Grand Junction City Councilman Rick Taggart, 71, will be in a sling for up to six weeks after a July 13 surgery to repair a broken collarbone suffered during a bicycle race. He was riding in the 75th mile of a 76-mile UCI Cycling race in Logan, Utah, to qualify for nationals when a crash occurred. “I ended up going over the top, doing a flip in the air and ended up in a ditch,” he said.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF DR. KEENAN VANCE
Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Kennan Vance shares X-rays detailing how he repaired Rick Taggart’s broken collarbone at Community Hospital by inserted a metal plate and securing it with nine screws into the bones.
Rick Taggart had less than a mile to go to qualify for the UCI Cycling nationals.
Part of the story is that he did qualify, but this story is about the fact that he won’t be going to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to compete in the cycling nationals.
Taggart and fellow 70-plus Grand Junction cyclist Ed Chamberlain were on cruise control headed into that final mile.
Then there was a crash. A bad crash.
It was a really tough break for Taggart, 71, who last year finished in the top five of the USA Cycling nationals.
It wasn’t just a tough break for Taggart; it was a painful break.
It’s what occurs sometimes in bicycle racing, and the result of a bad crash is usually very bad for one or more cyclists.
For Taggart, the result was the entire right side of his body battered and bruised with his right shoulder taking the brunt of the fall. A broken collarbone, specifically the clavicle, in two places.
Grand Junction City Councilman Rick Taggart, 71, will be in a sling for up to six weeks after a July 13 surgery to repair a broken collarbone suffered during a bicycle race. He was riding in the 75th mile of a 76-mile UCI Cycling race in Logan, Utah, to qualify for nationals when a crash occurred. “I ended up going over the top, doing a flip in the air and ended up in a ditch,” he said.
In his typical low-key methodical fashion, Taggart broke down the terrifying crash in Logan, Utah.
“The crash took place inside the 75th mile (of a 76-mile race). It was one of those crashes where two competitors in front of me touched wheels and went down, and I had nowhere to go,” he explained.
It was also a high-speed crash, around 26-28 miles per hour, Taggart said.
“I didn’t really have time to even hit the brakes or veer right or left.”
Bicycle racers know one thing: If they veer off to avoid a crash, that usually means another crash and taking out more cyclists.
“I ended up going over the top, doing a flip in the air and ended up in a ditch,” he said.
On July 13, he had surgery to piece the broken clavicle back together. The surgeon inserted a metal plate and secured it with nine screws in the bones. Taggart is now looking at remaining immobile in the sling for up to another few weeks.
Ironically, his doctor knows a little something about horrific bicycle crashes.
Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Keenan Vance did the surgery at Community Hospital. In April 2017, Vance had a near- fatal accident when he was hit by a truck riding while down Colorado National Monument. He was hospitalized for 40 days and unconscious for eight days.
For Taggart, as he calls it, “the strangest part of the whole episode” was that he finished the race.
“Somehow I got back on my bike, rode the last mile to the finish. I don’t know how I did it,” he said. “It must have been the adrenaline or something, because I couldn’t even really touch the handlebar.”
Bruised, battered, bloodied, broken bones and all, Taggart finished third in this national qualifier.
Chamberlain, who is well known in Grand Junction cycling circles, finished second and will compete in nationals in the 70-74 age group.
Taggart and Chamberlain rode together for 75 miles, by design.
“I was his domestique trying to help him qualify, which he did,” Taggart said. “He was my domestique to help me win the state championship last year.”
For fans of professional cycling and the Tour de France, the term domestique is a familiar one. The pure definition of the French word translates as “servant.”
A domestique is known as a loyal lieutenant who works for a teammate instead of trying to win the race.
Another term known to cycling fans is “peloton.”
That is a large group of cyclists riding together in a tight pack.
With this race, it was a loop, so riders rode several laps. The lead group, which included Taggart, Chamberlain, the eventual winner, and the two other riders who crashed, was very fast, which resulted in catching slower riders and thus forming a larger peloton.
Taggart believes what might have happened is cyclists from the slower group tried to merge with the fast group.
After crashing and getting back on his bike and managing to make it to the finish line, Taggart was destined for another destination.
“I finished and headed directly to the medical tent. They started working on me, and they told me I had to go to urgent care,” he said.
Taggart, a current Grand Junction city councilman, recently won the Republican primary for State House District 55. He will compete with Democrat Damon Davis in November’s general election.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF DR. KEENAN VANCE
Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Kennan Vance shares X-rays detailing how he repaired Rick Taggart’s broken collarbone at Community Hospital by inserted a metal plate and securing it with nine screws into the bones.
Taggart has never had a bicycle crash in a race like this before and part of that is because he’s careful to avoid possible dangerous situations.
“Bad cyclists cause problems all the time,” he said bluntly.
Again, referring to the slower cyclists that created the late-race peloton, Taggart said the two cyclists in the lead group were not at fault.
“They were both really good riders, so I know it wasn’t their fault. I just don’t know what they came upon that caused them to clip wheels,” he said.
One of the lead riders also climbed back onto his bike to finish fourth, but the other one, who Taggart has communicated with, is still hurting.
“He has a very serious concussion and he’s struggling, really struggling. He has no idea what happened, and I’ve tried to explain what happened to him.
“It’s obvious that he hit his head very hard.”
Chamberlain was directly to Taggart’s left, so when the crash occurred, he was able to avoid it.
Now, with Taggart’s arm and shoulder in a sling, pain from moving or sleeping the wrong way, he is looking at a long recovery. But ever the optimist, he looks past the frustration.
“The shoulder will heal and there will be more racing in the future,” he said.
For now, he won’t be back on his ultra-light carbon fiber Italian bicycle for a while. That should give him some extra time to focus on campaigning for the House 55 race.
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