Cycling the Andes: the crash

I am such a jerk. I can not believe that I crashed. I do not crash. I am too experienced to crash! I am too careful to crash. I am too good to crash! But, I crashed. Crashed Big. what a jerk. #@*&%!&#!

Out of Ayacucho it was back to the dirt roads, although much better dirt roads than the route over the highest road in the world. Some great climbs and descents thru these vertical lands. I've been trying to get photos that capture the beauty and the sheer verticality of the area, but of course the photos don't do it justice. Sometimes looking at the mountains and the steep, steep canyons, you can't help but wonder how it all doesn't just slide down. I've gotten quite used to daily ascents of 5,000 to 6,000 feet, on dirt roads no less. And steep climbs even at 14,000 or 15,000 foot elevation have been no problem. I'd say I am fully acclimatised. The dirt ascents do require more effort that an ascent on a paved surface, but it's the dirt descents that require some getting used to. With the loaded bike the steep dirt descents can be tricky. Quickly gaining speed and the surface under you constantly changing, from somewhat smooth to extremely rough. From firm and smooth, to washboard, to soft dust, to loose large rock. Staying in control with speed, requires quite an effort. With the extra weight of the panniers and the stiffness of the road bike.... Like I say it can get a little tricky. And the beating, pounding, the vibration and shaking the bike takes is kind of amazing. The first few dirt descents I took slowly, stopping often to check the bike. I was positive that something was about to fall off the bike. But nothing ever so much as came loose. So as time went by, I started taking the descents at much faster speeds. I knew these descents would be long, and due to the pounding somewhat uncomfortable, I could take it quickly or slowly. I more often than not opted for speed. My last dirt decent was just before Abancay. It was getting late in the afternoon, I still had some hope of making it to Abancay that night, at least within a couple of hours after the 6pm darkness. I'm high up on this ridge that's nearly 15k feet elevation, looking down into the river canyon I have to cross that's at elevation 6400 ft. Almost a 9k foot descent,a steep, STEEP drop! Like I say vertical! The rough dirt road for almost 20 miles twisted and switch backed it's way down, down, down, down. The bike taking a pounding. I'm only limiting speed to stay in control. It was a WILD ride down. I'm passing trucks and collectivos. It was great fun. This road has got to be one of the worlds great downhill dirt rides! I did make it into Abancay that night about 7:30pm making this day, a 92 mile 8500 foot ascent day, my personal record.

crash day

After a relaxing day off in Abancay, I began the ascent out of town on a beautiful paved road. My first paved highway in more than a week of riding, and the start of what should be continuous good paved highways for the remainder of the trip thru Peru. Throughout the ascent I enjoyed the beautiful warm sunny morning, the cloudless sky glowing a brilliant blue with beautiful views of glacier capped peaks in the near distance. It took the entire morning and part of the afternoon to finish the 5300 foot climb out of Abancay. At the summit began a gentle descent into a beautiful green valley. With the excellent road, the gentle grade, and mellow turns, I ride part of the time sitting upright, sometimes even standing, steering the bike thru balance alone. It's an effortless comfortable downhill ride. A very beautiful afternoon. Hours later, As I get closer to the bottom of the canyon of the Rio Apurimac, the riding becomes a little more difficult, some ascents, some steeper descents, sharper turns. I've long ago returned to riding normally. I have a clear view of the turn and the clear road beyond as I approach a somewhat sharp turn. I steer into the turn, not going too fast for this turn, maybe 25 miles per hour, certainly not more than 30. Nothing extreme for the conditions. About half way thru the turn, as I'm leaning into the turn, I feel my front rim contact the asphalt, throwing me off balance. This is the first clue I have that the front tire was going flat. I try to correct, but my front tire has already gone soft and unstable. At this speed, in this turn there is no recovery. I go down. I go down hard. I must have initially fallen with my chest and shoulder hitting the bike, I don't remember. I do remember sliding on my right side down the highway for 10 or 20 yards, finally coming to stop, a crumpled heap in the concrete drainage ditch beside the road. I did not hit my head, but I am stunned and disoriented from the impact. My entire body is screaming. There is a woman across the road selling fruits from a small table in the narrow space between her small house and the
road. She has witnessed the fall. She comes running across the road crying. I am so stunned I don't understand anything but Dios, Dios, Dios, Dios, and Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Dios Jesus and Cuidado (careful). ...Maybe that's all she said, I don't know. I slowly try to upright and untangle myself in the ditch while the woman, Ilena, tells me my arm is broken, and points to a bloody bump on my forearm. I look at my painful forearm and think no, that's just road rash and the normal shape of the muscle. Ilena helps me sit on the edge of the ditch (I did need help) and now says my leg is broken. I see road rash and tell her it is fine, but at that point am not certain myself if my thigh bone is not in fact broken. Figuring I'm OK, Ilena starts into a stern lecture about being more careful, as I sit there just trying to breathe. Feeling great pain, I think I have probably broken both shoulders, both collar bones, my sternum and many ribs. Oh, and maybe my right thigh. I just sit and breathe. It's the best I can do. Ilena tries to move my bike out of the road and is having trouble. I try to get up, but can't. So I just sit and breathe, for maybe a half hour. As the time passes and my stunned and disoriented state improves, I realize that nothing is broken, just some kind of trauma mostly to my left shoulder and upper chest. That, bruises, and road rash. I walk around some, and eventually get to the bike. All it needs is straightening the handlebars, and fix the front tire. It's alot tougher than me. After that, I remember standing in the road thinking now what? Seems there's nothing to be done but to get back on the bike and move on. So I walk over to Ilena's house, I thank her for helping me, and I apologize for scaring her. Then I get on my bike and go. It only takes a couple of hundred yards coasting downhill to realise that this is not such a great plan. But I am fortunate. This area is out in the middle of nowhere, maybe 20 miles
in either direction to the nearest small town. But it happens that in addition to Ilena there several other houses selling fruit and avocados, and best of all for me a small restaurant/hostal. So I check into the hostal, take a cold shower and scrub most of the dirt out of the road rash, then spend a uncomfortable and painful night. Actually it wasn't too bad.... unless I moved. The next day I got on a collectivo with my bike and was driven the 60 miles into Cuzco. It was a beautiful road, I was sorry I wasn't cycling it.

So the whole accident was almost 48 hours ago as I write this, and overall I am feeling much, much, much improved. The body's ability to repair itself truly is a remarkable thing. My plan is to spend a few more quiet days here in Cusco, and then get back on the road for more adventure further south. Of the various pains and injuries, I think only the shoulder injury has the potential cause some further trouble with my plans, as other than that I'd say I am just about fully recovered. But I'm sure with a few days rest, and a boatload of Ibuprofen even the sore shoulder will improve.