Shoulder Injury

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Wave one (some 300-350 cyclists) of this event at 06:00. A nice 70F with little wind, til later when the wind picked up to the mid 20s.

This past week I was selling my bags at the registration check in for the the Viva Bike Vegas Gran Fondo (we ran out of several colors of our wildly popular “Top Tube Century Bag”). I also did this ride on Saturday and injured my left shoulder during this 104-mike event. In my six years of cycling, this is the first time I sustained an injury that required medical attention. In a nutshell, I was descending one of those narrow paved bike trails that are very curvy. (Yes I know, the reason they make those trails curvy is so cyclists don’t go too fast!) There was loose gravel and/or dirt on either side of the trail. I felt I was going too fast for the turn, so I deliberately overshot it and went onto the shoulder and dumped into the rather soft gravel on the edge of the pavement. (According to my GPS Strava download, my speed was 38 MPH.  Zoom in on the satellite view at mile 85.6.) Although it hurt a bit quite a bit if I moved it, I was able to get back on the bike and finish the event.

I knew something was wrong because the left shoulder looked different from the right (there was an obvious protrusion on the left side, which was not found on my right side…need I say more?), indicating that it was either broken or possibly dislocated. After a trip to the emergency room it was determined that it was a torn AC ligament. This means essentially that I will require just a lot of rehab. My first appointment with an orthopedic surgeon indicated that with this type of grade 3 injury, that surgery  may be the best long term option. But that is not necessarily the opinion of others. I am now seeking a second opinion.

X-Ray of the grade 3 separated collar bone or AC.
X-Ray of the grade 3 separated collar bone or AC.
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Author: Rando Richard

I’m an old guy (age 69 in 2023) who enjoys aerobic, endurance sports. I call myself a cardio-junkie. Perhaps the more appropriate term would be “ultra” endurance sports. Since I was a teenager I have always enjoyed “slow twitch” outdoor sports like backpacking, ice climbing, running, mountaineering, hiking, alpine skiing and randonnée skiing (alpine touring, backcountry skiing or skimo). In 2005 I starting running with more regularity — except this time it was not for the intent of getting ready for a mountaineering trip, but as an end to itself. From 2005 to 2007 I managed to eek out two seasons of ultramarathons — that is competitive trail runs up to 50 or 100 miles. Due to a nagging ankle injury from the 80s (an accident while ice climbing in the 1980s where my lower tib and fib were badly broken), I had to cease that grueling, but rewarding activity. I then migrated into ultra distance road cycling or randonneuring. The rides are called brevets (pronounced bruh-VAY, it’s French) and are minimally supported — they are similar to ultrarunning and backpacking where one must be self reliant. Although brevets are non-competitive, they do have have cut off times to qualify as a finisher. They are usually are done in groups, which can have a competitive slant to them. Today, I continue to participate in long distance cycling including some ultra-racing, randonnée skiing (a blend of cross country and downhill disciplines) and still get out on an occasional mountaineering trip. Since 1996 I have been designing, manufacturing and selling camera bags. That is Kinesis Photo Gear (kgear.com). In 2005 I started selling cycling bags under the Kinesis label and eventually expanded it to including other sports like SUP (stand-up paddle boarding and some skimo). Consequently, it become eoGEAR — the “eo” stands for endurance outdoor. My wife and I are empty-nesters now and we live and work out in the boondocks of central Utah, half way between Salt Lake City (great powder) and Moab (great red rocks). Well, I guess that is all for now. Safe travels mate! Perhaps I’ll see you on the road or trail. — Richard Stum

3 thoughts on “Shoulder Injury”

  1. Richard:

    Sorry to hear about your accident. Make sure to see a good ortho and do the therapy required. Hopefully you do not have to get surgery.

    Jim

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