An Unintended Detour

Well, it happened. They say there are only 2 types of bikers - those who have crashed and those who will. As of Tuesday I’m firmly in the former category. 

A bit of Florida sugar sand on an unpaved road outside of Gainesville did me in. Well, I guess it was more so the speed I hit that sand with rather than the sand itself. Kicking myself as the fall was very avoidable but thankful that it happened where it did (less than half a mile from a friend’s house) and that the damage was relatively minor.

I escaped with just a broken wrist, but will need surgery. Planning to fly back to Pittsburgh for it, which will put any further progress across the south/west on hold for at least 2 months, probably longer if I get the bike repaired in Pittsburgh as I hope to.

Harriet’s injuries appear to be pretty minor as well: a cracked windshield, broken turn signal cover, bent brake levers, and some minor cosmetic scratches.

Perhaps more devastating was the damage done to my plans and my confidence. I had planned to finally reach the Rockies in March, see a lot of friends I haven’t seen in months or even years along the way, and sneak in a ski trip in Colorado. I felt like I had a sense of direction. Much as reaching North Dakota (my first “new” state of the trip), completing the Northeast, and standing at the southern most point of the US in Key West had, crossing Texas and reaching the West felt like a definitive marker of progress on a trip that has often felt aimless. My larger goal of finishing the trip in 2026 is almost definitely off the table now too. 

When I do get back on the bike, I know it’s going to take time to rebuild the trust, confidence, and self assurance built over the last 3.5 years of riding that Tuesday’s fall largely wiped out (pun intended). The vast miles and many western states still left on my planned route now look much more foreboding, and the thought of every unpaved or sandy road I’ll inevitably have to ride gives me a twinge of anxiety.

I had talked about making time for reflection and being open to a change in direction in my past few posts. With this interruption of my plans and the forced period of inactivity it will entail, I guess I’m getting exactly what I asked for, though it certainly feels much more like a bitter pill than a golden opportunity at the moment. There’s been a lot of highs on this journey, guess I gotta accept the lows too. Maybe there will yet come some good and/or growth out of this experience. 

Keep my surgery and recovery in your prayers. Simple tasks like tying shoes, opening jars, and washing dishes have become quite the ordeal. I spent 10 minutes and had to make use of a drawer to open a tube of toothpaste the other day. If you have tips for surviving with one hand, send ‘em my way,

Crash-test-dummy Kev