It has been an eventful week.
Sunday afternoon I was out for a ride. I was cycling up Great South Road, south of the Harp of Erin, discovered my front tire had gone soft. With the hand pump I put some more air in it to get me home. Two options to go home: turn around, go south on Great South Road to Penrose Road, or carry on up to the Harp of Erin, onto Main Highway through Ellerslie. I decided to take the second option. Main Highway has a bridge over the motorway, on the downhill side I was breaking to take the corner at the bottom, but the front wheel suddenly locked up, good traction meant instant stop of the front wheel, took a nosedive, chain-ring hitting the road (chain-ring is the front cogs - they bent under the impact) and my bicycle throwing me sprawling onto the road.
I would have been doing about 40 km/hr, put my hands forwards took the bulk of the impact. That I was wearing leather gloves prevented my hands from being torn to shreds, but knees and upper arms got badly grazed, left calf badly sprained, I don't think I tore it. although I did not land on my head, my helmet did protect my face from being scraped on the road, that did knock my sunglasses, broke the right lens, and that cut into my eyebrow (minor cut). Through my gloves I still managed to graze my right pinky finger, and now several days later it is still is bruised and sore.
But that is not the worst of it. I broke two bones in my left hand.
My thanks to the motorcyclist who going the other way, parked his bike on the concrete medium checked that I was okay and called the ambulance. I first said I was okay as I looked at the scrapes, my head wasn't hit and I wasn't bleeding. Then I saw the knuckle on the ring finger of my left hand wasn't quite where it should be, and then I tried to stand - ouch, so I said call the ambulance. Two lovely ladies from St John's who where there in a few minutes. My thanks to the motorcyclist (sorry I didn't get your name). My thanks to Emily from Panmure who also saw, stopped to help, picked up my bicycle and stuff and took them to where I live. My thanks to my flatmate Jouni, who later picked me up from Ascot White Cross A & E and took me to Middlemore Hospital late at night so a hand specialist could look at my hand, and for the other running around he has done for me since then.
Also thanks that car following me was paying attention and stopped without running me over.
It is difficult to type with only my right hand (I am used to typing with all fingers on both hands) especially as there is bruising on the fingers of my right hand also so I have to careful with that to.
end of part one.
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