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!

[lph]

Best of luck to your dh, AppleTree!

I ride on ice and snow all winter, but I would never even consider riding on a road I know to be snowy or icy without studded tires. I know it's possible to ride without them, especially on snow if the ground below isn't truly frozen, but I honestly don't understand why anyone would want to. At low speeds I guess you're not risking much, but at regular speeds you can lose control totally, very fast.

It means I have to switch to studded tires quite early, and sometimes end up riding for weeks on end on clear, wet road with no ice, but usually we have enough ice and slippery spots that it's a no-brainer. It's completely possible to fall with studded tires too, as I did just before christmas, from braking and skidding on a very smooth concrete surface. But it was very visible and I knew about it, so if I'd just been thinking it would have been easily avoidable.

[Crankin]

I like the tool Eden posted, because it was the combination of temperature and humidity, along with left over moisture/puddles that caused the crash that gave our friend a broken hip. It was the end of March and was predicted to go up to 60, so we all had discussed commuting the night before. Unfortunately, our friend was not quite as experienced in commuting as we were. When my DH got up, he saw the temperature and humidity combo and knew there would be black ice, so he nixed the commute, but our friend did not. Thankfully, he's a bit younger than us, so despite a permanent limp and an ugly recovery, his riding is as fast as ever now.
Last night DH commented he saw someone commuting at 5:30 AM, when he was driving to the gym. While the guy was well lit up and dressed for the 20 degree temps, there was ice everywhere! Not just black ice, but patches of visible ice, as well as snow. It was enough to make me be a little cautious in the car, and when I drove home from boot camp, the town had salted several roads. DH said this guy was on a road bike with skinny tires, which I just think is plain stupid in those conditions.

[OakLeaf]

I gotta add another risk factor and that's lack of impact activities. I've known way, way too many cyclists who've cracked a bunch of ribs, or way worse, from what should've been minor tip-overs. Studies have shown that even young male cyclists have reduced bone density when that's the only activity they sweat with.

Best not to fall, obviously, and best to know whether conditions are ripe for a fall. Personally I stopped riding when there might be black ice way back in college when I taco'd my front wheel even though I wasn't really hurt myself, thank goodness.

Be careful out there, all ... and maybe use the days when it's icy outside for some treadmill running.

AppleTree, speedy and complete healing to your husband. That's scary.

[pll]

Sorry to hear about these crashes. While the amount of snow and ice might not be enough to justify studded tires in some places, at least getting grippier tires and lowering the tire pressure should be some of the precautions to take. +1 on OakLeaf's caveat.

[lph]

I gotta add another risk factor and that's lack of impact activities. I've known way, way too many cyclists who've cracked a bunch of ribs, or way worse, from what should've been minor tip-overs. Studies have shown that even young male cyclists have reduced bone density when that's the only activity they sweat with.

Oak, that's an interesting thought, and one of the reasons I took up running as well. I figured that it would improve bone density in the legs and hips, I didn't know it could help bone density throughout the body. As an aside, though, I used to get terrible aches and pains all over my upper body when I first started running after only biking for a long time, it felt like someone had punched me. I think it was just the impact shaking things up that hadn't been shaken up for a long time. Which is a little embarrassing, actually.

[ny biker]

Sorry to hear about these crashes. While the amount of snow and ice might not be enough to justify studded tires in some places, at least getting grippier tires and lowering the tire pressure should be some of the precautions to take. +1 on OakLeaf's caveat.

Pll, is this your first experience with snow in DC? Did it blow your mind compared to Chicago? Two inches and the whole area is paralyzed. I'm at home today, never even tried to leave the house because I would not have been able to get out of Arlington.

On the other hand, they've started plowing the MUTs here in Arlington as of this winter, and from photos I saw on twitter I think they cleared them before they cleared the roads.

I've crashed in mud on paved trails in the past -- it was no fun trying to clean the dirt out of that road rash -- and the other night almost fell while walking in a crosswalk after it rained, thanks to the slippery white painted stripes. I've also had problems with black ice while out walking in winter -- my "safe" alternative to cycling in this weather. It's easy to think you can handle the conditions until experience tells you otherwise.

I hope your husband recovers well, Apple Tree.

[salsabike]

That is a cool tool, Eden--thanks!

Wishing all the wounded well.

[pll]

Pll, is this your first experience with snow in DC? Did it blow your mind compared to Chicago? Two inches and the whole area is paralyzed. I'm at home today, never even tried to leave the house because I would not have been able to get out of Arlington.

I was here last winter, too. My friends from Chicago joke about how dangerous 1 inch of snow is in DC... It's cute. For the most part, I walk to work, so I had no problem getting to the office.

[AppleTree]

That is a cool tool, Eden--thanks!

Wishing all the wounded well.

Definitely some good info there thanks Eden. Thanks TE friends for all the well wishes...he just got home from the hospital today, will be over 2 months before he can even THINK about getting back on the bike. But thankfully, not feeling much pain or side effects from anything.

He's not young, but definitely very low body fat, which might have made the fall worse, no cushioning there at all. Me on the other hand, ha ha. He thinks he held his breath when he fell too, might have caused the lung to pop. Did have touring tires, he was riding his Surley bike, but not much you can do when you hit the ice with any kind of tires I guess.

There was an interesting discussion on TE a few months back about being more risk averse as you age, and I know it is true for me. I don't want to FEEL fragile, but I am aware that my body IS fragile. But also resilient!!

Stay safe everyone!