crash/injury, I take it a little slower and have decided to just.... not crash! I am feeling much better now and almost back, but noticeably slower!

Where I ride.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2zZG25wQ970XJ2Amk1yC9A

 

[RoktMyDog]

Glad you're back on the bike! As I posted a while back here, I woke up 6 weeks ago with severe vertigo, ER visit etc. My first attempt after 2.5 weeks on single track was dire. I immediately turned around. It's gotten incrementally better and I'm at 85% now but still a bit of a bobble especially when climbing techie, steep sections. Fyi, it wouldn't be a bad idea for everyone to know the epley movement as vestibular crystals need to be repositioned, as in my case. Mine are a little stickier I guess because some people I've talked to have felt immediate relief with an epley movement. Happy trails all.

 

[Zimmerframe]

looking at getting some armour, any recommendations?

It's impossible to armour for every eventuality, it all comes down to compromises on weight, heat, flexibility.

If you look in the reviews are or search body armour there's several threads giving some of the up and downsides. What works for one of us won't necessarily work for someone else though.

Something like a TLD5955 has faiirly good collar bone/upper chest/back/upper shoulder protection and isn't bulky. For the most area coverage, something like a TLD7855 - but I've still broken lots whilst wearing one of them, though with considerably less injury than I would of had without it.

A 7855 can be stripped of some areas and a 5955 worn over the top of that, but if you push or ride in warm conditions you'll get too hot like that + it gets stupidly expensive buying two sets. A leatt 6.5 body protector is probably at the high end of protection (and price) though the hard armour section looks a bit bulky for MTB use.

It was a bit selfish of @JetSetDemo not to review his dianese properly in this instance though.

 

[JetSetDemo]

It's impossible to armour for every eventuality, it all comes down to compromises on weight, heat, flexibility.

If you look in the reviews are or search body armour there's several threads giving some of the up and downsides. What works for one of us won't necessarily work for someone else though.

Something like a TLD5955 has faiirly good collar bone/upper chest/back/upper shoulder protection and isn't bulky. For the most area coverage, something like a TLD7855 - but I've still broken lots whilst wearing one of them, though with considerably less injury than I would of had without it.

A 7855 can be stripped of some areas and a 5955 worn over the top of that, but if you push or ride in warm conditions you'll get too hot like that + it gets stupidly expensive buying two sets. A leatt 6.5 body protector is probably at the high end of protection (and price) though the hard armour section looks a bit bulky for MTB use.

It was a bit selfish of @JetSetDemo not to review his dianese properly in this instance though.

I can tell you this if you leave it in the car and don’t wear it 100% it doesn’t help in reducing injury or risk there of!

 

[Doomanic]

Of course no idea if it would have saved my collarbone as it was in the car and not on my torso when I did mine.

 

[KCMitch]

It will be 5 weeks on Monday since I went otb on Death Valley in pines and fractured my t6 in my back. I’ve just started having little rides to get my confidence up but it doesn’t help that I suffer with really bad anxiety. Hopefully I’ll get back to pines in a week or so and complete the green or blue and build up to the red. Only been riding a year and emtb since end of July.

Good luck man. Be safe and take it slow

 

[Rahr85]

What kind of lunatic is counting Cannock in km? ?

 

[JetSetDemo]

What kind of lunatic is counting Cannock in km? ?

I used Komoot and it came out in KM’s

 

[Doomanic]

I do all my rides in KM; looks like I've gone further...