VeloCross

Hi all, i wanna preface by saying I've loved cycling as a hobby for fitness and joy for a few years now. Figured if I loved it this much then racing must be better, right? I was on my weekly group/team ride today when the discussion changed to crash stories. Everyone was one upping each other, from mangled calves to broken bones and ribs, one dude even had a punctured lung. I know rule 5 and that crashing is part of racing but the frequency was very shocking to me. I'm at the point where I wanna skip the road season and just train for cross without even racing. (Yes I've seen sick cross crashes but nothing like one dudes story of mass sprint crashes going 38 mph). What would my more experienced cyclists on BF tell this racing noob? Htfu and get to work or what?

gsteinb

rule 5?

VeloCross

Velominati.com. Rule 5 states harden the f up. A pseudo joke about how tough and manly cycling is.

Darth Lefty 

Chicks dig scars and glory is forever

gsteinb

Rule 41

Ygduf

rule 34, if you know what I mean

furiousferret

Just tell people to shut up when they talk about it. It's bad juju.

TheKillerPenguin

It happens, but more often than not it doesn't. Ride your bike.

Ygduf

if you ride enough you will crash eventually. racing, not racing, you're going to crash. Might as well enjoy racing.

Yep

It hurts and then you get over it.

VeloCross

I like this. And the person telling them to shut up.

echappist

it's one of the more inherently traumatically dangerous sports out there. We can't hand-wring you and tell you what should be your comfort level with risks, and you have to make that determination on your own. Most crashes ends in nothing more than scrapped skins, but the serious ones cannot be discounted. Of the serious injuries (which thankfully happens a lot less often than scrapped skin) you have the relatively mild (and relatively common) cases of the collar-bone break to more severe (but quite a bit less common) injuries such as punctured lungs, broken femurs, etc.

I know for a fact that at least seven of the top 20 posters in the Training Status thread, at least nine of the top 20 posters in the "So Are the Days of Our Lives" thread (the shoot the bull thread), and at least nine of the top 20 posters in the 2014 Results Thread have had varying serious injuries ranging from broken collarbones to the more serious stuff. You can make whatever you want out of it. Personally i've had a serious case myself and am still racing.

CX does result in broken bones, too, although not at the prevalence of what happens on the road.

Maybe so, but people should be fully cognizant of the risks they take. Telling people to shut up leaves people under prepared for the consequences. Having a good bit of cognitive dissonance (which i think all bike racers exhibit to at least some degrees) does not make us immune from accidents and injuries.

TheKillerPenguin

Shrug. Crashing sucks, but even with broken bones you learn to appreciate that we're a lot more durable than you'd think. Like fudgy said it'll happen one way or another given enough time.

gsteinb

calm down. gees.

of all the cyclists I know I only know three guys with shattered elbows that required surgical repair and resulted in reduced range of motion.

Ygduf

it was only a matter of time until this became the injury-list thread

Ygduf

that's the worst because it'll never heal

furiousferret

It's one thing to advise someone one risks of cycling, and another to try and one up each other about their crash story. I don't really mind if someone is giving me a short lecture about the dangers of the sport, I'll usually thank them and change the subject. For me, those crash stories just drive the nerves up a bit when I race or train, and may make me more hesitant and things less safe. Its like when you walk on a balance beam, once you think about falling it gets 2x harder. I have yet to go down in a race (been hit by a car, 3 other crashes but nothing serious) but I know its a risk.

mattm

Blah blah crashing, I just want to know how you rank the "top 20" of a thread and who they are!

Who's #1 , we all want to know.

Dave Cutter

I don't race (I am too old). But I do manage to crash. Cycling isn't particularly dangerous... but it is a blood sport. Injuries will happen. Take a few minutes to think about it. Accept that sooner or later you will be hurt while cycling. Then when you're prepared to deal with that put it behind you and enjoy yourself.

echappist

on the 33 main page, click on the section that reads "replies" and "views" next to each thread

top 3 for days of our lives: @bmcphx, @shovelhd, @gsteinb

top 3 for training status: @mattm, @Ygduf, @jsutkeepspining

top 3 for 2014 results: ygduf, you, and shovel

save10

I crashed last year. AFTER a race. I was rolling back to the car right near the gutter and i thought i heard someone call my name (which nobody was). I turned my head and managed to steer my bike in to the side walk, I crashed and dislocated a rib. I slept sitting up in a chair for 6 weeks.

gsteinb

I actually don't

wens

Fwiw my one broken bone as a bike racer was a result of Cyclocross. Over the bars and popped my collarbone.

HOWSER

Same here. A result of too much speed and air mixed with an inability to stick the landing.

mattm

I feel so ashamed..

does that hat jsut kid even race anymore, or has he gone full frat mode??