Desmolu went down...

[NAKID]

Umm, has anyone said what actually happened yet?

[DesmoLu]

Sorry to keep ya'll in suspense. As El Matador said, we didn't have reception up at the Ranch and my arm hasn't been too fit for typing either (beautiful pics of bruises to follow). I am currently feeling much better. Currently just sore and limping with one bruised and swollen arm. A little road rash on my butt and some scattered scuffing but nothing too bad.

First of all, I want to say a very heart-felt thank you to everyone for all of their kind wishes and especially to those of you who have offered to help. Reminding myself that I'm lucky to be alive and have awesome friends and belong to such an incredible and generous group such as the DMF helps make the loss go down a bit easier. 

A special shout-out to Swampduc who not only tended to my wounds at the onset of the crash, but also had to go on a 6 hour journey around the Hill Country by himself to get the trailer and bring my baby home. Not to mention, he had to deal with the inevitable shakiness of riding after watching the person in front of you high-side (but still got back out there and rode for two days!) 

I'm in the process of uploading the pics and they will certainly tell their own story. The story of the crash is, sorry to break it to you guys, pretty uneventful. I pretty much did the two worst things I could do that I knew I shouldn't have done. The only incredible aspect of the whole crash is that I came out of it so safely, which surprised everyone. It went a little something like this:

We got to the Hill Country Monday afternoon and rode the Three Sisters with Ducaholic and Wasabi - had a great time and was feeling nice and comfy on the bike. The next morning, Swampduc, Matador and I rode out to do the Sisters again. I had a good run on 337 and 336 and was feeling pretty confident. At the beginning of 335, El Matador pulled us over to make sure the pace was ok. He said he'd been getting his knee down and suspected the pace was too fast. Swampduc and I assured him that the pace was good, but I guess I had gotten too confident.

Just entering the sweepers on 335 I was falling a bit behind, entered a corner too hot, and noticed I was aimed at some gravel in my line at a pretty good lean if I didn't change it up. I was pretty uncomfortable with the speed that I'd entered the corner (we suspect it was about 70mph) so that when I tried to correct the line, I panicked a bit that I was going too fast in that turn and way too fast to feel comfortable entering the next one. In my stupid panic, I ran wide and then, hitting the first bits of gravel, did the one thing I knew I shouldn't do: target fixated. I've run wide and gone off the rode before because I have a tendency not to trust the bike to lean as much as I should and I've handled it beautifully. In fact, I've always prided myself on the fact that I am so good at remaining calm in times of distress (LSD'rs will recall watching my rear axle almost come out and my cruising sweetly to a smooth stop on one Hill Country ride).

This time, for some reason, those instincts were gone. Despite the fact that I managed to hold the bike up for a pretty good while OFF the road, was looking in the right direction again and was pretty much convinced and relieved that I was going to get the bike back on the road ok, I, once again, did the one thing I knew I shouldn't do: grab the front break. I remember completely losing the front end of the bike - from the tire marks we could see after the crash it appeared I'd hit a pretty big rock. Then I remember instinctively grabbing down and realizing I'd pulled hard on the brake. As soon as I realized that, it was like a little light bulb came over my head and said "oh make the beast with two backs!" That's all I remember. Next thing I knew I was on the ground, my bike nowhere in site, and Swampduc was standing over me telling not me not to move.

As soon as I came to I felt immediately ok and wanted to see my bike but let Swampduc slowly check me out for any broken bones. He was so careful and informative - riding with a doctor FTW! As he later recalled, apparently all he saw was, in his words, my bike "spiking me head first into the ground like a football" and then tumbling away. From what he had seen, it was pretty tough to convince him that nothing was broken. I assured him that my bones were pretty hard to break. He still kept watch over me for potential concussion, though.

When El Matador doubled back and arrived at the scene I already knew that I was fine and tried to comfort him as he ran over in a panic. When I tried to get up, I got really dizzy so the guys helped me into the cab of a very nice passerby's truck who proceeded to take me into the nearest town (~20 min away). El Matador had stood up my bike and from the side I saw from far away (we landed pretty far apart) she looked ok. When they were first assessing the crash I heard the guys discuss riding her home so I thought she would definitely be fine. El Matador later broke it to me, after a lot of painkillers and ice cream, that I had only seen the good side of the bike; that the other side was another story, and that the frame was clearly bent and cracked.

When we went back to pick up the bike a few hours later I couldn't believe the damage. I really did feel ok and had not suspected that I'd been going fast enough to bend handlebars or crack headers. The rut marks in the dirt were deep and the guilty rock lay just next to the last one. Amazingly, the landing site of both myself and my bike were disturbingly far from the last tire mark. Pieces of my rear set were found scattered across the scene. And, the strangest thing, we found just one glove far away on the other side of the fence. wtf? Best part? I landed all of an inch away from a cactus!

in short, it was a pretty stupid crash and i'm all round pissed at it. but, as everyone keeps telling me, I did make out very lucky to have good gear and strong bones. All those times I've heard people say I am so damned hard headed really paid off, I guess. Well, that and my Arai was awesome. It hardly looks as though it was slammed into a gravel pit of doom at 50mph at all. I'm sad that it is dead. MotoGP jacket held up great too - bruises on my arm are proof. I was also wearing a full camelback under my jacket and I honestly think that helped act as a back protector.

the guys keep telling me to get it through my head and accept that my bike is totaled but I'm not letting go just yet. she's sitting in my living room, staring at me with sad eyes as I write this. I had a beer with her last night and told her I was sorry but she won't speak to me anymore - how can she? Her pipes are cracked 

So, that's the story. I'll post some pics now. Thanks everyone again for all your kind words. I really appreciate it!

[DrDesmo]

Sorry to keep ya'll in suspense. As El Matador said, we didn't have reception up at the Ranch and my arm hasn't been too fit for typing either (beautiful pics of bruises to follow). I am currently feeling much better. Currently just sore and limping with one bruised and swollen arm. A little road rash on my butt where a pocket tore off my pants (I swear I'll never ride without proper pants again despite the fact that my Levi's did impress me overall) and some scattered scuffing but nothing too bad.

First of all, I want to say a very heart-felt thank you to everyone for all of their kind wishes and especially to those of you who have offered to help. Reminding myself that I'm lucky to be alive and have awesome friends and belong to such an incredible and generous group such as the DMF helps make the loss go down a bit easier. 

A special shout-out to Swampduc who not only tended to my wounds at the onset of the crash, but also had to go on a 6 hour journey around the Hill Country by himself to get the trailer and bring my baby home. Not to mention, he had to deal with the inevitable shakiness of riding after watching the person in front of you high-side (but still got back out there and rode for two days!) 

I'm in the process of uploading the pics and they will certainly tell their own story. The story of the crash is, sorry to break it to you guys, pretty uneventful. I pretty much did the two worst things I could do that I knew I shouldn't have done. The only incredible aspect of the whole crash is that I came out of it so safely, which surprised everyone. It went a little something like this:

We got to the Hill Country Monday afternoon and rode the Three Sisters with Ducaholic and Wasabi - had a great time and was feeling nice and comfy on the bike. The next morning, Swampduc, Matador and I rode out to do the Sisters again. I had a good run on 337 and 336 and was feeling pretty confident. At the beginning of 335, El Matador pulled us over to make sure the pace was ok. He said he'd been getting his knee down and suspected the pace was too fast. Swampduc and I assured him that the pace was good, but I guess I had gotten too confident.

Just entering the sweepers on 335 I was falling a bit behind, entered a corner too hot, and noticed I was aimed at some gravel in my line at a pretty good lean if I didn't change it up. I was pretty uncomfortable with the speed that I'd entered the corner (we suspect it was about 70mph) so that when I tried to correct the line, I panicked a bit that I was going too fast in that turn and way too fast to feel comfortable entering the next one. In my stupid panic, I ran wide and then, hitting the first bits of gravel, did the one thing I knew I shouldn't do: target fixated. I've run wide and gone off the rode before because I have a tendency not to trust the bike to lean as much as I should and I've handled it beautifully. In fact, I've always prided myself on the fact that I am so good at remaining calm in times of distress (LSD'rs will recall watching my rear axle almost come out and my cruising sweetly to a smooth stop on one Hill Country ride).

This time, for some reason, those instincts were gone. Despite the fact that I managed to hold the bike up for a pretty good while OFF the road, was looking in the right direction again and was pretty much convinced and relieved that I was going to get the bike back on the road ok, I, once again, did the one thing I knew I shouldn't do: grab the front break. I remember completely losing the front end of the bike - from the tire marks we could see after the crash it appeared I'd hit a pretty big rock. Then I remember instinctively grabbing down and realizing I'd pulled hard on the brake. As soon as I realized that, it was like a little light bulb came over my head and said "oh make the beast with two backs!" That's all I remember. Next thing I knew I was on the ground, my bike nowhere in site, and Swampduc was standing over me telling not me not to move.

As soon as I came to I felt immediately ok and wanted to see my bike but let Swampduc slowly check me out for any broken bones. He was so careful and informative - riding with a doctor FTW! As he later recalled, apparently all he saw was, in his words, my bike "spiking me head first into the ground like a football" and then tumbling away. From what he had seen, it was pretty tough to convince him that nothing was broken. I assured him that my bones were pretty hard to break. He still kept watch over me for potential concussion, though.

When El Matador doubled back and arrived at the scene I already knew that I was fine and tried to comfort him as he ran over in a panic. When I tried to get up, I got really dizzy so the guys helped me into the cab of a very nice passerby's truck who proceeded to take me into the nearest town (~20 min away). El Matador had stood up my bike and from the side I saw from far away (we landed pretty far apart) she looked ok. When they were first assessing the crash I heard the guys discuss riding her home so I thought she would definitely be fine. El Matador later broke it to me, after a lot of painkillers and ice cream, that I had only seen the good side of the bike; that the other side was another story, and that the frame was clearly bent and cracked.

When we went back to pick up the bike a few hours later I couldn't believe the damage. I really did feel ok and had not suspected that I'd been going fast enough to bend handlebars or crack headers. The rut marks in the dirt were deep and the guilty rock lay just next to the last one. Amazingly, the landing site of both myself and my bike were disturbingly far from the last tire mark. Pieces of my rear set were found scattered across the scene. And, the strangest thing, we found one glove far away on the other side of the fence. wtf? Best part? I landed all of an inch away from a cactus!

in short, it was a pretty stupid crash and i'm all round pissed at it. but, as everyone keeps telling me, I did make out very lucky to have good gear and strong bones. All those times I've heard people say I am so damned hard headed really paid off, I guess. Well, that and my Arai was awesome. It hardly looks as though it was slammed into a gravel pit of doom at 50mph at all. MotoGP jacket held up great too - bruises on my arm are proof. I was also wearing a full camelback under my jacket and I honestly think that helped act as a back protector.

the guys keep telling me to get it through my head and accept that my bike is totaled but I'm not letting go just yet. she's sitting in my living room, staring at me with sad eyes as I write this. I had a beer with her last night and told her I was sorry but she won't speak to me anymore - how can she? Her pipes are cracked 

So, that's the story. I'll post some pics now. Thanks everyone again for all your kind words. I really appreciate it!

 

Glad to hear all is well with your health at least 

... Sorry to hear about the bike - but this just means you'll have the start of a SWEET monster track bike 

Cheers,
Adam

[somegirl]

Lu, nice to hear from you.

Sorry about the crash and the bike but the main thing is that you are basically ok and it sounds like you learned something from the incident.

[DesmoLu]

... Sorry to hear about the bike - but this just means you'll have the start of a SWEET monster track bike 

Yes! I am very much so hoping to resurrect her as an awesome track bike. She has never been tracked and I just can't bare the thought of her life ending without seeing track time. I am happy that she at least went down on some sweet roads though, and not in Houston.

I almost forgot one very important thing in my last post - to thank El Matador for being such an awesome boyfriend. He's taken great care of me full of yummy treats and good massages. When I was mad at him for not letting me ride with him yesterday (ya, I guess that was a stupid thing to ask), he immediately bought me some great stout. He has promised to help me build a track bike from the remnants of my baby and to make  road trip with me whenever I find a new bike. Best of all, he is lending me his baby, his 695, until I can get a new bike, as my Monster was my only mode of transportation. I couldn't possibly ask for a more wonderful boyfriend!!!

[DesmoLu]

Sorry about the crash and the bike but the main thing is that you are basically ok and it sounds like you learned something from the incident.

Thanks! I learned two very important things from this crash: 1) When you are feeling the most confident is when you should be the most aware - you are apt to make stupid mistakes that you thought you were better than and 2) Proper gear is 100% worth it, even in this damn Houston heat.

[mookieo2]

Yes! I am very much so hoping to resurrect her as an awesome track bike. She has never been tracked and I just can't bare the thought of her life ending without seeing track time. I am happy that she at least went down on some sweet roads though, and not in Houston.

I almost forgot one very important thing in my last post - to thank El Matador for being such an awesome boyfriend. He's taken great care of me full of yummy treats and good massages. When I was mad at him for not letting me ride with him yesterday (ya, I guess that was a stupid thing to ask), he immediately bought me some great stout. He has promised to help me build a track bike from the remnants of my baby and to make  road trip with me whenever I find a new bike. Best of all, he is lending me his baby, his 695, until I can get a new bike, as my Monster was my only mode of transportation. I couldn't possibly ask for a more wonderful boyfriend!!!

Glad you`re ok.

I hope it doesn`t take as long as the cowls.

[DesmoLu]

I hope it doesn`t take as long as the cowls.

 

me too

[Porsche Monkey]

Very glad to hear from you.  I was ready to make the trip back out there when I heard what happened. Cheers to Matador and Swampduc for handling everything correctly. 

[El Matador]

Yes! I am very much so hoping to resurrect her as an awesome track bike. She has never been tracked and I just can't bare the thought of her life ending without seeing track time. I am happy that she at least went down on some sweet roads though, and not in Houston.

I almost forgot one very important thing in my last post - to thank El Matador for being such an awesome boyfriend. He's taken great care of me full of yummy treats and good massages. When I was mad at him for not letting me ride with him yesterday (ya, I guess that was a stupid thing to ask), he immediately bought me some great stout. He has promised to help me build a track bike from the remnants of my baby and to make  road trip with me whenever I find a new bike. Best of all, he is lending me his baby, his 695, until I can get a new bike, as my Monster was my only mode of transportation. I couldn't possibly ask for a more wonderful boyfriend!!!

 

loves

[DesmoLu]

Very glad to hear from you.  I was ready to make the trip back out there when I heard what happened. Cheers to Matador and Swampduc for handling everything correctly. 

Thanks so much man! I really appreciate you calling to check up and offer help! It was great meeting you and riding with you. You may have witnessed one of the last rides for my 620 

[El Matador]

Thanks so much man! I really appreciate you calling to check up and offer help! It was great meeting you and riding with you. You may have witnessed one of the last rides for my 620 

+11tyb. You have no idea how much we appreciate it.  You guys are invaluable.

[EvilSteve]

Glad you're ok DesmoLu.

[Porsche Monkey]

+11tyb. You have no idea how much we appreciate it.  You guys are invaluable.

Hey no worries. Actually SA_S2r saw it on the forum before I did. He called me thinking I was still with yall. That's when I called you. Either way, glad she's okay and always there to help a friend. 

[Popeye the Sailor]

Glad you're ok DesmoLu.

+1.