You are hereThe bloody, brutal aftermath of the Full Moon Cruise
The bloody, brutal aftermath of the Full Moon Cruise
Here's a message I sent out to Caden's girl about what happened Wednesday night at the full moon cruise:
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Here's a map of where it went down, but basically the remaining 30-40 of us who made the Mt. Bonnell climb were bombing south down Mt. Bonnell Rd. which is crazy steep and has a 90 degree left at the bottom of the hill. If you add in the fact that it was drizzly and wet it was a recipe for disaster. Caden was in the lead in a pack of 4 riders who were kinda bunched up and when he made the left at the bottom he and another guy clipped wheels and went down. Caden was in front and took the brunt of it as the other riders narrowly avoided him. The other guy who crashed had his fall cushioned by Caden so he made out with some road rash, a (maybe) sprained shoulder and a small cut on his head.
As soon as Caden crashed me and the other people immediately behind started yelling up the hill to stop and watch out, to make sure it didn't pile up. We saw Caden convulsing and kinda babbling unintelligibly and started talking to him, trying to get him to track with his eyes or give us an indication he was coherent. He continued to moan and convulse so we stabilized him and called the ambulance. The back and left side of of his head was a bloody mess but we didn't want to move him to check it yet.
After about 10-15 minutes of this he started talking and acknowledging us and said "I want to get up" over and over and pushed people away so he could sit up. At that point I brought my light over and checked his head and body out for any other obvious damage/lacerations. His head was bloody but nothing looked too major, and the main source of the blood seemed to be his left ear.
About 5 minutes after he sat up the fire engine arrived and shortly after the ambulance. They started talking to him and he could remember his name but didn't know where he was or why he was there, couldn't answer any questions about politics or the debate the next day, and overall seemed really scatterbrained and not with it. They got him in the back of the ambulance and kept him there for probably 20-30 minutes until they took him to the hospital and we took care of his bike. We tried getting them to take it to the hospital with them as they've done in the past but they didn't want any responsibility for the bike.
After everyone took off Justin, some other cat (don't remember his name) and I made sure the bike was secure and then caught up with the pack. I was gonna be riding back with Caden since I also live north but obviously that didn't work out.
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That's the best I can recall. It was dark and I'd had a few beers so it may not be 100% perfect but at least it'll give y'all a better idea of what went down Wednesday night. Caden is still in the ICU and though he's conscious and and talking (even replying to messages) there's still a ways to go before it's over. Being what medical bills are, there's going to be some fundraising thing at Frankenbike tomorrow, so if you don't have anything going on and have a few bucks to spare, swing by and help him out.
I've been doing a lot of thinking since that ride and am going to be talking to some of the other regulars on the Full Moon Cruise, but I want to introduce a little more of the "cruise" aspect into these rides. Lately they seem to be a fixed gear race to lose the rest of the pack as quick as possible, and that's not what we're wanting for these kinds of rides. My buddy Les also had a few things to say on his blog about the ride and its' aftermath, much of which I'm echoing here.
I love the fact that we see tandems, BMX, fixed gear, road bikes, cruisers, and everyone else show up for these rides. I just want to see all the various people get to finish it sometime. With the Critical Mass rides we're kept to a certain pace due to car traffic, but when the streets are completely ours the group seems to turn it up and go all out, many times leaving some of the not-as-regular riders behind.
If someone wants to organized a FAST ride, please let me know and I'll post info about it. I'm sure there are plenty people (including me) who would want to get in on that action, but the full moon cruise isn't the time for racing. I guess what I'm trying to say is slow down, y'all! It's not like we're on a schedule or getting paid for this shit. What's the rush? ;)
Jason
I really dont think we loose all that many people because the pace is too fast. Most of the people that dont finish just quit early cause there close to home or gotta work early or what ever. The pace deffinately ditches some stragglers but I dont think its really that much. We loose alot of the front runners cause the pace isnt fast enough for them. We see alot of the same old faces on the rides, and every ride we see new faces. I have noticed for some reason when the pack starts to turn into 2 packs, or we get a small group of riders really pushin the front, they tend to be new faces ( on fixies) in the front. The new faces dont know where the ride is going, this tends to lead to a massive group split wich inturn creates chaos, then the ride gets small. maybe just a friendly ( hey you look new, you know where this ride is going? GET IN THE BACK SUCKA!!!!) discussion will solve this.
Just hearing that were going up Mt. Bonnell, or other hard routes makes a lot of people not down for the ride, yet others are stoked. I think Damon is doing a great job on the routes, you cant please everyone. He includes lots of stops so the group can re-up. No matter the route or the pace, I dont think I've ever been on any full moon cruise(and I've been on alot) including the harvest moon cruises where theres even half as many people who started at the finish. I finish most of the rides. but some times we've gone really far already and we get close to home so I bail. Its just how it works, thats how its always been.
the pace on this last ride was deffinately not too fast. both the 20inchers made it up and down bonnell and everyone knows there slow as shit.
I recall the mt. bonnell route being created with the hope of thinning out the fixie riders, maybe see who really rode and who just posed. most of the fixies who made it to the top were familiar faces on the rides.
Good work Damon, it worked.
fixed gears are like butt holes, every one has one.
It certainly wasn't a cruise. But it wasn't exactly a race either... because... I didn't get dropped. I always come up short when everyone pushes the redline. I enjoy a challenging ride, but slower cruises are nice too.
Major props to Damon.
-- robbo
Agreed, I am in the process of putting together an alley cat. I want to race just as much as the next guy, but a ride dubbed as a "cruise" should be just that.
I know once I get together some of the prizes for that alley cat I will need some volunteers for check points. Jason, I will keep you up to date on when and where the race will be held. If you know anyone or if anyone reads this wants to help with prizes or make a donation to the cause of a race let me know. I will be in contact with the local bike shops to see if they want to sponsor.
I don't want to see any fellow riders go down at any point, we have got to start making it VERY clear when starting the ride. I hate saying it, but lets use this as an example. If people want to race that is cool with me, just don't do it on a full moon cruise or Mass or a pub crawl....these rides are not about that. They are just about the ride itself and to have fun.
~oneLescar
people always talk about my drinking, but never my thirst