And then it all went bad...

So, I got the S2R back from the shop earlier than I had anticipated -- a good sign to be sure! Picked it up Friday afternoon 05/27 and was psyched for the upcoming holiday weekend. I had plans to go on a group ride Memorial Day, so I went out for a quick 40 mile run Saturday morning to scrub up the new tires. This was pretty much my first ride on the Monster this season as the back tire was nearly bald and I'd been waiting for new rubber before taking it out.

It felt good to get out a spin a few miles, then I spent a couple hours detailing the bike. Ready to ride!

Sunday we're off to a annual family picnic at a state park; fun in the sun, overeating and some games. About 17:00 that day, I learned a valuable life lesson, so pay attention here ==> When diving for 3rd base, always use style. But more importantly, do not twist in the air and land badly.

A broken clavicle is an extremely unpleasant injury. Tremendously painful for an extended period of time, and here's the kicker : 9 out of 10 times they do not perform corrective surgery. I now know a great number of people who have had this injury, and not a one of them had surgery. If you ain't Colin Edwards or someone generally important, they hand you pills and tell you it will heal in some fashion over time. A long, long time to be sure.

It would be about 11 weeks before I felt confident enough that I wasn't impeding healing by getting back in the saddle. My prepaid attendance at Americade came and went; I slept in a chair for 4 weeks. Sunday rides came and went; I repaid my neighbor in beer to mow my lawn for a month. My summer pretty much came and went.

Now if I'd been wearing full leather/armor/Shoei/Sidi while going for that base, different story...

ATGATT