Monday, April 13, 2009

Amokura Crash

A great day's training with Barry and Lea was wrecked when I came off at speed at the top of the Amokura track. Broken ribs and mild concussion appear to be the result and I'm surviving on powerful painkillers at the moment.

We left Barry's just after 8am and we rode Amokura Rd and up the track to the gate at the tank trap where we stashed our bikes. It was quite a difficult ride as the uphill was very rutted and the ride along the top was through low hanging gorse and other vegetation.

We then tramped up to Upper Paerata Road and along to the Trig. The track was in good nick, but there were some very steep climbs. After a feed of creamed rice we headed down the fence line and through the bush to our bikes. Legs were starting to get Jelly-like especially with the steep down hill. I was really enjoying the ride despite the low-hanging branches. Lea took a fall in the small creek and split her shin on a rock.

At the top of the last descent Barry gathered us together and warned us to be careful on the gnarly down hill, but then gravity and adrenalin took over. After only about 200m I was hurtled at great speed onto the side of the track whacking my head very hard on the clay. I knew my ribs were buggared and Barry came across me writhing and groaning in pain.

It was a difficult descent from there. Fortunately Barry came across a bikini-clad female volleyball team having a swim (maybe I'm hallucinating!) who texted his missus to pick me up.

I'm now feeling very miserable hoping that I wake up tomorrow and I have made a fantastic recovery as I have too many things to do!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Oh dear - I realised things were bad when you continued down hill at my speed! Unfortunately every thing hurts much more in the morning (even my knee)