How come when everyone else falls/crashes

[Kiwi Stoker]

I think I know the answer.

In one race DH and I did on the tandem we started at the front of the entrants.

As we are not fast cyclists this meant we got passed by the elite riders etc in waves.

The faster rider bunches did have crashes but they were amazing to watch. I think it was a combination of speed and skill that the riders that crashed seemed to "tuck and roll", quickly got up and again and got on their bikes and raced off. WOW!

It wasn't until later with the slower people with less skill that we saw BAD crashes. Like lots of blood, wrapped around a power pole and out cold crashes. The faster, experienced bunches actually rode safer and called hazards (or pointed) and had faster reflexes. The slower people did more silly accident stuff like touch wheels.

I also was in one race (on the tandem) when one guy's front tyre blew on a downhill. Becuase he was in a bunch of experienced riders, the guys next to him grabbed an arm each and actually used their brakes to slow him down and then move him off the side of the road. Otherwise he would of taken out the whole bunch.

I think experience is one factor in avoiding broken bones (says the person who has broken a collarbone due to a stupid rider in front of her and a shoulder- this time due to her own inexperience.)

[pll]

I also was in one race (on the tandem) when one guy's front tyre blew on a downhill. Becuase he was in a bunch of experienced riders, the guys next to him grabbed an arm each and actually used their brakes to slow him down and then move him off the side of the road. Otherwise he would of taken out the whole bunch.

Wow. This is remarkable! Seeing that type of reaction is amazing.

I ride with a woman who also races and she says the slow crashes are the worst in terms of broken arms and collarbones because generally people have time to try to halt the fall by stretching an arm.

[Crankin]

I've had a few crashes, and I've never broken anything, which is weird because I have osteoporosis. Although it's being treated successfully now, I've known I had osteopeinia since I was in my mid forties, but every one of the drugs that came out then made me sicker than hell, so it's only been in the last 3 years that I've made progress in reversing the trend, with meds that i can tolerate. My worst crash, which occurred going downhill on a wet Vermont descent in the fall of 2005 did nothing but cause road rash and a bruise on my hip. I always fall on my left side, and I think that I kind of go limp and I purposely try and not break my fall with my hands. My DH had 2 broken wrists (one really broken and one a hairline fracture) from a fall off of a ladder and after seeing him go through that, I never want to deal with that !
And, I did weight bearing exercise from age 25-45 (high impact aerobics and step class), which did absolutely nothing to stop the progress of my bones deteriorating. In my case, it's genetic, as well as being short, white, thin.
My only regret is that I did stop mountain biking as I sucked at it and I fell all of the time!

[e3rdpower]

I ride with a woman who also races and she says the slow crashes are the worst in terms of broken arms and collarbones because generally people have time to try to halt the fall by stretching an arm.

I also agree with this. High speed crashes you tend to slide, so worse road rash but less bone breakage. Slow speed crashes do seem to result in more bone injuries. Skin is more painful, but bones are more expensive and a pain in the neck, for the most part.

[Becky]

I ride with a woman who also races and she says the slow crashes are the worst in terms of broken arms and collarbones because generally people have time to try to halt the fall by stretching an arm.

I agree with this. I crashed a couple of weeks ago on my MTB at 15 mph, when I tapped a tree with the end of the handlebar. I hit the ground so fast that I couldn't react, just landed on my shoulder and rolled across my back. I got up, straighted the handlebars, and rode on with nothing but a few scrapes and bruises. If I'd had time to think about reaching an arm, I'd have surely broken something.

[pll]

So the corollary is that we just need to ride fast(er).

[Becky]

So the corollary is that we just need to ride fast(er).

Or go slow enough that we don't hit trees