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As many of you know, on of my other passions (besides piano) is cycling. I get together several times a year to ride with friends from all around the country. For our fall outing, we chose the Santa Fe, NM area. On our first day of riding, we were just past El Rito and climbing up into the hills when we came to a cattle guard. Being from Texas, I am very familiar with cattle guards and their hazards to bicycles so I gave this one a pretty good look before I got to it. I was out of the saddle (going uphill) and, to make a long story short, the plates that make up the cattle guard separated from front to back (sort of an elongated V) with the widest part of the V being just wide enough to swallow a bike wheel. My wheel went straight into it (the guard was over a ravine so it ate the whole wheel) and the only thing that stopped it was the top of the shifters on the handlebars. This happened in an instant. The next thing that happened was I slammed into the ground face first from a height of about 7 feet going about 7 MPH.

The result: multiple facial lacerations, brusing, swelling, etc. But more importantly, a fracture of the C1 & C2 vertebrae in my neck. Yes folks, this is the area where if you sever the spine there you're pretty much dead. This would especially have been the case since we were in the middle of nowhere and it would have taken hours to get an ambulance to me. The good news is there doesn't appear to be any damage to the spine (I'm able to type this) though I'll be following up with a local neurosurgeon this week I hopefully will not need surgery.

It ended up taking about 2.5 hours to get to a hospital and I spent 2 days in the hospital before being driven home by my wife. It took the ER doc about 2 hours to sew my face up and I'm in the "neck brace from heck" which I think I'll get to spend a few months wearing.

I've thought a lot about the accident and even with benefit of hindsight I'm not sure there's anything I could have done to avoid it other than perhaps always walk on cattle guards. I wasn't going fast, I scoped it pretty carefully, etc., it was just that it had a gradually widening seam in it that I didn't see.

Bottom line: I was lucky, hopefully everything will heal ok although I'll probably need plastic surgery on my face before its all over. It could easily have been worse. The neurosurgeon in Santa Fe said I was probably done riding for the year. I've not tried playing piano yet (I don't feel very good) but, assuming I'm able to, I should have lots of time to play...

Greg,

Thank the Lord you are still with us dear friend.

Even with your detailed explanation, I can't form a mental picture of what happened since I'm not familiar with a cattle guard.

I've had laminectomies twice in the lumbar region of my back and I'm quite familiar with the importance of an injury to the cervical area of the spine. It's super to see you are recovering...however slowly...and we are all thrilled to hear from you.

My prayers are with you for a complete recovery and a resumption to the C7 Player that we've all come to know and love.

Keep us informed of your progress and let us know when you get back to practicing on the piano.

My humble best wishes to you and yours,

Lisztener

Greg,

You are very fortunate indeed. Someone was looking out for you that day.

Boy, things like this make us realize how fragile life is, and how any of us could be gone in an instant. Very, very fortunate outcome.

You are very much in our thoughts and prayers, friend. Stay strong and as comfortable as possible, and count your many blessings...

Here is hoping that even this will work out for your good and for the best... and hoping you will indeed recover sufficiently to make return to the bench in the not-too-distant future...

Best wishes,

Greg

Greg, it's just so good that you are alive and able to type !
Cycling is a wonderful sport, but unfortunately one of the most dangerous.

All my best wishes for your recovery, I pray that you will very soon enjoy piano playing again !



Ragnhild

Greg, I'm so glad to read that you've survived your horrifying experience without more serious consequences - goodness knows, what you've suffered is bad enough!

I'm a 'sometimes' motorcyclist myself so I'm all too aware of the potential danger inherent in travelling on two wheels, irrespective of speed. In fact, as I get older (56 now) I'm finding that my interest in riding my motorcycle is waning (too many idiots on the roads) and being replaced by an ever increasing commitment to my piano. Nevertheless, at least cycling is a healthy activity - mostly!

I wish you a speedy and complete recovery Greg - take care of yourself for us

Mike

Thank God you're ok Greg, I'll keep you in my prayers.

I'm so relieved that you made through okay Greg. I'll pray for a speedy and perfect recovery.

Greg, you're in my thoughts and prayers.

Thanks for posting this. We're thinking of ya!

OMG, Greg:

How frightening for you. My husband's heart specialist is an avid cyclist. And just last week, when we had a rainy day, I asked him if he still biked on such a day with all the leaves that made the pavements so slippery. He said he certainly did. No big deal. I wonder if he has a death wish or something.

But, your injuries, especially in the neck are unbelievably dangerous. I've had surgery on C 4-5 and C 5-6 and have a titantium plate to anchor everything. So I have some idea of what you might be going through. But not in C2-3...that's really scary.

Please stick with the piano from now on. You are so important to us and we need you HERE!

I add my prayers to those above.

Kathleen

Greg, I have no idea what a cattle guard is but I sure as heck they never come to Maine... That thing should be shot!

I feel for you. It sounds pretty bad but as you say, it could have been worse. Good luck in the neck brace from heck. But think of all the great practice time you are going to get on the piano.

Greg, I'm happy to hear you're, relatively, ok. Being a fellow Central Texan, we certainly hear our fair share of bicycle related incidents (I ride too, though mainly MTB these days). Unfortunately sometimes getting the most of we want out of life involves a certain level of risk. Whenever you can survive (and function) to tell about it is a good day.

Hope you heal quickly and get back on your feet/bench/two wheels quickly.

How terrible for you Greg. Thank God you are "OK" if that's the right term.

Healing is not fun either, and takes it's own sweet time, and here's hoping/praying everything heals as it should.

For those who do not know what a cattle guard is, in areas where ranges exist(that is, cattle are allowed to roam freely on property that can be fenced, the roads going through this area provide an excape route for the cattle in addition to being dangerous if the cattle end up on the road. So, the solution is to remove a 5-8 foot section going across the roadway, dig a ditch, and put a grate over it for road traffic. The cattle will see the "dangerous" walkway and will aviod it like the plague. I ride motorcycles, and I know to be very careful on these grates, but my tire is a billion times thicker than Greg's bicycle tire. I know how it can cause a mc to swerve a little (kinda like a bad railroad crossing at an angle), and can only imagine how it must affect a bicycle.

You are indeed lucky Greg. That sounds funny in that you were seriously hurt, but when you think how bad it could have been.....

Greg,

I'm so glad it wasn't worse. I once had a bad fall from my bike and broke a collar bone, cracked some ribs, had a concussion and badly cut up my hands (still have the scars after over 25 years!) so I can sympathize. What's that they keep saying about cycling being good for us?

Hope you'll soon be feeling much better.

Hi Greg,

Yikes man, that sounds like a nightmare with thankfully a very lucky escape.

Hope you recover soon.

regards


Lee

Greg,

How scary! That is just terrible to hear but thank goodness you're as well as can be expected after such a fall. I guess the disappointment of missing such a beautiful ride is overridden by the relief of knowing just how bad it *could* have been.
Hope you can get your biking legs and piano fingers back quickly and that you suffer no long-term effects.

Best to you,
Tina

Wishing you a speedy and complete recovery.

Greg,

Thank God you’re ok!!
What a reminder of how fragile life is.
Hope you heal quickly and are able to ride again.

Rich

Thank goodness you're alright after that horrifying ordeal

Hope you'll have a speedy recovery.

You have my prayers for a speedy recovery. Something like this makes us realize how precious and fragile life is.

Have you ever done the Fort Davis hill climb thing? My cycling is limited to puttering around with my kid, but we were in Fort Davis a few years back for a weekend. It happened to be the weekend for the event. Dozens of cyclists raced up and down what I believe is the steepest highway in Texas up to the observatory and back down. From my perspective it looked like it would be extremely difficult riding up and terrifying coming back down.

Godspeed in your recovery.