Thursday 28/2 - I can remember dreaming before waking up and then my eyes slowly
opened.
Initially I couldn't focus but slowly realised that I was
lying on ground covered with leaves. My brain was trying to work
out why I was lying on leaves but I had no idea.
I tried to get up but I couldn't and I had no
idea why I couldn't get up. I couldn't work out why I couldn't
push myself up with my arms or why I couldn't sit up.
As my head became clearer I found that I was
lying face down on a the ground in deep wet leaves. I tried to
roll over but I couldn't. As I writhed around trying to get up, I
managed to wriggle onto my side and tried to climb out of the hole I was
in.
It was only then that I realised where I was.
I was climbing out of a hole on the side of the
road on the side of the Pinnacle Road on the way up Mt Wellington and I
heard a car stopping next to me.
As I crawled out of the hole the man from the
car got to me and helped me out - asking if I was ok. I had no
idea if I was or not. I was totally confused (and had lots of
leeches on me searching for a good entry site)
The man (James, a staff training guy from Pure
Tasmania/Federal Group & bike rider) steadied me as I tried to stand.
As things became clearer I noticed I was next to my bike and things
started to come back to me.
Back to the start of the day...
Ralph & Christian were doing the Nth/Sth Track
loop ride & decided to tag along. They are both faster so I knew
it would be hard work. Instead of getting up early and having a
nice breakfast I decided to sleep a bit longer and missed breakfast.
I drove to Tolosa Park and left my car there and rode into Hobart along
the bike track.
I was riding my new dual-suspension mountain
bike and it had wide, knobbly tyres. I headed up Strickland Av
ahead of the others because I was going slower. They passed me
just after Marlyn Rd jcn. They were cruising but I was pushing
80-90% effort.
My next mistake was that my drink bottle was in
my backpack because I didn't have a bidon holder on the bike yet.
SO as well as not having breakfast I didn't drink on the way up to Fern
Tree.
I turned up the Pinnacle Rd & kept plugging away
although I was feeling stuffed. About 1km before Shoebridge Bend I
got up out of the seat and went up a chainring - to use some different
muscles. After doing this for about 50m I thought - wow I just
need to rest for a bit.
I stopped on the side of the road and stood over
the bike, leaning against a wooden guide post that marked a drain that
ran under the road. I took some deep breaths but I realised that I
was feeling a little 'light-headed' or dizzy.
I got off the bike and leaned it against the
guide post.........
That was the last think I remembered before
'waking up' down in the culvert/drain a metre below the road. It
was lucky that when I passed out, I was still wearing my bike helmet.
When I got home I looked at fainting videos on the internet & virtually
all of the videos showed the person falling over with a straight body
and there heads getting smashed on the ground (if no-one caught them).
Before watching the videos I thought that your
legs would give way first and you would just collapse straight down but
it looked like peoples eyes roll back, and they just fall forwards -
already unconscious without putting their hands out & land face or head
first.
LESSONS I LEARNED FROM THIS:
Get fitter
Eat breakfast first
Drink during the ride
and again ... get fitter.
If you ever see anyone about to faint... catch
them before they crack their skull on the ground. I ended up with
cuts on my side & legs and smashed my riding glasses from falling down
into the culvert. I wished I had my gopro camera on filming as I
dropped into the hole & to know how long I was out of it.
After recovering next to my bike and drinking my
1L of Gatorade I rolled back down to town and along the bike track to
Cornelian Bay where I was going to meet Ralph who was bringing my car
from Glenorchy MTB Park.
Thanks to James for stopping to check on the guy
lying in the hole, Ralph & Christian for riding back down to me to check
on me & for collecting my car from Glenorchy.
