My 53 years of life includes five years as an active duty Marine, about 20 years of playing soccer up to the point of being invited to try out for the Olympic Development Team, and 29 years of cycling both mountain bike & road. Throughout all this, my major injuries include breaking my collar bone in 2008 when someone rode up behind me while I was on a teeter-totter, which resulted and me falling off the high end, as I fully expected it to drop like it did every other time. The next broken bone happened on Labor Day two weeks ago 33 miles into what was supposed to be about 55 miles of road spinning.
Chuck and I popped out at the end of the Shoal Creek Hike & Bike Trail onto 31st St heading northbound. The "bike infrastructure" consists of dome shaped bollards cemented to the ground to delineate the bike lanes from the vehicle lanes. I took my hand off my bar to get water, struck a bollard, and was sent to the asphalt going only about 10 MPH. I fractured my femoral neck at its thinnest point about half way just below the ball and socket. The surgeon, a cyclist himself, installed a combination plate and screw with two screws through it and my bone and another screw above that. Two weeks after the surgery, I am walking with a cane but will not be cleared to ride off a trainer until Oct 25 at the earliest, which results in me missing a Bentonville trip with my buddies and riding in Big Bend with another group of friends. Bummer.