Risky, Riskier and Riskiest...riding when it's frosty?

[AppleTree]

So, my DH had a pretty intense fall off his bike on Saturday morning. He's been pushing his luck lately, we've had some very cold weather and that morning it was about 36 degrees at the house and had actually snowed a little bit the night before. He was out a few weeks earlier when it was in the low 30s and still frost around...he said his tires were good and the trail was clear, but I was still worried about it. So Saturday, about a mile from our house on the Interurban he hit a small patch of ice and went down hard on his left side. He thought at first he just had the breath knocked out of him, and he actually got back on the bike and rode home.

He was feeling worse by then, and we went to the emergency room... cracked ribs and what they said was a "popped lung". Never heard of that one before, but the way he hit and the force just tore a small hole in his lung. Could have been worse too, at least he didn't hit his head! He wasn't even bruised, just a small abrasion on his elbow!

I had worried something like this was going to happen. I guess it could happen in any weather really, you hit a little sand or a painted stripe wrong. And just walking across the street is risky. Our nurse said her husband was just crossing the street, tripped and did the same thing! But, I know he was wanting to get his mileage numbers up, because he part of a national bike riding log, where you compare your mileage numbers with others and he was trying to keep in the top 10... not worth the risk in my book anyway. I'd rather let someone else "win" and live to ride another day. He'll be off the bike now for at least two months healing up and will have to be very, very careful.

Riding a bike is risky in and of itself... I always try to assess my risk factors... in traffic, going downhill fast, and in freezing weather.

How risky is too risky?? I can't help thinking that his testosterone got in the way of his good sense.

[shootingstar]

Piercing a lung and cracked ribs are serious business, Apple for hubby!

I actually find in-between weather when it looks deceptively freezing temp. ..the probability of black ice is real. I've fallen 4 times with the 5th as my head injury collision with another cyclist in a city where there was no snow, no ice. Just mild, sunny weather.

The 4 times have ALL been on black ice/sheer ice or old, bumpy ice over the past decade. The 4th fall was actually unknown to me at the time, on the day that my father died. On a clear sunny day, I fell on old bumpy ice very slowly on a quiet residential street about 2 hrs. before I found out my father died. That was Dec. 20th.

So my left leg actually has 2 sets of bruises (plus a scrape) from 2 separate falls/crashes that occurred nearly 3 wks. apart.

When I know there is a high probability of black ice, I won't bike. I've learned my lesson..several times.

these last few weeks has been packed with alot of life-changing events.

In the winter, I try to minimize risk by cycling on bike paths when there isn't a lot of users. I know a collision occurred to me on a bike path but seriously in a snowier area like Calgary (not Vancouver), I'd rather fall on the bike path, not the road in the paths of cars.

[salsabike]

Wow, you guys! I am so sorry. Apple, I rode the BG/Samm River trail Thursday, VERY carefully through the ice patches but I worry about those too. Is it Strava that he does?

And shootingstar, I am equally sorry about your accident.

PS Once my husband and mimitabby's late husband, Raleighdon, did a 200k in four inches of slush, and Mimi and I were so mad at them. We are not usually hoverers, but that day we were emailing and on the phone to each other until they finished. Gah.

[lauraelmore1033]

Oh my goodness! We rode the interurban on Saturday! I didn't see any black ice, but maybe we were riding later (and too, my riding style is probably considerably more conservative...) How awful for you both! Here's hoping he heals quickly.

[AppleTree]

Oh my goodness! We rode the interurban on Saturday! I didn't see any black ice, but maybe we were riding later (and too, my riding style is probably considerably more conservative...) How awful for you both! Here's hoping he heals quickly.

Yes, it was still fairly early, about 8:30 am or so... it was mostly wet, but still icy (obviously) in shady spots.

Salsa, it isn't Strava, can't remember what they call it, it's a national bike tracking challenge he started this summer and (in my opinion) got carried away with his standings... men! I felt so sorry for him, but at the same time I couldn't help but be a little aggravated too. We are not "spring chickens" anymore, to put it mildly, ha.

The only times I've fallen have been when I was learning to clip in, ha. We actually were on the Samammish River Trail several weeks ago during that really cold spell, and he THOUGHT the trail would be fine, as it's more open area, less shade...but there were scary spots. This was later in the day too even, but that was dicey stuff there and real ICE in spots and heavy frost on the bridges.

Shootingstar, it HAS to get better from here, right? So sorry for your loss and your recent injury too... take very good care of yourself and take it nice and easy for a long while. We will all be thinking about you. Hope it helps knowing so many are sending good thoughts your way.

[Eden]

Here's a nifty tool for all of you western Washingtonians who are wondering if you want to go out and ride or not - it shows the road surface temperatures and is a fantastic predictor of wether or not there will be black ice on the roads (or regular ice for that matter).
http://www.atmos.washington.edu/SNOWWATCH/

*click on either full domain or greater metro when you get to the page or it may show nothing!