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Quick Release

A small milestone maybe - Taisei rolled over last Wednesday! It was probably a fluke, but he seemed to consciously throw all four limbs into it and roll onto his side and then onto his belly.

Saturday we went down to this state's motherland - Utah county. It was Esther's birthday and she wanted to go mountain biking. Wami went to go visit our friend Noriko in Provo. For our ride, we decided to do an easy shuttle run on a stretch of the Bonneville shoreline trail that runs from Lindon into Provo Canyon - about 7 miles of single track and unpaved road. We arrived at the departure point and I remember putting my bike together. "Put the front wheel on... oh wait, the gears are going to get dirty - hurry and put the back wheel on and tighten up the quick release. Oh darn, the brake cable came loose. Fix that next. Ok, ready to go!"

The trip started off incident free. I was right on pace with Esther and John, unlike the beating I took from Kevin 3 weeks ago on the Avenues section of the same trail. I'm still trying to emotionally recover from that. Up and down, through thick growth and open fields, it was a beautiful ride. Finally, the sun was beginning to go down and we began our descent. On one sudden steep bend, the growth was so thick that I couldn't see a rock that got in my way. I was going slow so I inadvertently pulled an endo and then leaped over the handle bars and landed on my feet. I was worried Esther would crash into my heap seconds later, but she was more careful than I. Close call. But I survived unscathed. The rest of the downhill was clear and open. Mile 7 out of 7. We cruised at about 15 mph. John was hitting every jump that went by, so I decided to follow suit. What could it hurt. I haven't crashed for years. The first one I hit was a beauty. I was going fast, so most of the momentum was forward. When I hit the ground, it seemed like my front shocks we too mushy and somehow my bike wasn't traveling forward anymore. Only I was. The next thing I knew, I was literally head over heels and my shoulder hit the dirt hard. Esther said I actually bounced. I couldn't speak or move for several minutes. My whole body was numb and I could feel blood coursing through my veins at 100 mph. Upon further examination, I had smashed a 2 inch diameter chunk of my helmet* and tore open skin on my shoulder, entire left arm and both knees. What happened? The front wheel of the bike had fallen off mid-air. In my novice rush to get on the trail, I failed to tighten the front wheel's quick release. In other words, the front wheel only rested there through the force of gravity. As soon as I pulled up, the wheel came off.


Adrenaline is an amazing thing. I was able to complete the final mile in relatively little pain. These pictures were taken before I was really feeling anything. But after stopping for just a few minutes, everything stiffened up and I began to really hurt. We headed to IHC Instacare. I love Instacare! The doctor x-rayed me and checked my movement. No broken bones, but a partially torn rotator cuff. Luckily, I did not require surgery. No basketball and mountain biking for 4-6 weeks. There goes a biking trip planned for next Saturday and basketball on Wednesdays for a while. Oh no! I forgot about waterskiing in three weeks too! :( Now I'm bummed. But I'm glad it wasn't worse. I've learned my lesson about the quick release. It can be a great convenience - but make sure you use it correctly!

*You foresaw the future with your call to safety, James. Thank you.

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