Cycling Crash Recovery | I Had Amnesia For About An Hour
I love cycling. I hate falling off the bike. The only thing I love more than cycling is getting back on the bike after falling. I once had a fall so bad I could not remember my address. I had amnesia and, while amnesia is nothing to take lightly, the exciting thing was that my experience was not as bad as expected.
It was a morning in early spring when about 10-12 of us were riding on our regular, one-hour, weekday ride of 20 miles at sunrise. We had an excellent tailwind. As we were heading northeast on a county road, the tailwind was coming from the right.
From the beginning of the ride, we had been efficiently taking turns at the front.
My usual weekday morning ride typically had no more than about seven or eight of us. At about mile 10 or so, it was almost my turn to ride at the front. The ride leader told me we were taking a left at the next intersection of county roads.
The road had turned into a slight incline--I do well on hills, by the way. As I took over at the front, the road flattened out. I could see the next intersection. It was a gravel county road about one-quarter mile ahead--it was a county road split by two cornfields.
As I got closer to take the turn, I noticed my bicycle computer said I was going 26 miles per hour. Man. I could feel the adrenalin rush. So I am taking the left-hand turn. I am closing in on the corner. I noticed the shoulder looks like gravel and very similar to the paved road.
The next thing I remember, I feel the bike slip once, then twice. By the third time the bike slips, I end up sliding on the ground. I can remember my head getting slammed on the ground as I slide the width of this road that divides midwestern cornfields.
When I get up, I look at my gloves. There were holes for each knuckle on my left hand. There was so much adrenaline coursing through my veins I could not feel my bleeding knuckles. The next thing I know, as I am standing next to my boke, someone is fixing my rear brakes, which came out of place during my crash.
Since my crash happened at about mile 10, we had ten more miles to ride before we finished. We road back--at a much slower pace--to where most of us had parked our cars.
I got a ride home from one of the other riders. It was all good, except that I noticed I had a bit of amnesia. It was weird. I could not remember my address. I knew the directions to my apartment. I could almost picture the street sign where my apartment was, but I couldn't remember the street name.
Lucky for me, three of the other riders were doctors. One of the doctors suggested that I not go to sleep when I get home. Often there may be issues when someone goes to sleep soon after experiencing a concussion. My friend kept calling me every couple of hours afterward to ensure that I was coherent and recovering well from the crash.
Good thing I was wearing my helmet. When I got home and took a look at the helmet, it had a severe crack on the left side. There is no doubt that the helmet had saved me from a more severe brain injury.
For the most part, I was probably shell-shocked and not thinking clearly. I had only a mild case of amnesia. It was probably due to the fact I was surprised by the crash and that I had no other injuries. I had experienced other cycling injuries that were more traumatic. It is a good thing I active. I think if I had not been on the bike and in the weight room so many hours per week, my recovery from that crash would have taken much longer.
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