Chuck wrote, unfortunately about me:
> Off list, a friend wrote: "...two broken elbows, a broken vertebrae, two
> broken teeth, a mild concussion ... I had ridden over 3000 miles on
> various ordinaries before my one and only accident. Unfortunately, when
> you have two arms in full casts for 7 weeks and you are confined to a
> back brace for 4 1/2 months..."
I had time-trialled ordinaries and ridden a couple centuries on them. I considered myself to be quite accomplished. This confidence in my riding led me to let down my guard for only a misguided and short time...
Now you know why my wife won't let me ride the ordinary anymore! It is now a design element in my living room.
When people ask me about the experience of contemporaneous double arm casts and back brace, I usually tell them the following anecdote:
One arm cast, 5% loss of mobility One leg cast, 10% loss of mobility Two leg casts, with wheelchair, 30% loss of mobility One arm and one leg cast, 40% loss of mobility Two arm casts, 80% loss of mobility
You are at the mercy of others for everything, from scratching your nose to all bodily functions. In my case, the addition of the back brace certainly didn't help. Breaking a 'modern' Campagnolo NR or other brand crank cannot possibly have as much potential for bodily damage as equipment failure on an ordinary.
Steven Maasland Moorestown, NJ
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