Road riding falls

[Kitsune06]

I voted. My most recent crash was Wednesday, actually. Panicked and slammed on the brakes. Usually I can pull sideways into a slide-stop with [relative] grace. However, this was on gravel. Loose gravel. With Spot barking and tearing after me, I pull sideways and extend my leg... but I'm going too fast (and the brakes aren't helping, because of the gravel) so I crash onto one leg and panic (more) because I'm having a hard time getting up, and the dog's still behind me. He panicked when he saw me wipe and ran off (always does... but I'm always so afraid of what might happen should he catch me someday) ugh. Still dealing with the gravel roadrash. I just hope all the 'holes' look right when they heal.

[SouthernBelle]

My only real crash was in April. Sunday morning in the park. I had told my self not to ride there anymore, too many children. Sure enough I dodged a child, went left when I shoulda went right. Hit a cornered curb. Front wheel went over the first part of the curb, but not the second. Of course I kept going, up and over, and came down in the parking lot with my left arm underneath me, which broke my ribs and gave me a big old hematoma on my arm. Thank goodness for the helmet because the next day I realized I had a knot on my head too.

People came rushing up, thinking I had broken my shoulder. All I could do was try to gasp, "ribs, ribs." I was very proud of myself. My first complete sentence was to ask if my bike was OK. Some very nice people loaded my bike and took me home after I declined an ambulance (which really wasn't a good move as I came to find out.)

This is what taught me to carry my cell.

[Nanci]

I'm not a slacker!!! I am still awaiting my first serious crash. I had a tip-over in June that still really frikin' hurts when I kneel on that knee...

[weathergal]

My crash (as an adult) was sliding out on a patch of gravel when taking a turn. That was 3 years ago, and to this day I still get kind of freaked out about gravel on the road.

Despite having my clipless pedels for over a year, I still haven't done the slow motion tip over thing, although I've come close. Of course, having said that I'll probably forget to clip out the next time I ride.

[Denise223]

I voted. Sideways low speed tip over.

[mimitabby]

not counting the slow speed blunders, two falls, one because i turned too hard
on uneven pavement, the other, because i couldnt decide which way to go i fell down on a curb cut.
The slow ones are just stupid.. so half and half.

[withm]

3 falls that I can remember. One was a "right hook" - hit by a car many years ago. One fall test riding a new bike - it had clipless, but don't remember if I had bike shoes or was riding in tennis shoes.

Then the official obligatory FALL when I put clipless on my my own bike. And when I realized I was going to fall, I announced "I'm going to fall," did just that, after saying a few choice words I just broke out laughing. There I was laying on my back with the bike between my legs, STILL CLIPPED IN WITH BOTH FEET. And I didn't have a prayer of getting out of the pedals. Well I suppose I could have gotten the shoes off and crawled out. Fortunately I was with others, and one rider was able to lift the bike up so I could get the right angle to unclip A car stopped, and the people ran out to see if I needed help and I was laughing so hard they didn't know what to think. I was pathetic!. I almost wish someone had a camera that day. LOL. Anyway I dusted myself off and did the rest of the ride. When I got home I did discover a small bit of road rash. Didn't rip the tights but ripped up my leg when the end of the handlebar hit it. I was still laughing about it so at least I provided great entertainment for the group that day.

So I guess "most" of my falls go into the "slow speed timber" category. I hope that's the last one cause falling hurts more when you get older.

[terpin]

I've had two of the "early days of clipless" falls. The first one I was stopping on purpose and totally forgot I was clipless. I just went side ways onto the curb. The other time I lost momentum on a hill.

[mimitabby]

not counting the falls people have because of clipping in or out, it looks like most falls happen AFTER people have slowed down or... before they speed up.
Sounds good. that's why we're still all riding!

[bcipam]

I have had falls for various reasons. The worse occurred 7/4/2003. I had ridden 36 miles to Huntington Beach to watch the 4th of July parade. After was riding home (the ride total was around 50 miles) when I slowed for a red light. I didn't notice that in the bike lane there was a mound of asphalt. I was going so slow that the bike just went sideways and I was launched over the bars, landed on my head and knocked myself out, continued onto my shoulder breaking my collarbone. The whole adventure was not good. I ended up in the hospital disoriented, sweaty, in icky bike clothes. Had I been speeding and ran the light I wouldn't have fallen. Oh well.

PS: I had surgery November 2005 to repair the collarbone fx which did not heal and also now have a permanent brain injury - fun huh?

And yes I am an experienced rider. Never fell as a newbie.

[bike4ever]

I had two minor clipless falls ions ago. My worst was in April when I slipped on mud and slid forever. That was a broken wrist, bruised cheek, bruised hip and broken helmet. I voted for the slide out since it had the most impact on me. I don't count the clipless tips as falls - just my stupidity.

[oxysback]

I voted!

My first fall was about a year after I got clipless pedals. It was the old "have one foot out but end up leaning the other way" type of fall. My second fall (just last year) was because of me being stupid and trying out my front brake. Duh!! No injuries on either one...not counting pride, of course!

[yellow]

I voted sideways slide, but it was really something inbetween tip over and slide.

One fall on my road bike (countless on the mtn bike). I was at the bottom of a hill and in too low of a gear. Started to mash, hit some gravel, and slid out sideways. I wasn't going very fast, but it wasn't a tip over.

[maillotpois]

Every which way but loose...?

I've probably had 5 falls, only one of them a low speed tip over and due more to inattention than a clipless issue as I'd been riding cliplesson a MTB for 4 years by then. Here are the other ones I can remember, roughly in order:

1. 2002 - Rode into a pole at the Tahoe century whil so captivated by the singing and poetry of the person I was riding with (a dear friend and TNT honoree) that I failed to notice the ONLY ONE of the darned poles they left in the bike path. Endo'ed and almost landed on my feet.

2. 2002 - Touched a wheel on Silverade at about 24 mph in a tight pack. I've touched wheels a bunch of times, and this is my only fall - due probably to complete exhaustion, dehydration, inability to recover (it was high 90's and we'd sone about 95 miles of a Death Ride training ride. Bent bars, scraped up. Nothing serious.

3. 2005 - Rode into a ditch in the midst of an 85 miler in sideways driving rain on Hwy. 1. Again probably due to exhaustion, inability to recover. Maybe I just wanted a nap. It was nice soft grass!! No injury or bike damage.

4. 2005 - coaching Tucson race (El Tour de Tucson for TNT - the only one I really do as a race). NEVER AGAIN. At mile ONE, Newbie rider crashed right in front of me as he shrieked like a little girl and locked his brakes trying to avoid that SCARY water bottle that rolled across the road. I could have avoided the water bottle but not the 200 pound cylist. I went down, hard and ended up DNF-ing that race after about 40 miles because my back was killing me. That one was the hardest recovery - for months my back hurt on climbs. No bike damage.

I think that's it. My husband jokes that I crash a lot - I really don't - I just crash dramatically. Seems like most are due to pushing myself so hard that I am beyond my ability to recover from silly things.

For 5 years of serious riding (3000 - 6000 miles per year), that pretty good I think.

[Lise]

I'm going to take the risk of jinxing myself here.

If I wipe out in my tri next week, we'll know the real cause, won't we?

OK.

I have not fallen off my bike since high school. I had two falls, both riding whatever cheap, skinny tired bike I had back then. (It was the 70s) One was a wipe out on ice on the way to school. I arrived all scraped up under my jeans. I guess it was probably early spring, with patches of ice still on the streets. I took a corner and .... down! The other was riding to work at a small bookstore, where I'd be the only employee in that day. Again, skinny tired bike. Rutted dirt path. Tire went one way, I went the other. Landed on the left side of my face. Nobody wore helmets back then, come to think of it. I was a mess, and I went to work anyway, tried to clean myself up as best I could. I can't remember how I got home. The bike was OK. Maybe I even rode home. I ended up needing derm treatment for infections on my face from the dirt. I've got three small scars to prove it.

I've had a couple of near misses with the clip ins, but have always gotten out in time.

Sooo...how to vote? That's one sideways slide and one over the bars.