The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - Weeks 40, 41 and 42 of Fifty Two Weeks
As Mega Avalanche 2010 approaches nearer and nearer the past 3 weeks has really been a rollercoaster ride and a half - from great times to really bad times! I write this blog absolutely gutted, gripping onto hope that will hopefully keep me going for the next few weeks!
Read on to find out what happened.As I sit on my hospital bed - all I can think is what if - what if it's broken, what if I can't ride at Mega, what about my sponsors, what about my new race team, what about my wife and son, what about work, can I even drive ... so many whats and ifs - but for now - The morphine and Gas and Air separate me from the pain and leave me with all these thoughts and questions running through my mind.
When you injure yourself and end up in the hospital - it just sucks - and trust me I have been there before! 10 years ago I broke my back and walked away from competitive cycling until last August where I decided to race Mega Avalanche and begin writing this blog!
And now I'm back here again - but now even more gutted than last time. Questioning everything in my head. The Xray confirms the best of some bad news - my shoulder is dislocated, but there is no break or fractures! So they take me through to a new ward where I am given more Gas and Air and introduced to some new doctors who will lovingly pop it all back into place! Yay!
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Today was my new team's training day and we were doing a photo shoot and video edit with good friends Nico Turner and Thomas Gaffney - as I waited for the shoulder to be popped in and for the next batch of Morphine to kick in - All I wondered was if what we filmed and shot enough and what had the lads managed to capture - below shows it all - even the aftermath.
As the session was well under way - everything was going great and the new team was bonding well and hitting the track hard. For some reason I sprinted down the third straight of my local bmx track and hit a fairly small double with way too much speed and ended up nosediving into the take off of the next step jump - a short steep step up. As the dust settled I realized my right arm was in agony and needed to be popped back in - a friend tried to pop it in, but was unable to successfully as was my feeble attempts. Minutes later I was in my team rider's - Claire's - car on route to the local hospital. This journey sucked and I felt so weak and feeble until we arrived at the hospital and was given medication.
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What happens now...
Has all my training been in vain - has it been a waste of 9 months - was going to Fort William just pointless - was 6 weeks of 4x sprint training wasted in prep for Harthill round 2. Will I even get to Mega Avavalanche 2010 now or will I be limping around Alpe de Huez just watching...
All I know is that I have been told 8 week recovery time full of Physio and no riding - that takes me exactly to the Mega Avalanche - so the wattbike will turn over the miles and keep my fitness up and the rest is just a battle with my mind now to just get there.
Thanks to all the people who have wished me well and looked after me over the past few days - and a huge thanks to my sponsors for being so understanding on this matter with me. Love to you all - and sorry if I have let you down (the readers of my blog!) due to my injury - trust me when I say this - I will be back!
This was my fortnight running up to the crash - I'm gutted and already desperate to get back on my bike!
Read on to find out what happened.As I sit on my hospital bed - all I can think is what if - what if it's broken, what if I can't ride at Mega, what about my sponsors, what about my new race team, what about my wife and son, what about work, can I even drive ... so many whats and ifs - but for now - The morphine and Gas and Air separate me from the pain and leave me with all these thoughts and questions running through my mind.
When you injure yourself and end up in the hospital - it just sucks - and trust me I have been there before! 10 years ago I broke my back and walked away from competitive cycling until last August where I decided to race Mega Avalanche and begin writing this blog!
And now I'm back here again - but now even more gutted than last time. Questioning everything in my head. The Xray confirms the best of some bad news - my shoulder is dislocated, but there is no break or fractures! So they take me through to a new ward where I am given more Gas and Air and introduced to some new doctors who will lovingly pop it all back into place! Yay!
Nice new injury!
Today was my new team's training day and we were doing a photo shoot and video edit with good friends Nico Turner and Thomas Gaffney - as I waited for the shoulder to be popped in and for the next batch of Morphine to kick in - All I wondered was if what we filmed and shot enough and what had the lads managed to capture - below shows it all - even the aftermath.
As the session was well under way - everything was going great and the new team was bonding well and hitting the track hard. For some reason I sprinted down the third straight of my local bmx track and hit a fairly small double with way too much speed and ended up nosediving into the take off of the next step jump - a short steep step up. As the dust settled I realized my right arm was in agony and needed to be popped back in - a friend tried to pop it in, but was unable to successfully as was my feeble attempts. Minutes later I was in my team rider's - Claire's - car on route to the local hospital. This journey sucked and I felt so weak and feeble until we arrived at the hospital and was given medication.
Me and my new signing to FiveTwo Race Team - Luke Cryer - us hitting the double side by side for Tom's lens
My female podium hope for my new team - FiveTwo Race Team - Suzy Lacey in Manual heaven
My first proper session on my DMR 898 did not end well - but the weather was nice!
My youngest rider to the FiveTwo Race Team, Kieran Brown - at only 11 he maybe young,
but he packs a ton of motocross racing experience under his belt
but he packs a ton of motocross racing experience under his belt
My second female addition to the FiveTwoRace Team - Claire pollard - she is in training and will be nipping at the rest of the female's heels
What happens now...
Has all my training been in vain - has it been a waste of 9 months - was going to Fort William just pointless - was 6 weeks of 4x sprint training wasted in prep for Harthill round 2. Will I even get to Mega Avavalanche 2010 now or will I be limping around Alpe de Huez just watching...
All I know is that I have been told 8 week recovery time full of Physio and no riding - that takes me exactly to the Mega Avalanche - so the wattbike will turn over the miles and keep my fitness up and the rest is just a battle with my mind now to just get there.
Thanks to all the people who have wished me well and looked after me over the past few days - and a huge thanks to my sponsors for being so understanding on this matter with me. Love to you all - and sorry if I have let you down (the readers of my blog!) due to my injury - trust me when I say this - I will be back!
This was my fortnight running up to the crash - I'm gutted and already desperate to get back on my bike!
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I have a grade 3 separated shoulder and am fine. I was back to road riding within a month, and MTB riding within three. My GP referred me to a shoulder specialist, and he advised me that surgery on a grade 3 separation would be a cosmetic surgery only. In fact, he advised against it since one in two surgeries fail with current techniques. He also said I'd be fine and in the long term it won't bother me.
I have no stability issues, can lift weights, do push-ups and most importantly, ride my MTB.
I broke both my shoulders, took calcium tablets to help speed up bone growth and got a kidney stone
All this training you have put it!
Not going to leave any unhappy comments because tbh, theres nothing bad to say!
Your going to be fine bud!
You have my FULL respect for everything you have put into this!
Good luck mate
Good luck with the recovery, I am still looking forward to your Mega report/vid, your gonna make it.
As someone who has dislocated his shoulder; get a good physio asap and keep up the exercises even if you think your better, shoulder injuries are a bitch but they can't get better.
good news however is there are no complications so you stand a chance of getting to the Mega if you have a good physio. I did this last august (with complications - couple of breaks) and was referred to the NHS physio. Only got back on a bike 3 weeks ago. The injury was bad but the physio didn't help! Go private and make sure they specialise in sports injuries!
Your worst enemy after an injury like yours is yourself, cos you'll ride to protect the shoulder and that'll have you off in no time. Just pretend it never happened, that nothing hurts, that you're not stiff etc etc. Just ride like you always do and you'll be fine (until the next crash
Crashing's part of the game.
So is getting back on the bike afterwards.
www.brendanbrazier.com
btw, mega props for your efforts in promotion of our sport