3/13 – Belfast-2-Belfast On Hold – 03 Mar 2025

Due to unforeseen circumstances my trip has had to be put on hold for a bit. As you might have guessed from the main photo, I had an accident. It was the most serious of my tumbles to date, leaving me with a broken rib, a fracture in my hand , some impressive abrasions and numerous bruises. 

Fortunately my riding gear did its job: my jacket suffered, like myself, some cuts, abrasions and torn stitching; my helmet has some deep scratches at the back; and my jeans are a write-off – not least because the ambulance crew insisted on trying to cut them off. When they discovered how difficult it is to cut Kevlar they agreed to taking my other leg out the conventional way.

Truly though, I was very lucky to get off with what I did. I was overtaking a long truck, probably between 60-70 mph, when, I think, the turbulence caught my windshield causing the handlebars to swing wildly from left-to-right. A tank-slapper! 

The frequently mentioned causes of this include hitting a bump at speed and wind turbulence, as in my case, contributed to by defects in tyres, steering or both. 

The common features of the recommended reaction are: to try to relax your grip on the bars; pinch the tank with your knees; lift your butt slightly off the seat; and don’t chop the throttle – in fact rather accelerate some, as this takes some of the weight off the front tyre. 

This, in my view would require a lightning fast response, and a considerable degree of skill and bravery, as well as having prepared the response in advance through mental practice. I hadn’t done the latter, and obviously don’t possess the former in sufficient quantities. I did think, “Accelerate!” but I hesitated and then it was too late. 🙁

I remember being bucked off, but not flying or hitting the road. I vaguely remember recovering myself to the roadside, and being somewhat perturbed to find the vision in my left eye extremely blurred. My concern increased when my right eye went the same way, so I lay down again (I was sitting) and thankfully all was well when I sat up. 

The truck driver stopped, as did some passing car drivers – thank you to the lady who gave me some water. Someone called the emergency services and shortly, I was whisked off to Te Nikau Hospital in Greymouth, where a full emergency team was waiting for me. I later learned they were very surprised when I arrived chatting and cracking jokes; apparently the initial report had suggested things were much more serious than they were.

I was examined, investigated, bandaged and admitted in a most professional and caring manner.

As I write, I’m about to spend my 3rd night here – the morphine has absolutely nothing to do with this. On Sunday morning, I was unable to bear weight on my left leg, raising the possibility of a fractured pelvis. Ruling this out would require some specific x-rays, not available at the week-end; hence my prolonged stay.

The excellent care continued, with nothing left to chance in terms of investigations. All the staff were brilliant; I won’t to name anyone in particular, though I did have my favourite, lest I forget someone, and with my memory, that is distinctly likely. However, you all know who you are, and please know that I am extremely grateful. In the somewhat unlikely event that one of you is reading this, please pass on my written thanks to all your colleagues; I hope I have already thanked everyone in person.

Oh, and I got my 5 minutes of notoriety – on the front page, no less!

I have thought about my options and tomorrow I hope to see the bike. Then I will be able to make a new plan. Tune in for the next exciting episode! 😂