Road riding falls

[SadieKate]

Just wondering about falls on the road only and not in a race - just recreational or training rides.

Would you describe them as newbie-type falls or $hit happens kind of falls?

[DrBee]

I fell once on my hybrid when turning around (after the dog chase) in big chunky white gravel.

I fell once on my roadbike (after that @#%! woman nearly obliterated me) - well, that was the crash which was fairly significant.

[Bikingmomof3]

That is an easy one for me. Riding clipless! I was having a splendid ride, stopped to get a drink and chat with my husband. I unclipped right first, when I usually unclip left. So, when my left leg went to stand, I fell, since it was still clipped. Sadly, that has happened not once, not twice, but three times. sigh

[bikerz]

Six-time-slow-motion-tip-over-veteran!

(Should I vote 6 times?)

[dachshund]

I used to bike to work a lot. One time a woman opened her car door into me. I was concentrating on the bus going by and didn't see the door open. The end of the door caught my foot and I flew through the air.

Another time I was behind a car making a left turn. A pedestrian stopped in front of the driver, which I didn't realize. He stopped, and I plowed into the back of his car. I went over the handlebars and landed on the trunk. The driver apparently didn't hear the thud that this created, and drove off. I then hit the pavement.

I was probably 22 years old when these happened, and the force of gravity didn't affect me quite as much then as it does now.

[dachshund]

I also had the obligatory beginner clipless fall... slowly stop and fall over.

[SadieKate]

Hey, all you lurkers! An awful lot of viewing and not a lot of voting. The best result comes from a large statistical sampling.

Don't be shy!

[SadieKate]

228 views and 8 votes? I'm going to start lurking on "who's on line" and calling out names of you slackers that look and don't vote.

Come on! My assumption is that most most falls are low speed and not career ending. Sure $hit happens. It happens in all sports and daily life. Is my assumption true? Can we reassure the timid that they can persevere and enjoy the ride?

[xeney]

I have only fallen twice. Once was a low speed tip over the first time I used toe clips, and the other was a sideways slide on some rotten leaves. The second one hurt a lot more.

[Brandy]

Low speed tipper-overer here!

[Veronica]

I voted!

Only one fall so far. Kim saw it. It was our last day of the Yellowstone tour and my pedals were filthy...

That's why my knee warmers have a patch.

V.

[Kalidurga]

So far, I've only had one tip-over in less than a month since going clipless. Similar to bmo3: Clipped out the left foot (the one I put down first) as I slowed coming towards a bench. Braced my arms, pulled on the front brake, shifted my weight forward to ease off the saddle, and somehow leaned too much to the right. Since the right foot was still clipped...

Sad thing was, I had just had my handlebars perfectly re-taped, and the right bar tape is now gashed from scraping the side of the bench

Since the question specified road riding, can I mention the two times I slid and fell in the mud on the C&O Canal towpath after heavy rain?

[winddance]

I voted, too!

I tipped over trying to start uphill.

[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.