Scoup
07-28-2009, 07:11 AM
Great night for a ride at Sunderbruch last night - trails were close to perfect. Until. . . .
Was riding with a couple of friends, cruising along on Rock Cut, just past the hairpin turn. Picking up some speed for the downhill run. Randy (a new FORC member since April) was in the lead and fast approaching the spot where the tree hangs over the trail. I'm watching him intently. "Surely he sees the tree. He's gonna duck, right. Surely, he's going to duck." Wrong - To my horror Randy hits the tree head-on. Bike keeps going and Randy drops straight to the ground. His helmet is ruined, but saved his life.
Randy saw stars - never lost consciousness. He said he could hear bones crunch when he hit. We checked him over thoroughly, all seemed to be OK except for a sore neck. He's a former EMT, so somewhat knew what he was doing. I removed the liner from my camelback, which was filled with ice, and placed it on his neck. After many minutes we all three walked our bikes back to the parking lot.
We made a visit to the ER where his wife met us. X-rays were taken - nothing broken, just a very, very bad neck sprain. He'll be off work for eight days, and the doctor said the pain will get worse before it gets better. Very lucky man.
Here's the deal. Randy's been riding for more than 20 years, started way back when on the deer trails at SCP. He's ridden Sunderbruch countless times - knew the tree was there, but for some reason, on this ride, was looking down the trail and just didn't see it. It could probably happen to anyone.
The trail crew does a great job on the trails, and I've had the opportunity to work with FORC members on the trails at SCP. I understand and enjoy the challenges/obstacles out there, but after what I saw last night (I can't get the image of Randy smacking that tree out of my mind), I'm wondering if the trail steward would consider getting ride of that tree.
Just my two cents worth.
Was riding with a couple of friends, cruising along on Rock Cut, just past the hairpin turn. Picking up some speed for the downhill run. Randy (a new FORC member since April) was in the lead and fast approaching the spot where the tree hangs over the trail. I'm watching him intently. "Surely he sees the tree. He's gonna duck, right. Surely, he's going to duck." Wrong - To my horror Randy hits the tree head-on. Bike keeps going and Randy drops straight to the ground. His helmet is ruined, but saved his life.
Randy saw stars - never lost consciousness. He said he could hear bones crunch when he hit. We checked him over thoroughly, all seemed to be OK except for a sore neck. He's a former EMT, so somewhat knew what he was doing. I removed the liner from my camelback, which was filled with ice, and placed it on his neck. After many minutes we all three walked our bikes back to the parking lot.
We made a visit to the ER where his wife met us. X-rays were taken - nothing broken, just a very, very bad neck sprain. He'll be off work for eight days, and the doctor said the pain will get worse before it gets better. Very lucky man.
Here's the deal. Randy's been riding for more than 20 years, started way back when on the deer trails at SCP. He's ridden Sunderbruch countless times - knew the tree was there, but for some reason, on this ride, was looking down the trail and just didn't see it. It could probably happen to anyone.
The trail crew does a great job on the trails, and I've had the opportunity to work with FORC members on the trails at SCP. I understand and enjoy the challenges/obstacles out there, but after what I saw last night (I can't get the image of Randy smacking that tree out of my mind), I'm wondering if the trail steward would consider getting ride of that tree.
Just my two cents worth.