Crash stories...

[mickle]

Escorted the then Mrs Mickle to her evening class one lovely evening in NYC, an eight minute ride. On my way back uptown I was approaching a junction at sprinting speed in order to catch the light sequence when a car pulled out from the side of the road blocking my escape route completely. I instinctively grabbed both brakes hard which launched me into the junction head first where I landed on my face. My injuries tell the story; abrasions to my forehead, nose, top lip (!), inside of bottom lip, chin, shoulders and collar bones, bottom of my rib cage, pelvis, knees and the toes of my shoes. Also the front of my elbow, back of wrist and my knuckles. I'd done a superman. I came-to in the ambliance with a paramedic asking me my name, address etc, to which I replied 'I don't know'. He said 'Well you're English if that helps'.

I had had my helmet hanging from my handlebars it was only an eight minute ride after all... My bike was unscathed apart from a pair of seriously bent rails where it had bounced following me into the junction.

 

[Bokonon]

Got any good ones...

I'm not sure that any crash is all that good really.

I've had 2 bike-induced hospitalizations. First was about 10 years ago in January, riding to work in the early morning on very icy roads. I got to the last corner before work, the surface of which looked quite clear of ice so I didn't approach it with enough caution, resulting in me leaning the bike to turn but the bike going straight on. Face plant required 4 stitches in my chin and the day of work. I thought I had banged my head as my eye sight was buggered up. Turned out I had lost one of the lenses from my glasses.

Last crash was early this summer. Given the choice of riding through a big pot hole, over a wet drain cover or into on coming traffic, I choose the drain cover. I then slipped down the drain cover into the pot hole, which stopped the bike abruptly. I landed on my shoulder further up the road. Broken collar bone got me out of work for a few weeks. It is very depressing watching the Tour de France when you know you can't go out and ride yourself.

 

[bikie]

Was riding a road race down hill on a rough surface and the 2 riders infront got their bars locked together and went down, I went staight over the top of them then slid dolwn the road on my front loosing alot of skin. The next day every muscle in my body hurt. Result: 6 weeks hospital treatment.

Started a t.t. once, just getting up to speed on my fixed bike and the chain jumped off, staight over the bars onto my face. Result: 1 week in hospital and 3 months off work with head injury

 

[magnatom]

Two crashes in three years commuting both caught on camera. Both probably my own fault. The first was on a damp afternoon and my wheels went from under me on a wet manhole cover. Few scrapes and scratches, my pride was hurt the most!

The second happened in the Clyde tunnel cyclepath, just after I had straightened up my front wheel just disappeared from underneath me. No idea how it happened (debris?). It's a shame that the camera stopped recording when it did. Somehow I managed to avoid the wall and the railing, and landed flat on my back. The only injury was a squashed banana!

 

[ArDee]

Cycling to work one morning in February 2002, came off on a country lane on ice, Mrs ArDee already told me I was an idiot cycling in when it was that cold. Went down like a sack of potatoes (or anything else that hits the ground heavily).

Luckily the car behind stopped, thought I was going to get run over as the car was sliding on the ice and a girl around 20 gets out and helps me get up and asks if “I’m alright?”

I replied “I was OK” as at the time nothing seemed to hurt that much, just thought I’d damaged my pride. So she drove off.

Got back on the bike, no damage to bike thank goodness and continued cycle to work. After a couple of minutes cycling my side started to hurt and once I got to work, I realised it was something serious due to the way my side was hurting, so I phone the health centre.

“Hello” I said “I came off my bike this morning on my way into work and my side is hurting a lot, can I come over and get it checked out?”

Health centre “We’re a bit busy to day, can you come over at 10:30 tomorrow?”

Me “it hurts a lot I think it needs looking at today”

Health centre “OK come over at 3, I think we can fit you in then”

Went over at 3, got checked out, they sent me to the Hospital; I’d broken 3 ribs and cracked 2 others.

Hospital doctor says there’s not a lot we can do we don’t strap them any more, just take it easy, don’t laugh and it will hurt more before it gets better!

As Mrs ArDee had already told me I was an idiot for cycling when it was so cold, I didn’t get any sympathy there either.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

mine's relatively minor, was on a mtb on a stretch of tarmac, going downhill. was going a fair pace, at the bottom of the hill there is a little wooden humped back bridge. as i hit it at 20+ mph, my front wheel slipped on the wet wood, and i slid along on my arse for a good while. it hurt, but i was more annoyed at ripping my cycling clothing. i did hit my head on the tarmac, so got an excuse for a new lid too.

 

[swee'pea99]

In my early teens, me & a mate used to cycle out to Burnham Beeches - an area of rough scrubby woodland where there were unofficial tracks through the trees. This is long before the days of mountain bikes, or even knobbly tyres.

There was one long downhill widely considered to be challenging. I was ok till about a third of the way down, when I realised that my brakes were powerless in the face of my fast-increasing speed. I clung on to the handlebars for dear life, bucking about more and more, going faster and faster. By the time I got about half way down, my glasses were wobbling about so violently that I literally couldn't see a thing. I clung on. At about two-thirds of the way down, I slightly came off the 'path', my front wheel hit a large tree root, and I flew over the handlebars.

Ended up riding home with a purple hip, one skinned palm and a front wheel going b'dunk, b'dunk, b'dunk against the brake pads. Happy days!