Ok, I am sharing this one cause the story is kinda funny but it hurt like hell......

One slippery day in April, 5 years ago, I was riding at a place called Tailings Pond in Hope BC. I was on a CR250 and my friend was on her TTR125. We were looking for some new trails to try out and came across one called "Ted's Glass Eye".We stopped and looked at eachother, did the old "shouldershrug" and went for it. It started out okay, then.....the trail got narrow, and steeper. We kept going up, fighting with the handlebars in between the trees, it was getting a bit nasty but we kept going. I came around a sharp corner in third gear, noticed a steep cliff to the right of me and thought....F&^...then I did it, too much throttle, the rear end slid out and before I knew it I was folded up like a pretzel in between a couple trees. I layed there for awhile, dared not move, my right shoulder was killing me. My friend rides up and stops........Jewel...you ok? Then she starts laughing cause of the way i was positioned. I told her i was not ok but stopped her from helping me up....I asked her to get the camera out of my pack cause no one would ever believe this.....she took the pic. (I will find it and post it)...Now I was laughing.....but not for long.

She helped me up, and there i was a dislocated shoulder in the middle of nowhere. I leaned against a tree and had her push into me to try to pop it back into place, it did not really work... We had to get my bike up and turned around....the trail was not wide enough and I only had one good arm. We turned my friends bike around first, easy, light...now mine....it was a fight but after half an hour we got it. I kept thinking we were going to lose it over the cliff. With the worst over, I sat on the bike, draped my arm over the handlebar to support it and put the bike in Neutral, thank god we were on a steep uphill and I was able to coast down the trail, it was not easy but... As soon as we got off the trail and onto the fire road I had to put the bike in gear, i just sorta rolled my arm over the throttle. I was a pro at steering with one arm at this point. I felt searing pain the shoulder but I had to make it back to the truck, we had another 6k's to go....In all my life I had never been so happy to see the guys......I rode up, dropped my bike and lied down.....

The next day when I was in the hospital and the doc asked "How exactly did you do this" I handed him my digital camera and said "Here, see for yourself"

Yikes!! What a hairy story!!! I'll be in deeeeeeep doo-doo if something like that happens to me with that heavy bike! Its amazing how strong the instinct for survival is.

I haven't been riding long enough to have any major injuries like that. My most recent one was a face plant in the mud on Sunday that really tweaked my jaw so it was sore for a couple of days but nothing catastrophic.

June 2001: fall down, put arm out, hyperextend elbow. Sore for about 3 weeks, nothing too bad.
Aug. 2001: Racing Toasted Hare Scramble, Bellingham, Wash. Front tire hits slick downhill root and I hit the ground, knee pops. Sept. 01, go riding again, knee pops again when I step off the side and it bows outward. ACL reconstructive surgery, Oct. 01.
Sept. 2003: Get pushed off fence by drunk cowboy. Oct. 03, ACL reconstructive surgery.
Feb. 2005: Tangle with Katy in race practice, both go down, cut up chin and eye
Feb. 2005: Fall down in desert, break arm.

But don’t forget all the assorted bumps and bruises scattered throughout the years in between injuries! too many to count!

Well, I have had a lot of injuries but they have been with horses, so I don't know if that counts here If you want to know about them I would be happy to share!

Aug 2003 third time out riding the XR400 going to fast(of course didn't think so at the time) went off the trail towards a bush/tree type plant thought I could power thru it then realized nope, grabbed a bunch of front brake the bike stopped I didn't. Broke my collarbone and 7 ribs!
Decided to get a smaller bike to get myself up to speed to handle more!
No major damaged has happened since then, now my b/f says that I am over cautious but better safe then sorry is my new moto.

Brenda

Lots of horse related boo boos too, but only one owie with the bike so far.
Guaranteed to gain laughter though.
Riding out through a wooded trail all by my lonesome. Cruising happily along when out of the corner of my eye some strange movement I see
Let off throttle a little and turn head to see. To see huge spider crawling on my left hand, poised for attack. I am sure that if I move that left hand to pull in the clutch I am going to be spidey lunch. So I rolled off the throttle and braked without pulling in the clutch. Flopped over trying to keep this giant arachnid in view. Ended up with the handle bar poking into my leg, stuck under the bike. Scramble out and jump up doing the Mexican Spidey Dance, brushing myself off cuz now I can't see the spider. Sit, catch breath, go to pick up bike and the giant self sticking spider is now on the handlebar! Find stick, whack spider, then pick up bike and continue. Resulted in minor bruised leg and bruised psychy.
For those of you laughing too hard, and thinking I am a total wuss, google search for Florida banana spider. Then come back and apologize for thinking I am a wuss.

chewgravel said:

Ok, that is ONE UGLY SPIDER!!!!!!!!!

Gotta love insects crawling on ya while you are riding. I flipped out when a wasp flew up my sleeve while I as riding. Still amazed at how the little bugger found it's way into my sleeve. I make sure my gloves are done up tight over my sleeves now.......but, THANK GOD, it was not one of those spiders......

chewgravel said:

I'll apologize right now, He he he. Great story! That is sooo funny to read.
I can imagine the panic , it would be like a near death experience.



I've had a couple of injuries out on the trail. Thankfully none have been too serious and I've always had someone around to help me out.
I've skidded down the Overland Trail on my elbo, no guards, out for a week or two.
Pingponged off of a root and some trees, suspension to stiff, on Howell Lk Loop. Had to see Doc. Kept me on crutches for 6 weeks with a tore up ankle, riding again after 3 months.
Went over the edge(tipover/rollover) off of the Boudary Trail about 30 feet down, bruised the left glute and lower back, kept riding that day but was out for the next two weeks.
"Toed in" on a rut on the Two Little Lakes Trail and bruised some ribs. Rode out and was down for 4 weeks.
Popped my outside knee hinge sideways on a Belfair single track trail. Out of the saddle for 3 1/2 months. Yep, this one made me cry!
Landed wrong off a jump at a small homesite track and bounced into a tree. Had to see Doc. Broke my right pinky in two place's and fractured the knuckle, out for 7weeks.



Kimberly

chewgravel said:

YIKES That is one big nasty looking thing. I probably would have ended up in a lot worse shape!

Once my hubby was riding with my 3 year old and he had a hornet (OUCH) get lodged into his helmet and was stung pretty bad. We had a tough time talking him into putting his helmet back on.

I haven't been any bad accidents...YET! I was following my 8 year old son too closely up a nasty hill climb and paying more attention to the giant rut in the middle of the trail, and looked up too late and ran over my sons xr70. I was thankful he wasn't on it, and I ended up playing superman over the handle bars. I wish we had had a camera because it was a pretty narly pile-up.

chewgravel said:

No teasing from me, those are nasty! I've had similar things with bugs going down the collar of my jacket on my street bike... ... and once had a bee somehow find its way under my chest protector AND jersey, but fortunately I wasn't moving when it stung me!

We've got some tough & determined ladies on board!

So far, on dirt, other than 'normal' massive bruises, I've had one bad ankle sprain and one broken collar bone... riding street bikes has been a little rougher, I had a big accident in '02 that ruptured my spleen, broke ribs & punctured a lung, but no permanent damage, luckily, except the bike, THAT was totaled!

learning2fly said:

Isn't it funny how we call massive bruises and other injuries normal!? And no matter what we do to ourselves, we keep at it.....

L2f, I am glad you were okay after your injuries healed, that accident, it sounds horrible.

I've had the normal bumps and bruises and minor concusions.
I broke my 2 pinky toes on a rock. The following weekend I stuffed my foot in my boot to race a 300 mile team race with my ex-husband in '96 (we ended up 2nd and he was pissed .
'97 I crushed my radius bone in my left wrist...had surgery and doc put a cadaver bone in there.
'99 I hyper-extended my knee, I now wear knee braces.
This one here is funny now, but wasn't when it happened. I had my suspension redone and was cruising down a jeep road when I hit a small rock...the bike should have just rolled right over it, but NO it bounced up and threw me (with the bike) into the biggest cholla cactus around. I was laying on my back with cholla stuck in me EVERYWHERE. All I could hear is my riding buddy getting further & further away. By the time he realized I wasn't there and got back to the crash site, I had my shirt off and pants dropped to the ground pulling cholla out. The following tues I had my suspension in hand at the suspension guys shop telling him IT DOESN'T WORK RIGHT!

BikeDestroyer said:

That always was one of my biggest desert riding fears... I mean, I know broken bones and torn ACLs are much worse, but those catus are NASTY and a pain in the butt... and anywhere else they stick you! I brushed against one once while mtn biking... the stuff goes through EVERYTHING, they were even puncturing our tire tubes! (That was my LAST desert mtn biking experience, btw! )

Anyway, good thing you had something with you to pull them out with!

MxJeWeL said:

Well, it IS normal for our chosen 'sport'... and being of the 'fairer' sex, with thinner skin, we bruise easier anyway.. I'm sure most of us out there have had some beauties!

I've been racing from 1979 till 1989, broken every bone in my body, even my nose 3 times.
May 1989:No back-flip but front-flip!While i was crashing my foot was hooked on my handle-bar. My leg was smashed completely! 4 months hospital, after that 7 months using a wheel-chair.During the following years i had several operations.
July 2002: After ending my relationship I wanted to ride again and bought a new crf.
Sep. 2002: woman's race for amateur, after 13 years back on the track! 3e place, "nearly dead" but HAPPY!
Feb. 2003: muscle disease, paralysis right arm, then left arm and left foot.
June 2004:recovered, I managed to do one or two laps.
July 24 2004:another mx rider lost control and he hacked with his handle-bar in my ribs: 4 broken, tear in liver, knee injured. 2 weeks hospital, i had to lay down for 5 months at home.
Feb. 2005:WAITING FOR GOOD WEATHER SO I CAN GO FOR A RIDE!!!!!

learning2fly said:

Yeah, the huge ones that turn varying shades of purple and red and your leg, hip or other body part starts to resemble a hamburger patty that has just been thrown on the BBQ...... then after a week they turn a lovely yellowish-orange hue.....

One day my boss my called me into his office and asked me if there was something I would like to talk about....... Some people in the office (himself included) had expressed concern that my other half was possibly abusing me physically. ..Cant blame them really, Monday mornings were always bad after a weekend of riding, I am sure most of you can relate to that.....and then the bruises.......

Following that conservation, my boss was always after me to get rid of my bikes.....I still went to work with casts on, bandages, slings.....I had been at that job for 9 years so my boss had seen alot.....anyway....I am just glad he could not see my hip after I smashed it on the foot peg.........anyone else done that?.....damn those foot pegs hurt and they create some nasty looking bruises.

OKay, this happened just last sunday when i was riding on a trail at carnagie called carrols cannon. I was riding with a guy that was super good at riding trails and i was comin down a really steep rutted hill way to fast to try to catch him and it was a long hill so i was pretty much outa control for what seemed like forever. Then i get near the bottom and se you have to turn left or you hit this big ditch and i grabbed a bunch of front brakes and went straight into the ditch and face first into the dirt on the other side. I got a concussion but i was able to get up and ride my bike out there then will i was on the trail i was pretty dizzy but i seemed like it was all okay but then i felt some thing warm on my chin and i look down and theres a big pool of blood on my seat and huge chunks of stuff then i go to feel my chin and all my skin is hanging down ended up with 12 stitches on the outside 6 on the inside pretty fun