John's Crash

Plawless · Post by **Plawless** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 8:41 am

John hit a massive pothole going down Tolmie this morning doing hills. He went to the Jubuilee and promises to update us when he can. It seems likely that he has either dislocated his shouder or busted his collarbone. If any of our Doctor friends are at the Jube this morning I am sure he would appreciate a visit and the rest of us would appreciate an update.

Peter

JohnT · Post by **JohnT** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 9:43 am

typing one-handed - sorry, no upper case:

the hole was bloody deep. stopped my bike instantly - well not quite. the wheel stopped, but the forks bent a cm or two, so i guess the rest of the bike kept moving for a few milliseconds. i went over the bars and hit the road on my left side hard.

phys ed teacher, murry alan, if i remember correctly, stopped and drove alan and i to my house. peter met us there. went to royal jub. ER and the good news is ...... the kit was saved!

more good news - no broken bones.

i have torn two of the three ligaments that hold my clavicle in place. it only hurts when i move. five weeks healing, so i'll see you in three!

sorry, no x-ray images.

thanks alan and peter

jt

Alan · Post by **Alan** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 9:45 am

The pothole he hit was right near the corner of cedar hill X and Gordon Head Road. It was full of water too, so understandable that he didn't see it in time.
I took him to the Emergency room and managed to get him out of his cycling jacket before the evil Emerg Nurse took the scissors to him. I don't yet know the fate of the Argyle though....

ART BOY · Post by **ART BOY** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 10:24 am

Oh My

thanks for the update - glad to hear your on the mend John!
Keep us posted on your recovery.

mlawless · Post by **mlawless** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 10:39 am

John,

Jeepers! I am glad to hear that you are not too seriously hurt (Have you told Heidi yet?

)

Three weeks off for a five week recovery that sounds about right (if you are crazy

) Just consider the time off a rebuild phase (as in you are rebuilding the broken bits in your body!).

Let us know if you need anything (mag trainer, shoulder sling, beer, you know, the necessities)

Michael

Alan · Post by **Alan** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 2:32 pm

I called the Saanich Municipal hall to rant about the pothole. I thought of lying and telling them I was a lawyer in order to get speedier service, but they got back to me right away to say that the killer pothole in question is in Oak Bay, but they went out and fixed it anyways. Apparently I wasn't the first to complain. John's crash is certainly a rude way to learn about potholes but there are plenty of them out there (camouflaged, because they're full of water) so let's take the lesson from this to be extra vigilant-- certainly around puddles.

Dave Spiers · Post by **Dave Spiers** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 5:49 pm

Hey John, sorry to here the bad news, I bet even three weeks will seen like forever. As Mike said, if there's anything we can do just ask.

Dave.
P.S Is the bike knackerd?

JohnT · Post by **JohnT** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 6:44 pm

dave,

your message prompted me to look. yes, the bike is knackered. shoot.

interesting (i think) that the eight yr-old carbon fork blades, a mavic cosmos wheel (same vintage) and even the tire and tube look fine - they survived an impact that bent the alu steer tube enough to make the wheel/fender combo touch the frame.

i looked at the down tube, head tube junction - underneath where'd you'd expect damage if the front impact compressed the frame and i found tell-tale paint chipping that wasn't there a day ago. so the bottom of the head tube has been pushed back ever-so-slightly, into the downtube.

tylenol 3's are amazing! i hope this bump on my shoulder goes away - peter will have a field day with nick names if it doesn't.

jt

eric.partlow · Post by **eric.partlow** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 10:15 pm

Sorry to hear about the crash John. As has been said above - if there is anything you need just let us know. I was at the Jube this AM but didn't know you were there - sounds like you have been looked after pharmacologically though.
I suspect you will be back soon. It was your left ACJ? You never use that shifter anyway.
Too bad about the bike too. We will keep a lookout for a new stead for you - Was the Klein a 60 or 62cm?

That must have been a terrible pothole. I saw a clip on The Daily (local channel 11 shaw news) tonight on all the Alberta sized potholes the cold generated. We need to make a list of our favorite potholes - new and old - and submit it to the respective municiple roadworks divisions. The trick of course is to see the potholes before we find them the hard way. We will certainly be using extra caution out there.
Here's to a speedy recovery,
Eric

Lister Farrar · Post by **Lister Farrar** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 1:58 pm

Sorry to hear about the crash and injury John. Mend well and fast.

Too bad too about the frame. I guess even the phoenix doesn't rise every time. But still, it could make the coolest grocery bike on the block with a new fork and carbon fibre wicker basket.

Good to hear the steerer bent instead of broke. George Hincapie's alu one broke suddenly in Paris Roubaix dumping him. Sounds like good engineering on Klein's part, though I bet you're wishing it bent just a bit more and saved the main tubes.

L

PS Shall we bring over wind trainers some morning so Heidi doesn't get used to you not riding?

JohnT · Post by **JohnT** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 2:30 pm

lister, were you serious about the wind trainer meeting

a week from now, maybe less, i might be asking for a short-term wind trainer loan. in the meantime i'll watch the web for a 58 or 59 cm frame.

hope you all enjoyed the ride today, i'll try to drop by on tuesday, but don't expect warm cookies.

jt

JohnT · Post by **JohnT** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 2:38 pm

lister, were you serious about the wind trainer meeting

a week from now, maybe less, i might be asking for a short-term wind trainer loan. in the meantime i'll watch the web for a 58 or 59 cm frame.

hope you all enjoyed the ride today, i'll try to drop by on tuesday, but don't expect warm cookies.

jt

Brian S · Post by **Brian S** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 3:42 pm

Hey John--missed the discussion earlier in the week,, and glad to hear you are doing OK. I hit that same pothole in my family vehicle (a Honda Pilot) and jsut about triggered the air bags. Take care

Lister Farrar · Post by **Lister Farrar** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 7:27 pm

JohnT wrote:lister, were you serious about the wind trainer meeting

I am if you can make enough americanos for everyone!

but don't expect warm cookies.

That's not the way to go about convincing us...

ART BOY · Post by **ART BOY** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 9:33 am

John, I have a near new "inline" trainer your welcome to borrow. Let me know.

cashman · Post by **cashman** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 9:37 am

I have seen on the news information about the numerous potholes and on CTV last night it was mentioned that a claim can be filed with the municipality responsible to hopefully recover the cost of repairs, though this article dealt with motor vehicles it would not hurt to see if the municipality would cover the repair to a bike.

Obviously you will have to make a case for reimbursement, documenting everything but who knows all its going to cost you is some time.

I think that the municipalities insurance would cover the current replacement value of any bike? Lawyers your thoughts?

Lister Farrar · Post by **Lister Farrar** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 6:29 pm

John, would one of my relics work for you while you shop? 62 x 59.5 cm Bertrand (needs fenders) or same size marinoni touring bike, currently set up for cross.

You might even find yourself craving steel. Careful!

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 8:56 am

Sorry to hear about your crash John. I thought everyone should know that a municipality may be liable for damage/injury caused by a pothole in the road. It is very difficult to succeed when the decision to fix a pothole is governed by a maintenance policy. However, the policy for most local governments in the capital area has been to fix holes 4 cm or greater, depending on notice and how long the hole may have been there. These claims can be tough but if there may be something to go one it is imperative that proper notice to the correct municipality be given within 2 months from the date of the incident.

Bob Cameron

JohnT · Post by **JohnT** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 10:27 am

Hi again everyone,

Thanks very much for the support. I'll see the x-rays tomorrow and if they're interesting, I'll try to post them. It's feeling surprisingly good this morning. I got myself dressed! Including socks! Ramsey phoned to say he's separated both of his shoulders in the past. That's great, cause I want to be as fast as Ramsey. But bad, because he said it can take a year to be pain-free.

I will be in touch with those who've offered stuff (trainer and bike). I really appreciate it. I figure I'll by ready for some form of indoor training by next weekend.

Thanks Bob for the info. I wasn't really thinking about compensation. But, if anyone is getting $$ for replacing car tires or wheels, I'll be sure to push my case.

Also, I have also found a 2000 Klein Quantum Race with very low miles! Same colour as mine and has the Rolf Wheels that the used to be sold with. It's in Florida ($800 US). Something to consider.

I'll try to get out to see you tomorrow - if Heidi lets me drive.

JT

Ramsey · Post by **Ramsey** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 10:26 pm

Hey John! How are you feeling?
Know that you'll be fast again in no time. My off-bike time in '07 was about 5 weeks. Actually pain-free within 2 months, so misspoke on taking a full year. Stayed with a couple of shoulder stabilization exercises a week for a full year though in order to work out all of the kinks. As I mentioned on the phone, feel better / more balanced after the training. Milk it for what it's worth, eh. Probably be able to bail on the dishes and sundry chores for many months.. oh yeah, Heidi's a nurse, so scratch that! But at least you'll end up with a pointy shoulder that you can impress other cyclists (and small children) with... Wonder if I'm alone in feeling better for your holiday off the bike: watching you ride away from us on the flats and up the hills, without shifting out of the big ring, was hard on the ego! Heal fast, John...
R
Call me and I'll swing 'round with a couple of Europro DVDs full of Phil and Paul-isms to watch while spinning...

Tripleshot Cycling

John's Crash

John's Crash

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