# Cycling injuries



## CycleD (2 Oct 2016)

Being fairly new to cycling 30 miles plus, on Friday a car squeezed me so close to the edge of the road I ended up hitting a pot hole and nearly coming off into a thorn bush. All I can say is thank god for padded shorts but I did end up with some cuts to my leg from the bushes... 

So my question is...? How many times have you been injured as a result of someone else or yourself?


----------



## vickster (2 Oct 2016)

Too many! Worst thereof

A very knackered knee, my own fault...about 7 years ago

A nasty leg and shoulder injury as a result of being knocked off, both requiring surgery, 2.5 years ago, legal claim progressing very slowly

Other mishaps, a clipless fall, a slow fall, a mid speed fall, a faster speed fall. Luckily none of those resulted in more than a few scars 

I'm sure there were more as a kid


----------



## Supersuperleeds (2 Oct 2016)

I've been hit by cars three times, every time I was lucky and walked away without a scratch. 

Hit a tree root and had to have stitches in my elbow


----------



## Pat "5mph" (2 Oct 2016)

Fallen off a few times, cause my own negligence/distraction.
Just scrapes, bruise, once a torn jacket.


----------



## lutonloony (2 Oct 2016)

Clipping rear wheel of brother, lovely slide down the road, mostly pride hurt. Knocked off by very close pass, followed by caravan that was so close it was a hit. Most annoying part was that it ruined my new shorts. Loads of other mishaps but my fault. Pretty lucky that none of my offs resulted in broken bones, but loads of road rash


----------



## lutonloony (2 Oct 2016)

Supersuperleeds said:


> I've been hit by cars three times, every time I was lucky and walked away without a scratch.



Seems a bit harsh that the car hit you 3 times!


----------



## gbb (2 Oct 2016)

Dislocated finger after a slide off when passing over unexpected wet leafs...hand out as I came down, sharp wrench....ooh, that's done some damage I thought.
Otherwise not many injuries in 40 ish years of cycling, one instant off on black ice, a lump of skin taken off the side of my thigh...still managed another 20 plus miles, albeit a bit stiffly.


----------



## 13 rider (2 Oct 2016)

Put me and my bike in a hedge the other week . Just lost some skin and a few scratches . My fault took a corner to quick in appalling conditions .
More gory my cousin came off his bike big style and the pedal punctured his skin in the stomach area thankfully no more than flesh wounds this is when we were teenagers about a mile from my house and he rode to my house on bike for help while I pushed his dear bike home


----------



## HLaB (2 Oct 2016)

I cant remember how many times I've of through my own fault I've come off. But I remember once being actually t'boned, once being nearly t'boned, once hit from behind and once being clipped causing me to come off. All times thankfully its been no more than bruises and to put it into perspective during that time I've cycled 100,000 miles +


----------



## fossyant (2 Oct 2016)

Worse one !


----------



## fossyant (2 Oct 2016)

A number of cars have hit me. Damaged shoulder requiring decompression surgery, broken ribs, and worse two broken vertebrae and 4 ribs (still recovering after nearly a year).

Crashed a few times myself, ice, slippy surfaces etc. Mainly bruising and lost skin.


----------



## Diggs (2 Oct 2016)

Cat shot out of a hedge in front of me. In A&E they were picking out bits of road from my shoulder, had to call me back two days later when they noticed my collarbone was no longer attached at the shoulder. Thanks in no small part to the lovely people here, I got through it quite well.





Before the bruising came out and I'll save you the gory pics and xrays


----------



## mjr (2 Oct 2016)

A few bruises but nothing much that I can recall.


----------



## mjr (2 Oct 2016)

Oh, and today our group had a few motorists attempting to overtake at stupid points. A few choice words and glares and they backed off rather than squeeze us to the kerb or verge. Except one. Came to a dead stop nose-to-nose with oncoming traffic. Bonkers! I think we turned right before seeing how he extricated himself from that.


----------



## fossyant (2 Oct 2016)

My most gruesome one was crashing on a bend on the cat and fiddle - hot day and milk had been spilt over the road from a tanker. Slid the full width of the road on my bum and hand. Proper TDF style injury. 6 inch square of my skin (and shorts) missing - had to ride 15 miles home with half my bottom showing (bright red mind). Gutted as I wrecked a good pair of shorts, took a big chunk out of my shoes and pedals. It didn't half weep for ages.

Latest broken ribs - not that the docs were bothered about (they had more pressing issues with my spine).


----------



## gavroche (2 Oct 2016)

Only twice in last 18 months: first time when a pedestrian stepped out from between two cars as I was coming. I swerved to avoid him, lost my balance and fell on back of my head. Helmet completely smashed, passed out for a minute I was told but was ok to ride back home. Second time by a dog crossing right in from of me. Still have the scar on my left leg.


----------



## johnnyb47 (2 Oct 2016)

The only injury I ever had was back in 1979 when I was a young whippersnapper. My bike had one of those period bike mirrors attached to it and when I fell off the glass smashed and cut into my shin exposing 5 " of my shin bone. 
I should,nt laugh ( I have a sick sense of humour ) but the funniest bike crash I've ever seen was my work mate coming home from work one evening. We both worked in a village high up in the Welsh mountains and on the way home we used to ride flat out down the 3 mile decent. He was in front and as we came round a sweeping corner we were met by a cow in the middle of the road. He made a split decision to go round the back end of it. Unfortunately for him the cow stepped back just as he was passing at a fair rate of knots and bounced off its hind quarters ending up in the hedge. Thankfully he was uninjured but his bike didn't fair to well
though.


----------



## slowmotion (3 Oct 2016)

I've been offed my a door-swiper and bounced. I've had about five clipless moments and bounced. On the seven mile journey back from an extremely convivial party, I bounced all the way from Balham to Hammersmith but found that I only had a ripped jacket and a gouged pedal the next day, as the remorse kicked in. Pretty soon, I won't bounce, and I'm dreading it, but I've been lucky.


----------



## Captainwull (3 Oct 2016)

Going down a hill while mountain biking I hit a hole, went over the bars, broke my skull and collarbone. Very strange feeling, I knew where I was but no recollection of how I got there. 
Speed bump had been obscured by a shelter that cast a shadow over a cycle path. Never noticed it. Was found laying unconscious by a couple of golfers. Helmet had split open but my skull was intact this time. Only a few broken ribs.
Cycling down a cycle path in Salzburg a car pulled out and stopped right in front of me. I had to come off the path to avoid it and my front wheel stuck in the Tramlines. Did the splits and tore all my pelvic Abductor muscles on both sides.That was a sore one.
Few weeks ago I came round a bend into an oil slick. Did a complete somersault on the bike which never even hit the road ! Smashed Skull and shoulder, broken ribs, breastbone, cracked pelvis, torn Abductor muscles, punctured lung.


----------



## gavroche (3 Oct 2016)

Captainwull said:


> Going down a hill while mountain biking I hit a hole, went over the bars, broke my skull and collarbone. Very strange feeling, I knew where I was but no recollection of how I got there.
> Speed bump had been obscured by a shelter that cast a shadow over a cycle path. Never noticed it. Was found laying unconscious by a couple of golfers. Helmet had split open but my skull was intact this time. Only a few broken ribs.
> Cycling down a cycle path in Salzburg a car pulled out and stopped right in front of me. I had to come off the path to avoid it and my front wheel stuck in the Tramlines. Did the splits and tore all my pelvic Abductor muscles on both sides.That was a sore one.
> Few weeks ago I came round a bend into an oil slick. Did a complete somersault on the bike which never even hit the road ! Smashed Skull and shoulder, broken ribs, breastbone, cracked pelvis, torn Abductor muscles, punctured lung.


Have you ever thought of giving it up?


----------



## Bazzer (3 Oct 2016)

Several in my youth; the pain memories tell me testicles hitting the cross bar/handlebar stem seemed to be a recurrent outcome and once broke my nose as I hit a car.
As an adult:
Couple of clipless moments - just bruising.
Hit by cars twice. First time hospital with concussion and damaged hip bursa. Second time just bruising.
On a night ride hit a startled badger. Scarring to arm, leg and a femur broken in two places.


----------



## Venod (3 Oct 2016)

Broken shoulder and badly damaged leg worst one (not my fault) near head on collision with a car overtaking other traffic.

Chaingang pile up on roundabout (front wheel taken out (fifty/fifty probably going too fast) no serious injury but damaged bike and clothing.

Lost front wheel on diesel spill on a sharp bend (my fault, should have been more observant) no injuries.

After doing 10 mile into a vicious headwind on fixed I turned off and relaxed I lost control and fell off (my fault) damaged thumb.

Too many MTB falls to remember, but the worst a pedal down the shin, it swelled up like a balloon, (all my fault for having too much fun)


----------



## Captainwull (3 Oct 2016)

gavroche said:


> Have you ever thought of giving it up?


 Ha ha, my wife would love me too but I like living close to the edge


----------



## keithmac (3 Oct 2016)

I swapped my front and back brake levers around when I was 5 or 6, forgot all about it and ended up in and ambulance after trying a rear wheel skid (locked the front wheel and laid myself out cold!).

Slid on ice and split my head open above the eye.

Had a numpty open a door on me and badly bruised my right hand.

Went over the bars of my MTB in Dalby Forest and laid myself out again, had a helmet on.

Nothing much to speak of recently luckily!.


----------



## JtB (3 Oct 2016)

Currently recovering from a slipped disc. I don't think it's any coincidence that the back pain started the day after I hit a large pot hole that jarred my whole body.


----------



## Will Spin (3 Oct 2016)

Fell off going up a steep hill, mainly due to lack of required forward motion. Very badly squashed banana.


----------



## Ihatehills (4 Oct 2016)

This thread is suddenly making me very nervous.can someone please start up a " who hasn't been injured " thread for the sake of balance.


----------



## Lee_M (4 Oct 2016)

did an off road trip around Vassiliki, climbing up 2000 feet then an awesome gravel trail all the way back to sea level, then fell off just outside the hotel on the tarmac road and broke 3 ribs.

This was day 2 of a 2 week holiday, spent the rest of it lying by the pool in pain.


----------



## EnPassant (4 Oct 2016)

Ihatehills said:


> This thread is suddenly making me very nervous.can someone please start up a " who hasn't been injured " thread for the sake of balance.


Not since I was a teen. Two minor offs due to clipless moments as an adult, both on grass, that's it. 
More luck than judgement probably since clearly some injuries are completely out of ones control. 
Hope this helps.


----------



## si_c (4 Oct 2016)

Most recent injury was a couple of broken ribs when MTBing, came off a jump and as I landed the rear tube exploded, and I ended up at the bottom of a tree with the handlebars in my chest. Fun though


----------



## MiK1138 (4 Oct 2016)

currently nursing a broken wrist own fault (mountain biking) had just recovered from a banged up shoulder my fault wet road, steep hill sharp bend. and before that another banged up shoulder not my fault car pulled out of kerb into my path


----------



## mjr (4 Oct 2016)

Ihatehills said:


> This thread is suddenly making me very nervous.can someone please start up a " who hasn't been injured " thread for the sake of balance.


To make you feel better, check crasher avatars for whether or not they use clip pedals or, eh, body armour... oh, as long as you don't use either


----------



## al3xsh (5 Oct 2016)

1) just starting out and misjudged a corner (about half way in realised I was going far too fast to make it round), snatched the rear brake, and ended up in the curb

2) new road bike, coming down a steep hill in dappled sunlight through trees, saw the turn at the end too late (hill drops away and then turns sharply onto main road), snatched both brakes, and ended up in the curb.

3) group ride, pulling at the front next to another rider, came to a roundabout and had slight misunderstanding about the route, came together and I ended up on the tarmac.

First two were completely my fault, third was kind of 50-50.

After the second I now descend like a scared rabbit! Both brakes on hard, ready to bail at any moment ;-) 

A


----------



## GlenBen (11 Oct 2016)

Once tried riding through a ditch, only to get the front wheel stuck at the bottom and send me face first into the other side. Broken nose, lots of blood and a ring around my head where my helmet dug in.


----------



## Boon 51 (11 Oct 2016)

Just broke my hip after an off and a collision with a kerb stone, I have a bolt in the hip ball of my thigh which is attatched to the thigh bone and my thigh bone is plated and screwed also.. (DHS Dynamic Hip Screw).. so 3 months out of action..yippee.


----------



## Simontm (11 Oct 2016)

Ahem...1) Last November. on a tow path, wheels slipped out from under me. Four broken ribs, cuts and bruises and collarbone broken in four places. 2) July hit a kerb, dislocated little finger and...3) last Friday. Car turned in front of me and I bounced headfirst into his windscreen then hit the floor...Cuts and bruises


----------



## RMurphy195 (14 Oct 2016)

In my yoof (now 66!) = car swerved in front and braked - in rainy weather! Ended up spreadeagled on the car with a few grazes.

Even younger - at age about 12 - standing on pedals and chain broke, so I cartwheeled and landed with the bike on top of me. Nasty graze on head !

Mid forties -pedalled into parked car, one bent bike, one undamaged car, one red face and much injured pride!

Also mid forties - went out on bike after recovering from ear infection, looked behind and promptly fell over! Hadn't quite recovered after all...

Last year - rammed by pickup and thrown almost 20 feet, landing in front of fire station! 2 cracked ribs, lots of bruises. Also got experience of using Police complaints dept (the Traffic Process Office lost the attending officers report recommending the driver be prosecuted on 2 counts) and also of dealing with uncaring solicitor, replaced by one that did care once the firm's customer relations team were contacted! Also got experience of driver who lied - temporary injury to wallet. More permanent injury to confidence on roads.

BTW did you get the details, see your GP to record any injuries (however minor), get in touch with a solicitor etc. and make complaint to police?


----------



## kipster (14 Oct 2016)

As a kid, wheelied a chopper and the front wheel went off down the road, the forks dug into the ground and I ended up with a couple of bruises, learnt the lesson of not trying to impress girls by doing stupid things. More recently black ice caught me out and I hurt my thumb, a headphone wearing pedestrian stepped out in front of me, caught my shoulder and knocked me flying, new helmet needed but no damaged to me. Waving a motorbike through I clipped a traffic calming kerb and ended up with cuts and the most painful was a crash in a velodrome which resulted in a broken collarbone.


----------



## Shortandcrisp (17 Oct 2016)

Sorry to say I can probably trump all these replies!

Lost control of bike after finishing a TT. Into the verge, straight over the handlebars and head planted into the ground forcing my head backwards quite severely.

Result - spinal cord bruising through C4/5 (the neck), lose of feeling in the hands and arms, continuous spasms through the legs, nearly six weeks in hospital mostly lying flat on a spinal cord mattress. Had to learn to walk again. Still recovering but getting much stronger.
Lots of walking, some end of summer riding on a hybrid (now on the turbo for the winter), weightlifting and core strength exercises to try and rebuild the muscle wastage and core weakness.

Much better now, but still a long way to go. Prognosis is either a full recovery or maybe a little residual weakness. Only time will tell. And my consultant has told me not to ride a drop bar bike again or to fall over at all!

But looking on the bright side, the bike didn't have a mark on it!


----------



## fossyant (17 Oct 2016)

Shortandcrisp said:


> Sorry to say I can probably trump all these replies!
> 
> Lost control of bike after finishing a TT. Into the verge, straight over the handlebars and head planted into the ground forcing my head backwards quite severely.
> 
> ...



No I can match it. Unstable chance fracture to L1 and T12 and 4 broken ribs. Over 6 weeks flat on back in spinal ward and 4 months in spinal brace. That was 11 months ago. (Hit by car)

Riding again and crash tested my back at weekend at Llandegla. All ok except gravel rash on shoulder.


----------



## Shortandcrisp (17 Oct 2016)

fossyant said:


> No I can match it. Unstable chance fracture to L1 and T12 and 4 broken ribs. Over 6 weeks flat on back in spinal ward and 4 months in spinal brace. That was 11 months ago. (Hit by car)
> 
> Riding again and crash tested my back at weekend at Llandegla. All ok except gravel rash on shoulder.



And cycling is such a healthy pastime!


----------



## EnPassant (17 Oct 2016)

Shortandcrisp said:


> And cycling is such a healthy pastime!


Ah yes, but sitting on a sofa stuffing pizza in our faces and doing no exercise is statistically far worse for us, by as much as 20/1 I read somewhere.

Admittedly it might not seem that way flat out on one of those spinal tables I'd imagine , glad you are ok (at least 'ish) now people.


----------



## dan_bo (17 Oct 2016)

Oh loads.


Broken finger and a semi-permanently numb arse being the worse thankfully. But for the grace of god and all that.....


Latest one- Rolled a front tub yesterday on a very tight switchback at the NWCCA at Heaton Park, smacked my right shoulder hard into the deck. Sore today.


Luckily had my spare wheels in the pits so could continue.


----------



## fossyant (17 Oct 2016)

Shortandcrisp said:


> And cycling is such a healthy pastime!



Better to go out with a worn out body than one from being lazy.


----------



## fossyant (17 Oct 2016)

dan_bo said:


> Oh loads.
> 
> 
> Broken finger and a semi-permanently numb arse being the worse thankfully. But for the grace of god and all that.....
> ...



What about that car you broke with your body.


----------



## Will Spin (17 Oct 2016)

I didn't know I could do this;.....Had a puncture while on a morning ride today and used a CO2 bulb to reinflate the tyre, forgot to use gloves for this and the bulb froze itself into my hand, I've got some rather painful dry ice burns on my hand now!


----------



## dan_bo (17 Oct 2016)

fossyant said:


> What about that car you broke with your body.



Thought we was talking about me not the victims.....


----------



## vickster (17 Oct 2016)

Will Spin said:


> I didn't know I could do this;.....Had a puncture while on a morning ride today and used a CO2 bulb to reinflate the tyre, forgot to use gloves for this and the bulb froze itself into my hand, I've got some rather painful dry ice burns on my hand now!


Oops rtfm before using


----------



## HLaB (31 Oct 2016)

Shortandcrisp said:


> Sorry to say I can probably trump all these replies!
> 
> Lost control of bike after finishing a TT. Into the verge, straight over the handlebars and head planted into the ground forcing my head backwards quite severely.
> 
> ...


My result of a speed wobble on a TT sprint at the end wasn't as bad fortunately. It had happened before on a tt modified road bike at 30mph and I was able to sprint through and hold it. This was a new TT bike and it happened at 26-27mph and I couldn't sprint through it or hold it 
A few days later


----------



## Shortandcrisp (1 Nov 2016)

HLaB said:


> My result of a speed wobble on a TT sprint at the end wasn't as bad fortunately. It had happened before on a tt modified road bike at 30mph and I was able to sprint through and hold it. This was a new TT bike and it happened at 26-27mph and I couldn't sprint through it or hold it
> A few days later
> View attachment 149823



Ouch! 
In my case it would have been better for me in the long term to have fallen off on Tarmac and broken a few bones!
But it is what it is.


----------



## Racing roadkill (16 Nov 2016)

CycleD said:


> Being fairly new to cycling 30 miles plus, on Friday a car squeezed me so close to the edge of the road I ended up hitting a pot hole and nearly coming off into a thorn bush. All I can say is thank god for padded shorts but I did end up with some cuts to my leg from the bushes...
> 
> So my question is...? How many times have you been injured as a result of someone else or yourself?


3 times. 1 was very bad, 1 was quite bad, and one was self inflicted, so doesn't count.


----------



## greekonabike (18 Nov 2016)

Fortunately I've not had an accident for about twenty years but I remember the last one vividly. 

I was about ten years old and riding a chrome bmx with black mag wheels (I seem to remember putting these wheels in the freezer for some reason). 

The stage was set and all the kids from my road were lining the pavement. We'd made a ramp out of some scraps of ply wood and some house bricks. I went to the corner of the road and pedalled furiously down towards the ramp. As my front wheel hit the ramp one of the layers of bricks gave way and I ended up sliding down the pavement before crumpling into a pile by a tree. I remember a lot of blood and road rash. I was winded so badly I still have bad thoughts about it. 

As bad as it was it didn't stop me from trying to jump my next bmx (the chrome one was totalled) off the large walls down at the seafront. 

GOAB


----------



## TheDoctor (18 Nov 2016)

Had a collision in '85, Over the bars and dislocated my shoulder.
Since then, nothing much really. I've had more cycling-related hangovers than injuries!


----------



## AlanW (18 Nov 2016)

Two knee operations on the same knee, and broken both my collar bones. First the left side during a pile up in a road race, then the other side just seven weeks last when a dog ran out in front of me!


----------



## jongooligan (18 Nov 2016)

Been off plenty of times but this one sticks in my mind.
MTB had been in LBS for I can't remember what. Picked it up, chucked it into the back of the car and drove to local fells. Jumped on bike and headed straight downhill on a track I know really well - there's a sharp bend at the bottom. Turned handlebars into bend - front wheel doesn't change direction so I go straight on into tree. Bust face but nothing broken.
The thing is, the same idiot who left my bike in this condition had previously forgotten to reattach the front brake cable on my road bike. I never let him touch a bike of mine after this one though.


----------



## Andrew_P (18 Nov 2016)

Hmmm Wished I had not ploughed on through this.....


----------



## Sharky (18 Nov 2016)

lutonloony said:


> Seems a bit harsh that the car hit you 3 times!


Worked for an insurance firm a while back and during my induction, they told me a few "humerous" claims submitted. One I remember was ...
"I had to swerve all across the road before I managed to hit him"


----------



## midlife (18 Nov 2016)

Fell off quite a few times when younger but the most embarrassing was at the end of a grass track race in York. Monster sprint for the line then forgot I was riding fixed......just sort of stopped pedalling while upright and waited to freewheel but didn't ! 

Arms and legs cartwheeling all over the shop and then unceremoniously on the grass in front of a large crowd

Have I said before I hated grass track  .

Shaun


----------



## alecstilleyedye (19 Nov 2016)

two major ones (i.e. required hospital visits)

1) my fault; lost concentration on a small group ride and touched wheels, went down like a sack of spuds and fractured collar bone ligaments; 3 months off the bike
2) knocked off; car turned right into my path without indicating and i hit it at about 25kmh. the force of the crash wrote off a steel frameset and re-fractured my collar bone ligaments. got just shy of five figures from the insurance, which financed the bike in the profile pic…

last week i came off due to hitting a tram line at too oblique an angle. bit of road rash, road home ok but took next day off due to stiffness and not being able to sit comfortably…


----------



## I like Skol (21 Nov 2016)

I tend not to depart from the bike in an unplanned manner too often despite best attempts. When I do, I usually land with cat like grace and the minimum of damage. There have been a couple of injuries over the years that stand out in my memory.

Downhilling the MTB in my early 20s (Before DH was a separate sport) and while bumping down a rocky farm track half of my handlebar came off in my hand at about 20mph. I was pretty badly beaten up but only flesh wounds so limped off the hill and phoned dad to come and pick me up.

More recently, about 18 months ago tried riding down some irregular old mill steps, again on the MTB. It went wrong and turned into a fall but I must have smacked my knee on the hard stone flags at the bottom. When it was Xrayed 2 weeks later because I was still in pain it was discovered that I had cracked the knee cap straight across. I had been riding my bike to work all the week prior to the Xray. They said it was luckily healing nicely in just the right place but if I had presented myself on the day of the injury they would have cut me open to pin the break. I was advised to take it easy and not do anything strenuous for a while, like riding a bike.... 

Traffic altercations haven't really featured in my cycling life yet despite by far the most of my riding being an urban commute. My many years as a van delivery driver have given me experience and awareness that seems to allow me to happily co-exist with the most idiotic and dangerous of drivers when out on the bike. Now I have said this I shall no doubt be knocked from my bike at high speed and with terrible injuries before the end of the week!


----------

