Somehow Seamus Allardice managed to go 30 years without a concussion but on a ride in the Garden Route Trail Park the inevitable eventually happened. Kicking off our safety issue he reflects on the big C and some newly acquired caution when it comes to trail safety.
My younger brother is the family expert on concussion. He’s been concussed at least four times. But somehow, despite being just as boisterous as a laaitie, playing rugby throughout school, playing hockey on terrible grass fields at school and varsity, downhill skateboarding for a couple of years, and now mountain biking, I’d never been concussed until the 27th of February 2016. My 30 year and a couple of hundred day run came to a spectacular end when it did though. And worst of all I still have absolutely no idea what happened.
I was at the GR300 and after stage two, in the Garden Route Trail Park, I went for a quick ride. I was short on time and on my own, so I rode as hard as I could. I’ve ridden the Trail Park before, but that was over a year ago so I can hardly claim to know the trails. The last thing I remember was checking my watch and noting that I was running out of time to get back to Thesen Island in time for a shower and get ready for supper at 18:30. I’d just entered the last section of the trail: G-Flowwhich is fast and as the name suggests, flowing with berms and little rollers/jumps; it was one of the first sections of the trail to be built at the Trail Park and was designed and built by Mark Gordon of Stellenbosch’s G-Spot fame. It’s not a difficult section of the trail by any means, especially compared to some of the tricky sections higher up in the Trail Park. But I was tired, I’d been stressed in the weeks leading up to the ride by a heavy work load and I’d hardly ridden my bike in the month before. Somewhere, somehow it all went wrong.
When I came to – not regained consciousness, that must have happened within seconds of the crash – I was signing myself in to the Knysna Life Hospital at 20:30 under the concerned eye of Louise Wilson of Garden Route Events. I’d lost about three hours of memory, none of which has come back.
There’s a photo trail though, which helps – in an embarrassing sort of way.
From what I’ve been able to piece together, some of Rob Dormehl’s farm workers must have found me and taken me to the Trail Café where Rob and Matt Macduff looked after me. Matt spoke to my girlfriend Tarryn, who was in a complete panic by this point after a rambling nonsensical phone conversation with me, while Rob got hold of Louise. I can only presume that I then insisted on Matt driving me back to Knysna because Louise’s children, who kept me chatting on the way from Thesen Island to the hospital, tell me that’s all I could talk about – repeatedly.

Once checked in to the hospital the doctor did the old shine a light in the eyes test and that was pretty much the end of the assessment. He asked a few questions, which I’m sure I couldn’t have provided satisfactory answers to and then scuttled me off to a bed in a ward with two fellow patients. A very disappointing toasted ham and cheese sandwich later I fell asleep to a Premier League game between who knows who and a team in red kit; as a football fan it’s alarming not to be able to recall those details.
The next day I awoke feeling like I’d spent the night before out on the town, rather than the afternoon before face-planting off my mountain bike. The memory loss and general sense of embarrassment at having been exceptionally chatty without any recollection added to the hangover-like sensation. Except unlike a hangover, now two weeks later I’m still struggling with light-headedness when I get up too fast and extremely sensitive to sunlight. Here’s hoping those symptoms go away soon!
Meanwhile my bike took a pounding. The front wheel buckled in the crash, leading me to speculate wildly as to what I did to cause it. It’s slowly becoming clear that I’ll probably never remember and as nobody was riding with me there are no witnesses either.
I have learnt a few important lessons however. And the first is to not take risks or push the limits when riding solo. I doubt I attempted a technical feature beyond my skills, I suspect I was just too tired and not concentrating properly at a critical moment. So it’s important to ride within your fitness and skill limits on solo rides. The second is to always have someone to check in on you. If I had not regained consciousness on the trail Louise would have only known I was missing at 18:30 about an hour later. That’s too long to be lying prone on the trail. So I’d recommend getting a crash sensor – the market leader for Cyclists and Skiers is ICEdot. Full Sus reviewed the ICEdot Crash Sensor two years ago and we were very impressed; it would be our recommended first option. There are also a couple of mobile apps which don’t require any further hardware. The most highly rated on the Play Store currently is Track BETA which I’ve downloaded and will be trying out.
The highlight of the experience, if there can be a highlight to getting knocked out, was the way in which everyone helped me out. From my girlfriend Tarryn who was phoning around in a panic to the hands on help from Rob, and his staff, Matt, Louise and all the GR300 crew. They all took exceptional care of me when I couldn’t look after myself and that’s the great thing about mountain biking… as soon as a fellow mountain biker finds you they’ll ensure you get the best possible care.
Safety Tips – For In Case of a Crash
- Try to not ride alone – It’s not always possible so when you do ride solo, ride within your limits.
- Keep people informed – Let a significant other or friend know where you’re going and when you expect to be back so they can send out a search party if you don’t stick to your schedule.
- Information is key 1 – Make sure your phone has your emergency contact’s details on the lock screen.
- Information is key 2 – Make sure your medical aid details are readily accessible to the first respondent.
- Get medical aid – If you don’t have medical aid, get one; now! Even if it’s just a hospital plan.
- Get a crash sensor – the ICEdot Crash Sensor is at R1 290 from puremotionsports.co.za a small price to pay for your safety. Alternatively stay tuned for our test of the Track BETA mobile app (R97.95 for the SMS alert functionality).
- Check your helmet – While cycling helmets have no real lifespan it pays to check yours out regularly and if it’s cracked in anyway throw it away. If you’re in the market for a new lid check out our Gear section for the Full Sus helmet review.