Friday 8 August 2014

Story 41: Twiddling my thumb

I can't cycle at the moment as I'm injured. Now, I know that a staved thumb (don't laugh...) doesn't quite have the same ring to it as a torn tendon or a broken bone but my wee injury has still managed to keep me off my bike none the less.

The cuts and bruises sustained when I fell into a ditch during the Rapha 100 ride have all healed up, but my thumb's still throbbing. Changing gear or braking with my left hand is nigh on impossible. I tried a short cycle last week through in Glasgow to watch the triathlon during the Commonwealth Games. But I really struggled to apply enough pressure to the brake. So, I'm trying to be sensible and stay off the bike until my thumb's much better.

I must admit, I did have a bit of a wobbly a few days after the fall. It really hit me how easy it is to end up with much more serious injuries than a staved thumb when you fall off your bike. But fortunately the wobbly didn't last long. I remembered just some of the injuries I sustained as a casual runner: torn calf muscle, groin strain, back strain, cuts and bruises from falls and permanent damage to some of my internal bits and bobs that still hurt on a daily basis (though,to be fair, that was the result of a combination of illness, botched operations and the high impact pressure that comes hand-in-hand with running). Yup, I'm happy to keep on taking my chances in the saddle.

One of the women who was due to take part in Ride the Night had a really nasty fall before the event. She shattered her shoulder and elbow and is still, months later, facing a long road to recovery. She's since decided that she'll never get on a bike again as the risk attached is, for her, simply too high. I can understand that. If my fall had been much worse, and I'd ended up with broken bones, I might have felt the same way. But, until that happens (of course, I do hope that never does happen...) I'll be keeping on pedaling.

All sports come with some risks attached. And, after weighing up some of the risks attached to cycling, I still can't wait to get back out on my bike!

In the meantime, I'll just keep on twiddling my throbbing thumb...