Once again I find myself limping around campus and sitting awkwardly in my office chair. I had another fairly serious bike crash and ended up breaking yet another rib.
I created a route that several of my cycling friends like to take called The Cupcake Loop. We start in Bethel, work our way south on various winding, hilly back roads, and eventually end up riding along the beach in Southport and Westport. At Compo Beach we turn back north and, at mile 30, stop at Crumbs, a cupcake bakery in Westport. Once we have fortified ourselves with two weeks' worth of sugar and fat, we ride the 20 miles back to Bethel. It's a good ride, with enough hills to make it interesting, and several town line sprints to make it competitive. At a bit over 50 miles, it's also a good way to pick up some miles and burn enough calories to justify the huge cupcakes.
A couple of weeks ago I sent out a notice to my club announcing another Cupcake Ride, and we started at 8:30 in the morning with a small but strong group. All of us on the ride are very experienced, with two Category 3 racers, and Ironman triathlete, and a seasoned criterium racer. By the time we got to Southport, we had averaged over 19 mph despite the hills.
Then, in Westport, the main road curved to the left while another road turned off to the right. Somehow our communications crossed and so did our paths. I collided with my teammate at 23 mph, and we hit the road hard. Instantly we were surrounded by people with cell phones asking if we needed an ambulance. I knew right away that I had broken a rib and said so. My friend was loudly moaning, so he clearly needed attention.
For some reason, Fairfield County was dangerous that day, and we had to wait more than half an hour before an ambulance was free to pick us up, and, in fact, they only available one had to come in from Bridgeport. After a painfully bumpy ride to Norwalk hospital and five hours in the ER I was finally able to go home. The final diagnosis: one broken rib, lots of road rash, and quite a bit of bruising.
More importantly, my bike made it through the ordeal with minimal damage--a taco'd front wheel and some scratches. Now, a little over two weeks later, I am anxious to get back on the bike.
