On Saturday, January 30, Courtland was flying down a hill near Keyesville when he hit a rut, was sent airborne and got "up close and personal" with a mean old oak tree. Man vs. Tree resulted in a broken collarbone, 3 cracked ribs and a collapsed lung for Man. Courtland, who was in the hospital for several days with a chest tube, now vows to get back to teaching his spin class at Action Sports and training for his 2010 race season as soon as possible. Good thing Courtland knows a few good chiropractors! Get well soon Courtland; we're glad your bike is okay, and hope your body follows suit.

SSFTAer Raymond (yellow shirt) has been bothered by his plantar fascitis pain for a while now (years?) - and if it wasn’t his foot bothering him, it was his knee. Raymond has been known to continue to ride, despite his injuries, but recently, the pain became too much. However, we are happy to report that Raymond had foot surgery on November 17, 2009, and he is hoping this surgery will relieve his suffering and get him back out on the bike. Heal (heel?) up soon Raymond; we miss you on the trails!

First the failed attempt at a wheelie in the parking lot before the Portuguese Pass ride that resulted in a bruised tailbone, and then this past Monday night, a spectacular downhill crash in the Foothills. Eddie said it sounded like a gunshot went off, and then all that could be seen was a huge cloud of dust. When the dust finally settled, there lies Tim: complete with tacoed rims, a disabled BRAND-NEW bike and an injured knee to go with the massive road rash on the entire left side of his body. Now on crutches and off work, Tim is obsessing about finding sturdy new rims and fixing his bike up in preparation for the next spill once he recovers. Thanks to all members on the ride, especially Jack, Kevin and Kari who drove Tim’s truck and made sure he got out of the Foothills and home safely.

So technically, B-RAD suffered a non-mountain-biking injury, but hey, he’s still “disabled” so he’s the latest casualty on the list. Brad recently went down while playing Republican racquetball (or was it squash?!) at the Country Club and twisted his knee. He did one of those jerky jumps where the body turns sideways but the knee stays straight. Result: no mountain biking or running for Brad for the next few weeks. Hurry up and get better Brad; those 55-minute 5K times are killing us…

Silent Al went down in the Foothills recently while riding by himself. He broke his leg, and then rode his bike back to his house! Getting details from him was like pulling teeth, but he did say this: “I was going down a slight grade and started riding up along side a small ridge, and the bike just slipped out from under me. My foot twisted back, I fell on it, and it broke my fibula in two places.” As of now, Alan is in a cast and looking at 6-8 weeks out, plus physical therapy.

Deanne suffered a bad crash on May 4 that resulted in a trip to the hospital. Her injuries were to her shoulder, left side and scratches to her face. Turns out she has a fractured clavicle that has to be immobolized for 6-8 weeks. As always, though, Deanne is in good spirits and vows to be back out riding as soon as she can. Rest up and recover Deanne; we wish you the best!