endo's and a racing question

[Trek420]

Could anyone settle a racing question? It was posted on my *other* board that everyone should learn to take a fall.

I agree, it helps balance and bike handling, can save your butt in an endo but it's easier said than done.

I've been studying Aikido since oh...1979 and take hard falls every class with the greatest of ease...well, sometimes the greatest of ease, sometimes folks wonder if it's my first day ;-)

I have learned, making good falls an instinct takes decades, even a basic simple roll takes hours to learn and constant practice makes it something you don't even think about.

Someone asked how do pro riders take these falls and survive, that fall where Lance got hooked up in the bag...any of us would have broken a collarbone.

My theory: they have superhuman cat-like reflexes and balance, luck, conditioning, high tolerance for pain (they DO hurt just bear it better than we mortals) and...I think pro racers practice falling.

Do they practice falls off the bike? anyone know?

[smurfalicious]

*laughs* That's a good question! I know when I started riding horses my trainer made me practice falling a lot! I've been riding most of my life now, and I don't wreck often, but when I do I usually land on my feet. Most of the time I grab for mane or neck which helps lower me down rather than just going splat. Last time I ate it off PJ I used this technique and hit butt first, then my noggin, the goal being that butt got most of the impact. I'm trying to figure out how to do something similar on my bike. When I come off her, it's more like the time I was moving the herd of horses on Stoli and all of a sudden the herd moved early, he pinned a left hand turn and his hind legs "washed out" in a loose spot of dirt. GRRR!!! Horse on top of you, however, is suprisingly painless. And don't even tell me my stupid pedals are supposed to come loose in a crash, because last time I landed completely connected to pony. "ooof, give me..... oooooof....my foot....aaaaaaaaaargh!.....back!"

[Cdalekat]

in gymnastics, I was taught to roll - and aim for landing on the shoulderblades. Landing there means the body is already tucked in and the rolling aspect then is a pretty natural follow-thru.

But with the bike, I've always been clipped in on spills, so I end up landing on my thigh while still stuck to the bike. I can't roll that way!

Though I suppose at least I'm landing on my most padded part....