What the Heck is a Greater Trochanter?

Hmmm, that isn't suppose to look like that, is it?

What the Heck is the Greater Trochanter? No clue. Couldn't have told you. Maybe a treaty signed by two unknown countries to prevent the spread of Trochanters disease. Maybe the piece that you blow through on a set of bagpipes. Strangley enough, it wasn't any of those-go figure, right? Well yesterday I found out what it feels like to fracture one…it doesn't tickle. It is the part of of the upper femur that is located near the hip socket. Now, in 25 years of being on a bike; mostly mtb, I have never broken anything. Nothing. A few install injuries here and there, but nothing that compares to a trip to the ER to find out that you broke your dang trochanter!

Ah, it was a day like any other day for the shop ride. Lots of riders, most of them regulars. Temperatures were 70° and everything was perfect. It actually started out as being our fastest ride to date for the shop ride. We were averaging 21.6 mph and riding everything hard. I felt awesome, everything was looking good. We came on one of the more popular climbs on the ride and everyone was gathered tighter than normal (which I try to avoid). We were running about 20 mph. I was about to move to the left to get clear, when all of a sudden, the group slowed down in front of me and my front wheel caught the rear wheel of the rider in front of me and before I knew it, I hit the deck, and hitting hard. I got rear ended from another rider and everything came to a stand still. I was on the ground for what seemed like forever. Of course, the only thing I could think of was the bike. Unfortunately, when I tried to get up I couldnt move my left leg. Look up Tim Conways dentist skit-you will see what I looked like.

I got up and surveyed the damage to myself and the bike. My leg was pretty cut up, but my hip would not participate in my attempts to move forward. So I tried to lay down, but the shooting pain on the inside and outside of my hip was excruciating. We were about 5-6 miles from the shop and figured I would try to ride back…ahhhhh! Time for plan B, ride back one legged pedal style. Why didn't you get a ride back you ask? Well, I didn't know it was broken at the time and just figures it was a bad bruise and was just really sore. So I rode back one legged style and although it was tough, I had good company to shuttle my haggard rear end back. I have taken a pretty good ribbing about riding back, but again, who knew?

Well, so long story short, I will be off of the bike for at least 2 weeks. Of course to add to the humiliation of the matter, I am using my father in laws walker around the house. You don't realize how much you feel helpless until you are told to stop being active and are using crutches. It sucks. I think most of the pain is from the tendons on the inside of my thigh being traumatized. Either way, it hurts like @$%*!

So, the next few weeks are gonna suck big time, but I will rise like the Phoenix from the ashes of this great set back, YES, I will ride again! ok, thats enough of the poetic non-sense. See you on the trails.