The Quiet One

This past week I had the first crash on a bike since I was about 12 (56 now) and playing Evel Knievel with my brother. Anyway, I was doing a group ride when the woman ahead of me got her front tire in a crack in the pavement and went down hard taking me with her. We're both fine - a bruised and scraped, but nothing broken. My problem is I'm now a little reluctant to participate in group rides. My LBS sponsors the ride and we separate into two groups, one averaging 18mph and one 14 and under. I average around 16, so I can't quite keep up with the 18mph group, so I ride in the other. I work to get faster, but I seem to be at my limit therefore moving up to the faster group doesn't seem to be in the cards. I do it for the comradery more than for the competition, so I don't mind. My reluctance takes two forms. First, because the slower group is less experienced, they are fidgety and sometimes make mistakes. Frankly, they make me quite nervous sometimes. Secondly, I wonder about myself. I keep thinking about the crash and wondering if I could have done anything to prevent my part in it. I honestly don't even know if I braked (or if I had time to brake) and I wonder if my reaction times are good enough anymore to ride in a group. I'm pretty introverted, so riding in a group and the post ride beer are good for getting me in contact with others, but I can't help but think that the results of the crash could have been so much worse. The biking season is winding down so I have six or seven months to think it over. Has anyone else had this sort of debate with yourselves? How did you get through it and what conclusion did you come to? Thanks for your help.

bakes1

A bruise and a scrape should not change the way you ride or start you thinking about silly what ifs.
Suck it up and ride the freaking bike like you did for the past 44 years.
You are giving Evel Knievel a bad name!

tigat

Harsh and hopefully tongue in cheek. Most of us here ride for fun. Worrying sucks the fun out. It's only natural to be a little skittish after a fall.

OP: you might try hanging safely off the back of the slower group for a bit, or to the side when conditions permit. I'd bet that in a few weeks times you'll be channeling the confidence of 44 safe years and right back in the mix.

The Quiet One

Thanks, I needed that. Today, I announce I'm going to jump Snake River Canyon on my bike.

rm -rf

I think group ride bike to bike collisions are quite rare.

You could consider leading a 15-16 mph speed group. The group size would be smaller, and you'll avoid the newby riders. There must be other riders that would like to go in between a 14 mph and an 18 mph group.

It's pretty easy, you just need to know the route and call out the turns. You'll need to stay somewhere near the front, so make it a speed that's reasonable for you. If I have more than 8-10 riders, I try to get a "sweeper" rider to volunteer--they make sure all the riders are ahead or with them, and the group waits at turns for the sweeper to arrive. That's easier than trying to count riders that won't hold still.

I have an eyeglass mounted mirror. It really helps in keeping track of the group, and knowing when cars are approaching.

10 years ago, I started a new club ride with one other rider, to go where we wanted and to be between the fast rides and the casual rides. I posted it to the club email list, and we started with 4 or 5 riders the first week.

chasm54

OP, use the winter to train more systematically and get your cruising speed up. You're only 56, in the absence of health issues you certainly aren't at your limit riding 16 mph. Come back in the spring and ride with the faster group.

crazyb

Ride in the front. Pulling will make you stronger and keep you out of crashes. The best way to get faster is to ride with people faster than you and try to hang on a little more each ride.

bakes1

I like it!

02Giant 

This spring I went down hard while crossing a wood planked converted train trestle. It had been raining for days and the planks were slime covered which I didn't realize until I was on my right side clipped in, hands still on the drops and sliding along for 25'. I ended up with my right leg deeply bruised from hip to knee and my right arm bruised from shoulder to elbow. The only modification to my riding is a slight slowing when crossing wood planks after it has been raining, otherwise I still go as hard as I can. (54 here)

hobkirk

1) I attended a "racing clinic" (5 or 6 Saturdays) with a local cycle racing club. I was the oldest and fattest and almost the slowest, but I'm too old to care about that sort of stuff.

I learned the expected racing stuff: different types of drafting (they loved being in my draft!), leading out a sprinter, etc. The best (for me) exercises were practicing hitting other riders (jostling shoulders, hitting and overlapping wheels) and practicing avoiding unexpected objects.

Every subject was useful and confidence inspiring, but that last one might have proved the most useful. I learned to flick the bottom of the bike right or left without changing the upper body or my line much. One year later, I was riding a paceline (3 of us, I was in the rear), I saw #2 was about to hit a significant hole that #1 had barely skirted.* There was no time to warn her or change my line, but I was confident I'd be able to wiggle around it. WOW! #2 instantly went over her bars - INSTANTLY! Damn scarey. I was able to swing my bike wide of the hole PLUS #2 's body.

* He was teaching #2 and had his head turned, so he never saw the hole. Obviously he should not have turned his head. The irony is that he's a very careful and conservative rider and he's done a lot of paceline teaching. The woman got a concussion (it took about 20 minutes to realize this) and some minor other problems.

2) Ride with the fast boys, take short pulls (explain, they will understand), and if it gets to be too much, tell them you are going to drop off the back. My experience has been that most of the fast boys are pretty tolerant as long as you follow the rules (ask about anything you aren't sure about) and if you aren't screwing it up for them. (Suggestion: keep your cadence consistent, even if that means false pedaling.)

3) Good luck

Dave Cutter

All sports involve injury... as well as healthy activity and socialization. If you plan on being a cyclist... you don't have to wonder or think about it. Cycling is a blood sport... there will be injuries. You can ether accept the bad along with the good... or set at home and watch TV.

You will NEVER remember the events of the accident. But if you keep thinking and wondering... your mind will create false memories of the event. Stop obsessing about what happened! If you had continued cycling since you were 12.... you might have a long list of crashes, injuries, scars, and funny cycling stories to share with your cycling buddies.

Decide if your OK with an injury in the future.... in order to be a cyclist now. If you are... never give that accident another thought. If the fear of injury steals your joy of cycling.... then why bother to ride a bike.

Hope your bicycle is OK after the accident.

zjrog

I broke my back 4 years ago in a bad crash. Took me three years to get back on any bike. Another 6 months to get back on the bike I crashed on. I don't ride as much as I want or should. But many I know can't understand why I would. I have no desire to ride in a group bigger than 3 or 4... Risk reduction.

The Quiet One

Thanks good advice. I doubt there is anything really local, but I bet I could find something in Milwaukee or Madison.

The Quiet One

Wow, you really caught something which unfortunately can be a big part of my nature. I do turn things over and over in my mind and overthink things. Overcoming this is something I NEED to work on. Old dog, start learning new tricks. Thanks.

Artkansas 

Yes, after being bike-jacked. I kept on riding. I was not going to let them steal my bicycling even if they stole my bicycle.

The conclusion was that slowly, the bad experience was over-written by more bicycling experiences. The thoughts faded over time, hence a conclusion of them. I came to no conclusion about the thoughts. I just rode through them. It took a year or so for them to fade. The paranoia was good for a lasting 20% speed boost in one day, so there's that.

I can't advise you on group riding however, since I avoid it like a plague.

10 Wheels

Yep. Crashed at 16 mph..Don't remember the crash or the three days after that. Bruised both sides of my brain.

Decided to Never do that again.

Sold my five road bikes and bought a trike.

Friends checked out the accident area.

Said I hit an ole crack that had been filled in 3 years before.

That put me into the grass.
Once in the grass hit a 1" diameter piece of metal tubing which put me down on the left side of my helmeted head.

Brain bruised on both sides.

10 weeks later needed emergency surgery to stop some bleeding in the brain.

bruce19

On July 24, 2013 I crashed at 17 mph and broke my neck. I had a 5 hr. surgery and two days later a 4 hr. surgery to fuse C1 & C2. I spent 8 days in the hospital and it took some time to heal but I was back on the bike in the first week of November. Why I did not die or end up paralyzed I don't know. But, even in those first days in the hospital I was telling my gf that when I healed I was going to be "better than before." And, that's exactly how it has worked out. I am stronger, faster and better on the bike than I was before the crash. At age 69 that is pretty unlikely and yet here it is. I think the most important thing is attitude or perspective, for lack of better terms. As a former college football/baseball player I have always had the attitude that I could get better whether after an injury or mediocre performance. I think if you focus on the possibilities rather than the dangers and go forth within reason, knowing your abilities, many things are possible. I do not mean you should ignore the possibility of danger. I would immerse myself in learning about things like group riding and cycling skills. But, I would focus on those things and the positives of cycling rather than the fear. I wish I could say it with more clarity but that's the best I can do for now. Good luck. Believe. Have attitude.

tigat

I've crashed hard twice in the past two years after 40 years of incident free riding a bike one-handed: broken (more like crushed) femur the first time, fractured ribs and partly collapsed lung the second time. The only debate has been with my wife on how soon I could start riding again without a chaperone, because not riding is not an option for me until it becomes physically impossible.

Both falls were what I call the curse of the r's - rumble strips for the first and railroad tracks for the second. I avoid the first when possible and slow for the second, or even stop and walk across. Now that I know the r's are out to get me, I am constantly on the lookout for things that start with r, like bridge railings and Rambler cars (fortunately very rare these days).

Hence the point of my initial reply: you are no different or less skilled than you were before the fall, and your confidence will quickly return. Take into account the circumstance of the first crash and try to mitigate that, but in the end, stuff happens.

Dave Cutter

It takes one to know one.

Tomorrows bicycle ride.... or the one next week... will likely be the best most enjoyable ride in your memory. Always look forward.

qcpmsame 

You have three guys above that show us that we need to just get back on the bike, and be thankful for being cyclist. These three guys are people I look up to and admire, use them to inspire you to get back on, and get in the miles.

Join in on some of the fast groups rides, once you build up your speed, maybe some intervals will help you. If there is a racing clinic, take the time and efforts to make it to one of them, even though you aren't racing, you can learn a good deal about group riding and safely doing pace lines.

Bill

B. Carfree

There's some great advice in this thread. I would just add that a bit of bike handling work is always a good thing to do. Even if you don't have racing clinics nearby, go do some off-road riding on your road bike. It's not good to ride like a sack of potatoes on the saddle and riding along trails and gravel will cure a rider of that habit in a hurry. And, since you live where there is an actual winter, be sure to ride rollers, not just a trainer, while snow covers your favorite roads. It's a good way to improve your bike handling. You can buy attachments for many rollers that increase the resistance if you want a more intense workout.

cafzali

Only thing I'd add is that sometimes a crash can make you realize things you were doing that can be corrected to help avoid collisions in the future. For example, I take more of the lane in congested areas after being cut off by a car turning right into a shopping plaza. I'm not advocating being obnoxious with the space you use, but rather just helping others see you.

Thankfully, although I was going about 16-18 mph at the time, my collision was relatively minor, resulted in no damage to my bike and only a couple of nasty cuts and a brief daze.

bruised

I think the best approach is to climb back in the saddle and ease back into doing what you were doing.

Then look more seriously about what is needed to advance into the 18mph group, where perhaps you'll feel a little safer. Obviously you'll need to commit to something more training oriented, which may or may not be what you want to do? Perhaps the off-season would be a good time to take some spinning classes or invest in a cycling machine for the home. Then when spring comes around, start yourself off in the faster group and do what's needed to stay there. Although accidents can happen to anyone, so try not to let that be the main motivation for making a change.

FlashBazbo

A couple things . . .

First, don't assume that the fast group is made up of people who know how to ride in groups. The most dangerous rider in our local club, by far, is one of the "fast guys" who can't seem to hold a line to save his life. He's not a guy you want to be in a pack with. And over the years, he hasn't improved (even after crashing and nearly-crashing several other riders). Fast groups are not always safe groups. You will have to ride defensively wherever you are.

Second, ride defensively always. Most riders do an excellent job of holding a line, maintaining pace, calling out hazards, etc. But if you don't know the riding style of the people close to you in the pack, it's sometimes better to make a few feet of distance between you and them. The easiest way to do that is to be the point man. (And, you get a better workout as an additional benefit.) Be selective about whom you draft or ride beside. Make them earn your trust.

Third, after a particularly hard crash several years ago (broken sternum, pelvis, shoulder), I became a real sissy on descents -- especially descents with blind curves. It got to the point that my riding mates would make descents at well over twice the speed I was willing to go. How did I overcome the fear? I went gravel riding. After a few dozen miles of riding on gravel, I gained confidence in my ability to avoid or overcome obstacles on pavement. After a year of gravel riding/racing, to everyone's surprise, I became the guy who descends fastest in our local club. (The fact that I weigh the most probably helps with that.)

Don't give up. Work on your bike handling skills and ride defensively. You've got the experience. This is all about confidence.

peterws

Ive had a few drops over the years, bikes and m.bikes. Someone opened a car door infront of me when I was angling for a personal best, 30mph. I landed on my right side, on the only bit of smooth tarmac. No injuries, but noone from the car, or anywhere else offered any assistance. Right outside the chippie it was. Everybody gawping at me. . .Dontcha just love it!