Your first crash.

[Arjimlad]

I remember skittering down a dirt track as a lad of about 12, and flying off my sliding bike into a patch of nettles.

Other than that, I was turning right a couple of years ago when my wheels slid from under me & I landed heavily on my hip & shoulder. A greasy road was to blame, and the lump on my hip took a while to recede !

 

[mark c]

My first real off was three weeks ago, turning left at about 10mph going down hill,front wheel locked on some gravel and the next thing i remember was lying in the road feet still clipped in. Only a broken bone in elbo and sprained wrist and only scratches on the bike . Best of all ,was when i went to the hospital they said that i would,nt need a cast and it would take about 5 weeks to heal. So i was back in the saddle a week later a bit sore, but i,ll live.

 

[TVC]

Only one crash (apologies to the oldies who've heard it before).

Bowling along at about 25mph, a driver coming in the opposite direction made a right turn across my path. I hit the car on the rear passenger side door, headbutted the roof and went right over the top landing on the road head first, then sliding along the tarmac using my face as a brake.

My two front teeth shattered and exited my mouth between my lip and nose, a hole which needed 30+ stitches to close. My right Humeral head broke from the shaft of the bone, and my shoulder dislocated backwards. I had broken fingers on my left hand, cuts, bruises and roadrash all over. In all, four days in hospital and three months off work. The best bit was that the dislocated shoulder wasn't diagnosed for 10 days and then required an operation to relocate it.

By the way, walking round for 10 days with a dislocated shoulder is not fun, however it is not any where near the record for this forum

 

[Pedrosanchezo]

Only one crash (apologies to the oldies who've heard it before).

Bowling along at about 25mph, a driver coming in the opposite direction made a right turn across my path. I hit the car on the rear passenger side door, headbutted the roof and went right over the top landing on the road head first, then sliding along the tarmac using my face as a brake.

My two front teeth shattered and exited my mouth between my lip and nose, a hole which needed 30+ stitches to close. My right Humeral head broke from the shaft of the bone, and my shoulder dislocated backwards. I had broken fingers on my left hand, cuts, bruises and roadrash all over. In all, four days in hospital and three months off work. The best bit was that the dislocated shoulder wasn't diagnosed for 10 days and then required an operation to relocate it.

By the way, walking round for 10 days with a dislocated shoulder is not fun, however it is not any where near the record for this forum

Holy sh*t!! Sounds very painful and obviously so careless from the driver. Were you wearing a helmet? Sounds like you took some battering.

 

[TVC]

Holy sh*t!! Sounds very painful and obviously so careless from the driver. Were you wearing a helmet? Sounds like you took some battering.

Yes, I was wearing a helmet, but I daren't suggest it might have saved me a cracked bonce because it sets off a massive circular debate around here .

It was pretty painful, I was on so many pain killers I rattled. The driver accepted 100% blame on the spot and her insurance company were first class. The Police broke their own rules by not prosecuting her, however, she punished herself more than any magistrate would have, so it doesn't bother me. Anyway, the compensation was enough to take my girlfriend to Fiji and make her my wife, then spend a month on Honeymoon in Australia. Plus a shiny new carbon bike and a few grand still left in the bank

 

[Pedrosanchezo]

Yes, I was wearing a helmet, but I daren't suggest it might have saved me a cracked bonce because it sets off a massive circular debate around here .

It was pretty painful, I was on so many pain killers I rattled. The driver accepted 100% blame on the spot and her insurance company were first class. The Police broke their own rules by not prosecuting her, however, she punished herself more than any magistrate would have, so it doesn't bother me. Anyway, the compensation was enough to take my girlfriend to Fiji and make her my wife, then spend a month on Honeymoon in Australia. Plus a shiny new carbon bike and a few grand still left in the bank

All is well that ends well mate. Without wanting to rock the boat i am sure your wearing a helmet helped save your noggin as opposed to hindering it. ;-) A wise decision..........
I bet every time you see a car in a similar position your fingers are placed firmly over the brakes! You know, just in case.

 

[TVC]

All is well that ends well mate. Without wanting to rock the boat i am sure your wearing a helmet helped save your noggin as opposed to hindering it. ;-) A wise decision..........
I bet every time you see a car in a similar position your fingers are placed firmly over the brakes! You know, just in case.

I am super aware at any kind of junction now. At the time of the collision I was trying to make eye contact with the bloke driving the big black 4x4 who pulled up to the junction from the left, just to make sure he saw me and didn't pull out. I backed the wrong horse there .
As for covering my brakes, that's what I was doing at the time, and they were first to meet the car, that's how they got broken

 

[palinurus]

Don't remember. I assume it was when I was four or five and had just started riding. Maybe I crashed the trike before that, but I wouldn't be able to remember that. I've crashed a fair few times- although three of those were during one snowy commute and quite a few have been cyclocross related so perhaps those shouldn't count.

First adult crash? can't even remember which one that might've been. I fell off after hitting a pothole on a cyclepath once, hit the door panel of a yellow VW on a roundabout (followed by probably quite amusing arse-slide over the top), I dunno.

 

[bluemint]

I've had a few stupid low speed 'crashes': a bit of diesel, ice, going over the handlebars when trying to go up a drop kerb (?!). My first proper one was a few months ago barrelling down here on the off road cycle path. I join the road after a good look behind as I want to get on the ped island by the roundabout and see a 4x4 some way back so I presume they're not going to slow for the roundabout so I better get there sharpish. Unfortunately, just as I'm hauling the brakes I spot some stone chippings by the island and think "this could go either way here" and the front wheel goes and I go tumbling (spds released nicely). The 4x4 comes by as I'm picking the bike up and she looks concerned, I give a thumbs up and a big smile. Just a bit of a graze to my knee and I was nowhere near as shaken as my other stupid offs, no doubt helped by the fact I was half expecting to come off.

 

[Hacienda71]

I was three or four. Hit a brick going down a hill flipped over the bars and landed cracking the back of my head on the ground. I had a huge lump which my mother 30 odd years on still reminds me about.

There weren't helmets then so no helmet debates

 

[Psycolist]

Just from a confidence point of view, has anybody been riding a number of years and not actually had a crash?

Not one thats been either mine or the bikes fault. Other road users have ridden me into the kerb and rammed me from behind. Nearest i've come to an un-assisted was actually on an small motorbike. The one and only time i took a pillion, took a right turn and I thought the pillion passenger had fallen off, actually had a flat rear wheel but managed to catch it before going over......pure luck