A hiccup

On friday afternoon, on a normal training ride, probability caught up with me. I normally ride about 1000km per week, which over the course of the year (including vacations) equals about 45-50,000km per year. Spending more time out on the road than anywhere else (including my
office at the Law School), there is an inherent risk of a road incident.

Well, on friday just after 6pm, on Alexandra Ave in South Yarra, I was riding with traffic and a driver suddenly pulled into a car space. The next thing I remember is waking up surrounded by
paramedics asking what my name is. It was an amazing experience, I could completely visualize being hit by the car and flying over the hood. Yet, I was concussed for a few minutes and, when i awoke, could not speak or move. However, I was completely cognisant of my surroundings yet unable to interact with them.

I was taken by ambulance to the Alfred Hospital, where I received expert medical care. I was very thankful that I was in a first-world country (not the USA) when something like this happened - freely available, high quality and openly accessible care was quickly
afforded to me. By the time I got to hospital, I think about a half hour after the crash, I was able to talk again and interact with the doctors and nurses.

They were concerned, given the severity of the crash that I had sustained neurological or spinal damaged. After spending three hours in a neck brace and after several CT and X-ray scans, I was assured that my spine and brain were okay. However, it surfaced that I had a broken shoulder and shoulder blade. By this time, I had been in hospital for six hours and was getting hungry and still in a great deal of pain. A friend had come to keep me company and help me inform my parents.

In the end, only a broken shoulder is a blessing in some ways. I could have died on the road this past Friday, and my cycling career could have come to an end. My doctors tell me that it will be a good two months before my shoulder is healed. I'm currently in a sling and on painkillers, so I won't be training for a very long time. I expect that it will be six months before I can race again.

My attempt to ride to Sydney in World Record time, or even train for a ride of that length has seriously been delayed by such a crash. I'm thankful to be alive, but my racing will take a serious setback. I don't expect to ride to Sydney this summer, may toward the end of this year.... depending on my prognosis.

My thanks to the people at the Alfred Hospital and the by-standards who quickly came to my aide.

I'll write more about my experience and how it changed my views in the next few days.

Me in hospital.