adam zimmerman
Great racing weather in Cambridge by the time our race went off. The race was slow for the first hour but then picked up on each climbing/dirt section. Steve, Paul, and I were all riding strong. I kept making my way to the front for the climbs in hopes of a split in the field by the strong climbers. Almost two hours in we were on a paved/gravel section riding along nicely.
Out of no where this guy’s handlebars rammed straight into my legs and I hit the ground hard on my face. The fun was just beginning…. Then I got dragged along the ground for 100-200 meters where I was repeatedly run over by people and my body continually turned about, scraping up asphalt. When I opened my eyes all I could see was the pack slowly drifting into the distance. I sat up and spit out a huge wad of blood. I looked on the ground and I saw what I thought were my bloody teeth but they were only red jelly beans.
Then the pain came and came and came…I was in the ER for about 9 hrs where two of the hours were spent doing “scrubbing treatments”. Pretty much what they did was take a brilo pad and drag it across all the road rash on my arms, legs, and yes even my face to get all the dirt and rocks out.
So here is the tally: My left hand is completely sliced and is wrapped up totally. All 5 fingers are cut up. My left and right arm has road rash from my forearm to my tricep. Left and right legs are completely covered in road rash. My two front teeth are chipped/cracked. My lip is hugely swollen and I have road rash on the right side of my face. My bike is semi-ok. I think the frame is still in one piece. I’ll have to replace the front derailer, handlebars, and stem. I think that’s all I can think right now. Can’t wait to get on the bike again! Hope everyone had a good race weekend. Recovery? T – two weeks ?? Thanks so much to Paul and Steve who waited with me until help arrived. You guys are true teammates and I would do anything for the both of you. Adam Z
Glad to see its just a flesh wound. Crash was scary
on the other riders in this crash?
And glad to hear you’re in good spirits – Hope they gave you some good painkillers…
yowza! get well!
Dude, feel better.
I was there and flew into the ditch and missed getting pummeled. I was around when the ambulance came and left riding in the chase pick up truck after the ambulance arrived. My bars were split in half and my saddle ripped right of its rails. I don’t know how I only ended up with a sprained wrist.
You have a great team. Your two buddies stuck around until they knew for sure you were going to be alright. Very commendable.
not black.
thanks or all the wishes
i got morphine in the ER and im on some vicodin as we speak
sorry to hear about your bike
Get better Adam.
Hope ur get well and get back on your bike soon. I was in the crash too and spent the last 2 days in bed. It was as if we ran over a minefield…bikes and riders were exploding everywhere. Hope everyone else is ok. I went into a ditch full speed over the handlebars. I finished the race but it wasn’t pretty.
JLandino
cute cat in the pic! He’s looking at you and wondering what mauled you.
Can you explain the dragged along the ground part? What was dragging you? Glad you’re OK more or less.
Also, if nobody has suggested it to you Xeroform gauze is the best road rash repair out there. It stays on as a base dressing, so you never get a scab.
that sucks. it’s good that you’re (relatively) okay.
see you on the road soon.
Be glad we don’t have to Race Theo Bos.
go to 3:40
http://www.steephill.tv/players/youtube/?title=tot-09-st8-finish-crashes&id=aoEd0w-BmfI&w=560
I’ve watched that Theo Bos video a couple dozen times now and I still cant wrap my head around it. My first take was that it was intensional, but now I’m not so sure.
First, it goes without saying that you’d have to be suicidal to throw a rider across your own front wheel at 60 km/h.
Second, Bos is a phenominal match sprinter, he’s among the best at knowing how to play dirty and still make it across the line. This finish was practically built for a sprinter like Bos. He probably would have been in it for the win, not looking for some kamikaze bs.
Third, it’s tough to get all the context of the crash from the video, but I’ve heard reports that as Bos was trying to make his way to the front, he placed his hand on Impey’s shoulder (admittedly a definite no-no in the final K’s) to let him know that Bos was on his left side and being pushed into the barriers. The barriers are the type that have legs that stick out (like what we have at a lot of local races. Anyone remember the Time Pro rider at last year’s Grants?) and Bos clipped one. Bos may have grabbed onto Impey’s jersy trying to keep himself from going down as a matter of reflex.
Then again I look back at the video and from what I can see it definitely appears intensional. I still don’t know. The officials decided not to punish him because they couldn’t tell either.
If you look really closely and watch it in high def, you’ll notice that Bos goes down first. It really does look unintentional. He was probably just giving Impey a gentle push to avoid going into the barriers. However, when he actually did hit one of the little feet he grabbed onto the jersey. It’s a pretty natural – if idiotic – reflex reaction.
You can download the high-def video at the following site:
http://www.podiumcafe.com/2009/4/20/846317/theo-bos-this-is-really-making-me
He may have been getting squeezed, may have at first reached out to make some room, but he then without a doubt just latches onto the guy and hurls him forward and into the barriers. absolutely insane.
Is this your crash?
http://euphoriabeforetotalimplosion.blogspot.com/2009/04/race-report-2009-tour-of-battenkill.html
i can’t believe someone got the crash on video. What the fuck was that guy on the right doing? Who is that? He has some explaining to do.
yea thats my crash
what thew fuck was that guy doing???
obviously his bike started to attack him.
It’s true that guy on the right goes into some kind of a spasm and hurls himself to the ground but the rider two places to his left, in the middle of the road, appears to biff it simultaneously and ends up taking down more guys than the spazz on the right. The middle guy is hard to see at first because there is a rider between him and the camera.
he was laterally compliant.
Front flat, maybe?
how exactly does someones handlebars hit both of your legs? that must have been pretty amazing. Secondly, How does someones handlebars hitting your leg take YOU out, it should be reversed. Unless you were hit by Theo Bos, I’m guessing some bad handling most likely added to the carnage.
rubbin is racing, just not your face on the ground.
what are you trying to imply, good sir?
I am the middle guy who went down.
I don’t know exactly what happened but thanks for bashing my bike handling skills. That’s what i felt. Some guy hitting into my legs which threw me way off balance. Maybe I don’t have the best bike handling skills but I’m not the person who cause the crash.
It is hard to see how I went down exactly. It all happened so fast.
I find it funny how people bash others for their handling skills when that person was not in that specific circumstance to even comment.
But whatever it’s done with. I didn’t do this write up to bash and blame people. I just wanted to figure out what happened so I could learn from it.
I do remember much of that road covered in loose gravel, especially if you are riding in the gutter where the smoothed car tracks are completely non-existent.
you be recovered in time for Bear Mountain?
I’ll be racing Bear, not sure if I’ll be in 100% fitness.
I’m doing Turkey Hill Classic, and Hollenbecks next weekend so we will see how that goes.