Article: Fell off my bike and vowed never to get back on

[bluebug32]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/30/he...ewanted=1&_r=1

What do you think of this article? Is there any truth to it? Essentially the argument is that when someone suffers from a running injury, more times than not, they return to running. But a cycling injury will often lead to the injured person abandoning the sport.

[jessmarimba]

I think it makes perfect sense. There's certainly a lot more danger in cycling caused by factors out of anyone's control. And while I fell about once a run when I first started trail running, I didn't have enough speed to do much damage, while I've broken a bone with pretty much every bike wreck I've had. Fortunately none have been through the skin or I probably would've quit by now.

[Eden]

Odd how the human mind works.... people who've been in car accidents don't generally swear off driving...

[malkin]

Odd how the human mind works.... people who've been in car accidents don't generally swear off driving...

I wish I could. Of course, I felt that way before the car crash too.

Jeez, what about people who have fallen out of bed?!

[Owlie]

It makes sense to me. It seems a bit like blaming the food for making you puke.

That's what my dad did--crashed his bike when he was ten and broke his wrist and never rode again.

[7rider]

I have a few bike crashes under my belt.
One required surgery (I SHOULD have gone to the hospital...but didn't ).
The second sent me to the ER, but was discharged after a few hours with 'scripts for lots of pain meds.
I still ride.
Maybe I ride a little differently than I used to....I'm a little more apprehensive.
But it would kill me slowly to not be able to muster the courage to go out there and keep riding.

I also know a bunch of folks who have crashed (all guys). They all still ride. Again, perhaps differently than they used to, but they still ride.

[bluebug32]

Doesn't this seem like a no-brainer though? Riskier sports come with higher consequences. Maybe they also appeal to those who love the dopamine rush and are thrill seekers.

[abejita]

Did you read through the comments? The people that blamed themselves for the accident kept riding and those that blamed something out of their control quit riding...

[bluebug32]

Did you read through the comments? The people that blamed themselves for the accident kept riding and those that blamed something out of their control quit riding...

Right, and runners are usually have self inflicted injuries

[moonfroggy]

i had a bike crash years ago that was my fault and i still ride. however i avoid cars as much as i possibly can and i don't drive. not from a car accident but from other trauma that was car related and not my fault. i know a lot of people who choose not to drive because of traumatic events that happened in cars but almost all of them live in places where public transportation is good enough that it is cheaper and often easy and fast to get around without a car. unfortunately i no longer live in such a place so at some point i will need to get a drivers license putting it off as long as i possibly can though.

[tzvia]

I brused ribs badly in a crash last month mountain biking on vacation in Fruita Co when I took a handlebar to the chest doing a superman. I could not take a deep breath and it hurt to lie down- heck it hurt to move, cough or sneeze. But I took Excedrin and covered my torso in Salon Pas patches and rode the rest of vacation. Wasn't going to let it ruin my plans; it was a challenge to find a way to keep going. I guess if I broke my ribs it would have just pissed me off more and made me want to get back on the bike as soon as possible. It still hurts when I touch the spot, but I can cough ok now.

I did stop riding in 2002, only to take it up again in '08, after a car accident left me in chronic pain. For the first few years it was impossible to cycle and frankly I did not bother to try. But by '08 I had a 'deal with it and get on with your life' moment and bought a new bike, and now even commute to work. Maybe some people don't ever face the fear or pain head-on and just keep that excuse around their neck, I know I did. I guess that's why I rode with the bruised ribs last month, pain's there all the time anyway, just in a new spot, suck it up and get back on the bike.

[zoom-zoom]

I sprained my ankle pretty badly during a trail relay back in June. I am back to running, but even the relatively smooth gravel shoulder is a bit uncomfortable for that ligament. And the likelihood of a repeat sprain within the first 2-3 years is in the neighborhood of 60-70%. It's that stat that keeps me from planning any trail races next year, not any real personal fear.

The injury, of course, was my fault (and partly the fault of the root I landed on badly). It never occurred to me to stop running entirely. Were I to become injured on the bike I would hope that I could get back up riding as soon as I were physically healed. I really hope I never crash so bad that it takes a toll on my confidence and love of cycling.

[Charlotte Berry]

I got hit head on by a car and was lucky that while my bike didn't fair so well, I came out mostly with bumps and bruises. I wasn't even wearing a helmet. Lucky, I think this used up all my luck or 9 lives that day. However, I didn't ride for over a year after that and not because I didn't have a bike or healthy body. It's very psychological , nerve racking, and can play with you head for quite a while. Today, I ride again, no problems and with a helmet.

[OakLeaf]

Obviously a traumatic injury is psychologically different from a chronic injury, but I know WAY more people who have given up running because of injury, than cycling.

It was strange to me how the writer glibly brushed off the idea that a runner is able to avoid chronic injury.

But it does make sense that those who take responsibility for their own safety are less likely to give up a sport after getting hurt.

[SheFly]

I read this article yesterday, and thought it was dumb. I know A LOT of cyclists who have suffered traumatic and chronic injuries - none of whom have sworn off riding.

Last fall when I broke my ankle racing, my first thought was to finish the race (I didn't know it was broken at the time). While healing, all I could think about was getting back on the bike so that I could finish out the remainder of the race season (I did).

And when I crash on my MTB (doesn't happen often, but when it does, it can be spectacular), my first thought is usually "Is my bike ok?" . I have never not gotten back on the bike after any kind of crash/injury.

And I know I'm not the only one - there are a LOT of TE members who have bemoaned being off the bike, and counting down the days until they could get back on!

SheFly