La Grande EFR Chute
Col de Granier, June 5th
2010,
Lyon-Mont Blanc-Lyon Sportive.
For 35 years I've been throwing myself in to the scenery.
First in cars, then on bikes.
On one infamous occasion, just
outside Warsaw, I even managed to triple somersault a Yamaha Thunder Ace
and wrap it upside down around a tree!
Life's been fast and furious.
But this one, came from
absolutely nowhere, was H U G E and stung more than all the others put
together.
Still, all part of the rich tapestry of life! And
after hearing the sad news from the Time Megeve, the following day, I realise how
lucky I am...
The Build Up
All was going well until I punctured on the climb and replaced the tube.
At the feed, we (I) decided to change the rear wheel and go to tubs.
▼
Inflated wheel with gas canister (1st mistake; too hard)
▼ Didn't centre brakes
correctly (2nd mistake,
spongy rear brake lever)
▼ Tried to make up lost time to
catch leaders (3rd
mistake...)
With three strikes and you're out,
it was only going to end one way.
The Corner Entry
So, we're descending in to a
tight hairpin with washboard rippled tarmac on the entry.
As you
can see I'd just reached a top speed of 72 kph.
Three corners
before I'd just touched 94 kph.
The spongy brake, over
inflated rear tyre, dodgy road surface, and my impatience/incompetence, caused the back
wheel to lock.
No problem, release and go again, we've moved 20
metres.
Lock again! Okay, release and gently squeeze the
brake, without locking, another 20 metres lost...
Unfortunately, a wheel can only slow you down when it's in contact with the ground. The washboard surface, and the high pressure in the tyre, contrived to ensure this was not the case.
You can see the
blue line flatten, on the left, as the brake is applied, before
another, final, catastrophic, wheel lock.
The bike snaps sideways,
which is still okay, I'm happy to have a bike move underneath me.
It's no problem.
The Corner Exit
I'm now pointing the right
way and facing down the hill at 70.8 kph.
But the corner's
tightening and I drift towards the wall.
I'm slowing the bike
without locking the wheels but run out of road and hit the two foot high
edge-wall at 48.6 kph.
Me and my bike part company!
The bike tumbles down the
mountain.
I can hear it somersaulting as I'm flying through the
air backwards.
The Landing
Then I hit a tree, the only tree between me and
oblivion. I hit it with te small of my back, about four foot off
the ground. To which, I am now dropping. Ow!
Boy did it sting. But it was far, far preferable to the alternative
of not hitting it and carrying on down the ravine.
The result ripped core and back muscles.
No bruising,
hardly any road rash and not a single mark on my clothing or damage to my
helmet.
How ironic is that?
The Continue
So I climbed down the
mountain to recover my bike, also not a single mark, and got back to the
road edge, just as team-mate Richard Davy arrived.
With Dianne behind
him in the team bus!
Played it down, didn't want to spook them, then carried on for
another 30k.
When I stopped for a wazz, the damage became
apparent...
The Outcome
Two weeks later still can't
tie my own laces, I walk like a cross between John Wayne and the
spaceman robot on the Honda advert and I can't cuddle the missus.
Luckily Dianne had some tablets left over from her collarbone breakage
earlier in the season! I'm eating them like smarties.
It only hurts when I laugh,
and or breath.
And as I found out recently, sneezing is to be
avoided at all costs.
Onwards and upwards, 'cause
falling off downwards bloody sucks.
Anyway, here's a refresher of my
Descending Skills
Factsheet.
I must read it some time...
The Shower Scene
My thanks to Richard Davy
(right) who (in a Broke Back Mountain reconstruction) pulled me naked
and unconscious from the shower after I "had a moment," blacked out due
to the pain, then smacked my head on the taps as I went down.
There was blood everywhere, it was like Psycho! Did more damage in the shower than on the mountain!
Remember, always wear your helmet!
Entering the checkpoint at the foot of the Granier with Richard Davy
