todayilearned

With all these threads popping up about crashing and a few local stories about people being hit by cars it has got me thinking if crashing/getting hit occurs normally.

I bought a hybrid in Feb and started riding. Sometime around March-April I almost got hit by a car that wasn't paying attention when it was turning. In May-June I was riding my Rockhopper and crashed scraping off a bunch of skin off my palms and knees. Took me 1-2 weeks to recover.

I finally picked up a Road Bike a few weeks ago. One of the biggest issue I'm facing is since it's practically 1/2 the weight of my Rockhopper it feels a lot faster. Since the seat is also higher I have less of a chance of being able to put my feet firmly on the ground if I need to stop quickly.

garciawork

Made it three years till an impatient driver decided to pass a cyclist going uphill around a blind turn as I came around going downhill. Don't plan on getting in an accident again for at least another three years...

save10

i was hit by a car while on my bike when I was 10
then I over cooked a corner going down Mt Diablo about 3 years ago
then this year i crashed twice - first race of the year....and last race of the year. I like bookends.

duckracer

I am not saying a word!!!!...Don't want to Jinx myself!!!!

datlas 

I just crashed 2 weeks ago.

My prior crash was like 20 years ago, unless you count falling over at 0 mph due to problems unclipping...I don't consider that a crash.

So 20 years, pretty good luck, eh?

save10

right....except by saying that you don't want to jinx yourself...you've already jinxed yourself

urbanknight

Rule #1 of Crash Club: You do not talk about Crash Club

carpediemracing 

I went from about 1992 to about 2004? without crashing. I was doing up to 50-55 crits a year, lowest was 30-ish.

The first 5 years I raced (80s) I crashed every year in training, mainly because I went too hot into a turn. I found limits the hard way in the wet, dry, and with sand, all in the same turn (I did laps around the loop - the crashes happened at different times).

The next 5 years (until 1992 or so) I crashed regularly in races, usually once a year, in 1992 4 times in 5 weeks of racing plus an additional hit later in the year. I don't remember crashing because of my own error in races although I had a lot of close calls. The crashes that were significant (road rash) were mainly from people sliding under my wheels as they overcooked a turn. They'd take me out pretty much unexpectedly, I'd hit hard, slide. In the wet this happened often - I tried to stay near the front and guys charging up just before a turn would crash into me. I've also crashed when avoiding huge pile ups, i.e. run off the road, although I've usually stayed upright or landed on soft things.

The last three crashes all had fluke things.
1. I used the first version of the SPD-R road pedals. They required incredible amounts of force to unclip, at least when the pedals were new. I loosened my pedals to the point where I didn't have to hit my foot with my fist to unclip. I promptly unclipped in a race while sprinting out of a turn at 30-35 mph, fell hard. I tightened the pedals after that. Much later I flatted and needed two guys to help me unclip, which was kind of normal on those pedals. I was fortunate that both were RAAM champions, but that's a different story altogether). I now use Look Keos and they are easy to clip out of.

2. Guy intentionally swerved about 4-6 feet to the side just before a sprint. I broke (first broken bone ever) my pelvis in two places. Another guy broke 5 ribs. Lots of broken bikes and such. It was an ugly crash because the rider that caused it made a dangerous intentional move.

3. I was sprinting to close a gap to the next group, riding behind a teammate. I looked back to check for cars, he braked hard when he caught the group. I ran into him. Although I had road rash, I crashed on a Tuesday and raced a big crit the following Monday with absolutely no bandaids or wounds.

Road rash care is critical for quick recovery.

I think once I "learned how to ride" I rarely crashed. The unclip was my own fault for pushing limits of my equipment (and trying to make a poor design product work). The big crash normally never would have happened but the rider that caused it is known for making dangerous moves, just not so blatant. The last crash was clearly my mistake - I made an assumption we'd do a "fly by" of the group (who was plodding along at 15 mph) so I checked back to see if we were clear. Problem was my teammate slowed hard from 30 mph to 15 mph. My assumption put me on the deck.

Carbon Unit

I crashed a motorcycle in 1983 but have been lucky on my bicycle sofar. I hope I haven't jinxed myself.

FlashBazbo

The longest? 35 years!

Then, it was 2 years until my next.

island rider

If you say the rain will hold out until after your ride, you are going to get wet. If you say the traffic is usually good at this time of day you are going to get stuck. I am no longer reading this thread.

chipcom 

This freakin thread has jinxed us all....so I'm gonna run out and crash on purpose, so at least I have some control!

ColinL

I haven't crashed on the road in a really long time, as a kid. (I am also excluding a clipped-in tipover.)

I have minor offs every few sessions on technical singletrack on my MTB. I don't consider myself an expert rider by any means, but crashing singletrack just happens. Slow endos when I stall on a root or rut is the most common. I could go faster and crash more, and worse. I could probably reduce crashes by riding slower, too, but that makes it a little boring. I don't crash on open trail on a MTB.

Accordion

18 months without so much as a clipless fall. 8000 miles. Riding in traffic constantly. Hills, flats, curves, canyons, Pacific Coast Highway on weekends, etc.

Then a 19-year old kid in an old Toyota truck with no insurance whatsoever right-hooks me at 20mph. Yeah, helmets rule. It's been a month now off the bike (totaled) and I'm up about 10 pounds and miss it horribly. Homeowners Insurance covers my bike(!) even if it wasn't in my house so I'm getting $2K to replace it and yep, just decided a couple days ago to come back to the sport. I miss it too much.

Hopefully can go another few years without a crash.

nhluhr

I haven't crashed since 2002. You learn things over the course of a few crashes. Enough to know how not to make the same mistakes again. That said, it's still possible to crash given the objective dangers of cycling such as other people and equipment failures.

Willks

8 years. Broke my streak 2 weeks ago. Luckily the bike is fine and all I have to show for it is some road rash on my leg. Stay safe out there!

UberGeek

31 years and counting. Of the 31 years, about 20 as an avid cyclist.

javal

Almost 4 years. The chain went off standin´up & going full steam uphill. I rolled over with the bike. I ended up in the middle of the road. Luckily no cars.

Edit: No, wrong. I had a group crash two years ago in a corner like turn going downhill.

Ergo; life has its ups & downs.

thump55

I have never been, nor ever will be without a 'stache.


Sincerely,

Fabian Cancellara


EDIT: It appears I may have misread the title of this thread, but my 'stache allows me to pass you on the road and also steal your girlfriend, so I do not care what you think of my reading ability.

bobbycorno

...and to quote the (former) head coach of one of Puget Sound's top (former) teams, "If you don't crash at least once a year, you're not riding hard enough."

SP
Bend, OR

catmandew52

Not since the early 1980's. After getting brushed by a vehicle and knocked unconscious. Btw was wearing a helmet.

RacerOne

I crashed Tuesday, then again today.. but it was cyclocross and you're kinda supposed to crash.

surgeonstone

Twenty years.

Minion1

You really, really shouldn't ask this question. Cyclists are a superstitious bunch.

ILUVUK

almost as bad as baseball players.