endless automata

Saturday morning I met @GhengisJung to start practicing cyclocross techniques for the Kisscross event on the 18th. We went to what’s colloquially known as Mt. Frandor which is just a park with a big steep mound of dirt in it - maybe about 25ft. high. Specifically I was there to get used to riding off-road, down steep hills, dismounting, and mounting. The morning had been going well and I was having a good time, albeit getting a little tired. Around 11:15 or so, I decided to practice a dismount after riding down the hill. I probably should have allowed myself a bit more time to slow down, but I was just getting the hang of it and felt pretty confident. I also put my right hand on the top bar instead of the handle bars, which should have been safer - giving me a more solid connection to the bike.

I’m not exactly sure what happened next, but I believe I hit the ground going to fast, didn’t quite unclip my left foot, and threw my chain all at roughly the same time. Suddenly I was rolling, still holding onto the bike. Apparently it looked hilarious - James, bike, James, bike, James, bike… I remember hoping I hand’t bent my rims and wondering how long it was going to take to fix the damage that must be happening to the bike. For those who are wondering, this youtube video shows what I was trying to do, and had done 5-6 times earlier that morning with no problem:

I know it looks easy, and it was the other 5-6 times - but I think the key difference was that I was going much faster - I’d guess around 13-14 MPH vs. 9-10 MPH. At least I rolled, rather than landing hard - I’m sure Matt would have been proud - he’s always trying to convince me I need to learn how to fall.

Once I came to a rest, I realized my knees/legs hurt like hell. I stood up, swore, and tried to walk it off. A bit of blood was soaking through my leg warmers. At this point @GhengisJung had stopped laughing (trust me, it was funny, I would have laughed if I wasn’t swearing) and came over to see if anything was seriously wrong with me. I honestly didn’t think there was until I took my gloves off and saw this:

Notice my right hand (on the left) is a bit swollen. What you can’t see is that from the side there’s a bit lump near the base of my thumb that shouldn’t be there. At first, we both thought is was dislocated. I thought I could just pop it back in and keep riding. We decided that it might be a good idea to consult the internet, though I did half-heartedly try to relocate the bump once - but it hurt too much to do it on my own.

Once we got back to @GheghisJung’s house, we decided maybe urgent care might be a better option than DiY first aid. At least they could take some x-rays to see if everything was alright. Around 1pm or so, the doctor finally showed me this:

Notice the area circled in red. Here’s the left for comparison:

Now, an honest to goodness radiologist hasn’t read these yet - but it certainly looks like a break to me. They sent me home with a brace and a referral to a hand specialist.

I still wasn’t experiencing much swelling until Saturday night. By Sunday, even with ibuprofen and ice, my hands looked like this:

Here’s a close-up on the swelled hand:

Luckily, today, the swelling is down a bit. None of my finger dexterity has been noticeably affected, and though my entire hand is a bit stiff, everything seems OK. I was surprised to learn that fractures of this nature can normally wait for 7-10 days before being treated - which is good, I guess, since the earliest doctor appointment I could get (at Katranji Hand Center) is on Wednesday afternoon.

I’ll be sure to keep everyone updated on what’s going on, and though I shan’t be competing this season, I’m looking forward to riding the Trek as soon as my thumb is healed enough to do so. More updates and I know more.