Tour Day 4 - The Crash

We were briefed that the descent into Chile was on a rough road. I was watching carefully for potholes, but must have let my guard down. I was enjoying a fun section of descent, when I hit a pothole that I did not see, and flew off my bike. I landed on the road on my forearms and thighs. My head hit and shattered the helmet, but other than a bump on the left side of my face/forehead and a small scratch, my face and head were unscathed. The rest of me -- a different story. I suffered a deep gash to my right forearm, along with cuts to my arms. fingers, legs, and road rash on both thighs. My jacket was shredded. The guides were able to fast track me into Chile, and took me to the equivalent of Urgent Care in a small town 30 minutes away. There, they cleaned my wounds but sent me via ambulance to a hospital an hour further. There, I spent 8+ hours in various processes, awaiting a surgeon for stitches to my right arm. By the time I got to that guy at 3am, he determined that I also have a fracture to my right elbow. So, he couldn't do the stitches until they fix the elbow. Aarrrgh. I spent the night in the pre-surgery 'hall,' a common room with 8 beds that made it virtually impossible to sleep. WARNING: Last picture is gross!Read more