Alpenrose is the first race in the Cross Crusade cyclocross series that the promoters claim is the largest “cross” series on the planet – I have no reason to doubt that. This would be my first time racing this venue and I was very much looking forward to it as it is generally regarded as the best cross venue in the Northwest.
My preparations were mostly the same as for any other race – it is important for me not to feel rushed, and I didn’t. I had arrived a couple of hours early and the Mountain View Cycles team had set up a paddock along the course near the wheel pit. Cross racing is fun in that there are many races during the day and many opportunities to cheer on friends and teammates.
I had completed my checklist in time for the scheduled recon 1 hour before my race. I could then do 30 minutes of warm-up and get to the staging area with time to secure a reasonable starting position.
I was thinking to myself that there was an unusual amount of hard surface (black top and concrete) on this course, and was slightly concerned about the grip level. The recon was good for exploring that a bit, and as the course was relatively clean, the grip level seemed pretty good – which is right when everything went wrong.
Approaching a stairway run-up there was some slightly damp dirt in the dismount zone just before a small curb. Even though I was taking things slowly, I mistimed my get-off. My left foot didn’t release exactly as I had expected (a result, I think, of being too careful) and I went straight to the ground.
I quickly popped back up to continue the lap but was unable to put much weight on my left foot. I figured I had simply knocked the wind out of myself and possibly had a groin pull – I just needed to shake it off and do some spinning on the trainer…
Yeah, maybe not so much. It was stiffening to the point that I couldn’t lift my leg over the seat, so I began hobbling my way back toward the Mountain View compound. I saw Kristi Dirks and Amy Moody and they informed me that I “didn’t look so good”. Karl Mikkelson was close by and suggested (brilliantly, as it turns out) that he should go get my car.
I was still pretty sure that it was just a strain and that if I could drive I would make my way toward Seattle (where I was planning to work Monday). I could depress the clutch with only a small amount of pain so I hit the road.
The up-side is that I would now be able to stop at PIR and watch the final race of the Oregon SCCA Spec Miata championship which had come down to the final race between my friends Will Schrader and Joey Atterbury. I stopped at the track and was able to get out of my cycling cloths and into something more comfortable. My leg was feeling better.
It was feeling better until I stopped to stretch about an hour later – it still wouldn’t take much weight. When I got to my mom and dad’s house, mom had done some research on hip injuries and I was able to see that I didn’t have all of the symptoms of a fracture. So, I had a snack and a beer and did a little bit more research. I really don’t like hospitals, and I certainly don’t want to be “that guy” who shows up in the ER with a stubbed toe.
I couldn’t find anything to convince me that I had a strain, sprain or anything besides a fracture, and reading between the lines it was clear that a fracture was better identified immediately. Mom drove me to Overlake hospital to have it looked at.
It didn’t take long for the x-rays to come back and there was, indeed, a fracture. The ER doc explained to me that this was the type of thing he wanted the orthopedic surgeon to make the call on – and that the call would very likely be to proceed with surgery tonight.
The surgeon had a very confidence inspiring way about him. He explained what the issues were and why it was best that we not wait – there can be vascular complications with this type of injury that are best avoided. I had never spent the night in a hospital before, or broken any bones – I need to do something about my bike handling skills…. But, first things first.
Surgery went off without a hitch, the OR staff and doctors were all awesome. I must say that it is a surreal experience to be wheeled through an empty hospital and into and under the bright lights of an operating room late on a Sunday evening. But ,like I said, the surgeon had left me with an excellent first impression and most importantly, my mom (an effective health care advocate) was there to handle decisions that were soon to be outside my capabilities – here we go…
The anesthesiologist put me on a med that would put me to sleep – he said something about a “slight” burning sensation. Thankfully, I went down quickly because that stuff burned like heck.
The next thing I knew I was awake – the surgery had taken only half an hour (which I think is a sign of no surprises) and I now had three “deck screws” holding the top of my femur together.
As I write this I sit in my hospital room all jacked-up on caffeine and Percocet (the othopedic surgury equivalent of Red Bull and Vodka) having been through one successful round of physical therapy and waiting for lunch. If PT goes well this afternoon I may be released to the care of my saintly mother – I don’t just live my life like an irresponsible teenager, I generously share the experience with mom, as well…
I’m thankful for a lot of things right now, not the least of which is that this is the result of my stupid mistake (inattentiveness) and not somebody else’s, and also that I didn’t hurt anybody else in the process. I’ve always found it easier to accept injuries and crashes when they are the result of my errors and when I didn’t take somebody else with me.
Thank you also to my many cycling friends and teammates for their well wishes and offers of support – I really appreciate it. I will find a way to positively feed off of this and come back stronger than ever. I might even be able to be Andrew’s lead out man by April. That’s my plan and I’m sticking to it this time.
