jmaccelari

WTF???!!! A shocker! My condolences. After all his troubles, it looked like he was getting over them and then this happens...

News from this morning. Bertus is out if his coma and conscious. However, he is still on the ventilator and very heavily sedated. Slow progress...

You forgot to ask "where"?

I greet everyone - either with a "Hello", a wave or a lift of my fingers off the handlbars depending on what is possible ta that point in time (safety first). Most people greet back, but I find a lot of newbies are either not expecting a greeting or don't know what to do. As for the seasoned cyclists who ignore greetings, I reckon just 'cos they're sour farts, it doesn't mean I need to become one...

Lance would ooze style in a yellow manikini...

Bertus is still stable and the doctors are trying to bring him around. I thought it was a case of merely stopping the drugs and waking him up, but apparently it's a lot more complex and can take a couple of days. This is apparently quite normal. He'll be going for an EEG later today...

11:42

Yeah there was a recall on ones for an axle problem if they were manufactured before 2005 (I think)...

At least it would silence the ****ing motorists who complain we don't belong on the road as we don't have licenses and don't pay licensing fees. Which is ironic seeing as I pay for a (big) car, two motorbikes and a trailer... jmaccelari2009-12-11 04:27:45

This is going to start a quasi-religious flame war. I really like Look Keos for road. For off road I use Shimano SPDs. I know a lot of people who use them on the road and off. You can get them cheap and if you put them on all your bikes you can save on shoes... They aren't as good as Eggbeaters, but they have worked in mud at the Sani Transfrontier and the Sabie Experience without any issues for me...

Oh. I thought they were going to hold the next Olympics in Australia...

Bertus got out of theatre at 21:00 last night. Apparently the fixing of the facial bones went well. Will have an update this afternoon...

Latest from our roving reporter on the scene: Bertus is undergoing his first op today: 2-2.5 hours with the plastic surgeon and maxillo-facial this afternoon at 16:00. His fever is down and is looking better. More scans tomorrow to check how the haemorrhaging on the brain is going and it still looks like they'll lift the coma and get him off the ventilator. My thoughts will be with him tonight... I'm looking forward to tomorrow for some good news. jmaccelari2009-12-10 06:01:26

Not the worst story I have heard...

And here's photographic proof! http://www.cyclesafe.co.za/icg/images/main.php?g2_itemId=148

Happens often(ish). There's a lot of guys with sore knackers who will attest to that. He had clipless pedals and I checked his cleats and they were in excellent condition. IMHO: I don't think there was any stupidity involved. Bertus is an experienced Vet with a very calm demeanour. The guys say he just stood up to put some power down and "bliksemed" off.. Again' date=' my opinion: He was not going fast. The bunch was riding in a very relaxed manner at about 40kph (we do 50/55 when we're tonking it down there...). He probably put his weight forward as he stood up and when his foot came loose, the bars pulled and he went over them. I don't think he put his hands down at all as they were still on the bars and went face first into the road. The helmet took a lot of damage - it was totally trashed in the front - and when I say totally, I mean totally. Thanks to Bell he's hurt and not dead. It would appear the major damage came from the left side of his face hitting the tarmac - maybe he turned his head? I noted he had landed on his left shoulder, too. A typical "face plant". We all need to learn...

Just got news from Garth who was in the ward. Bertus is still in a coma on a ventilator, but stable. The plan seems to be to start to operate on his face tomorrow to start putting it back together. The major problems are his jaw and the eye-socket/nose area (basically the majority of the left side of his face) which they are going to try to put back together again. If all goes well they will bring him round to consciousness on Friday. Not much news until then...