PBP (and other 1,000 km+ rides) injuries Poll.

[Exit Stage Left]

I've only had severe bruising, having been knocked off, and mild achilles tendonitis. No persistent problems. One bloke did tell me of a condition that caused a certain amount of marital stress which lasted for 3 months.

[Feline]

I've only had severe bruising, having been knocked off, and mild achilles tendonitis. No persistent problems. One bloke did tell me of a condition that caused a certain amount of marital stress which lasted for 3 months.

That is deeply worrying!

[simonp]

Numb hands for 3 months

[clifftaylor]

This thread is useless etc etc

[Gus]

I bailed out after 500 km, due to psychic problems, but I don't think it was psychotic.
I didn't see weird things except exhausted riders.

[Ivo]

No problems lasting more than a few days (after I caught up on sleep). So I miss the 'none' option in the poll.

[valkyrie]

Numb hands and feet lasted from August to about Christmas that year. My neck failed on the last day but got better pretty quickly - I just needed a decent sleep to give the muscles a chance to rest. No psychotic episodes, though during the second night (just before the secret control) I was seeing double so badly that although I knew there were only two bikes in front of me I could see four and I wasn't sure which two to follow.

Last year's Eightsome Reel had no adverse effects at all. This year's HBKH has given me the numb hands and feet again.

[vorsprung]

I had a knee problem that started two days after PBP

During the event my knees were fine, they felt a bit "used" and I put voltarol on them.  Then I guess I over did it because of the pain killers

I ignored it for a few weeks, it got worse, then I rested it for a month and was fine

[dasmoth]

Are you ever going to allow those of us who haven't PBPed before to see the results?

Or is this an initiates only thing?

[Exit Stage Left]

Are you ever going to allow those of us who haven't PBPed before to see the results?

Or is this an initiates only thing?

I'll let it get to a decent sample size and then show it. It may never rise to a significant sample though, as I may have a skewed view due to actively seeking stories in researching the nature of long rides. I will however change the title to PBP and other 1,000+ rides.

[border-rider]

Useful that you've included the "none" option

Some measure of response rate is good.

[Ian H]

What about twisting your ankle walking into a control and finishing with an increasingly swollen and painful joint? (It was worse on the ride back to Le Havre the following day).

[JStone]

Still have two partly numb toes after PBP07 - shoes were probably a bit tight.

Outside the scope of this survey - but it would be interesting to know the number & extent of injuries suffered over the same period by people not riding PBP.

[simonp]

My main issue was the hands.  But I also had knee pain when stopped at controls, sitting in chairs, after about 3 days.

Though this went away quite quickly after the event, I might connect it with the fact I seem to have more knee pain nowadays than I used to.

[geraldc]

I had numbness in little fingers and little toes after LEL. Feeling in the little finger came back after a week, little toes came back after about a month.
Riding through the night in the pouring rain, left me with wet bottom related chafing (hooray for Sudocrem!).
On the BCM 600, I didn't get enough sleep the week before, and I started hallucinating on the ride, so I guess that's a psychotic episode.

[Ian H]

...I started hallucinating on the ride, so I guess that's a psychotic episode.

I used to hallucinate: boxes of vegetables (occasionally green plastic garden tools) in neat rows on the verge; once, Chinese dragons tossing their heads, each dragon dissolving into several as I approached (wind-blown trees if you wish to know). All this seemed to stop around 1998. Nowadays I just get tired.

[mattc]

How does one decide which is "... the most serious" ? 

[Feline]

How does one decide which is "... the most serious" ? 

Most people would rate genital numbness pretty high on the list LOL

[Exit Stage Left]

How does one decide which is "... the most serious" ? 

It's the one that comes to mind first, I could have allowed multiple votes, but that would have skewed the votes towards nature's self dramatists.

[geraldc]

How does one decide which is "... the most serious" ? 

Most people would rate genital numbness pretty high on the list LOL

Yes, but it doesn't stop you completing the ride...

[Ray 6701]

I've voted none, however I did have slightly tender achilles tendons & a tingling sensation in my left middle toe for about 3 weeks after my 1400 end2end.

[Fixedwheelnut]

Worst was Achilles trouble after PBP 2003 and again the cause of my only DNF the New Forest 1000 at 750km

 Had numb hands after PBP 2003 as well but Achilles was worse.

[arvid]

I am a cheater (recumbent rider), and the worst suffering I had was due to an aphthous ulcer in the two weeks after Mille Miglia.

[border-rider]

Numb fingertips after LEL 2001 for a couple of months; same after the Mile Cymru this year (just the middle finger tip of one hand).  That's the result of riding a bike I only finished building the day before.

Other LELs and PBPs have been OK.

[Greenbank]

Nothing of note after LEL 2009:-

Total injuries:

One small (2mm x 3mm) blister on inside of left thumb.
Sore palms of hands but fading quickly.
Lips slightly cracked due to the hailstorm outside Sleaford.

That's it. Knees fine, legs fine, no numbness. That bike must fit me.