CRASH!!!!

;D Last weekend I had not one, but two HUGE high speed crashes. (Some don't learn)
Crash No 1.
Winding jeep track, long, sweeping hill and lots of jumps. 30kms into our training ride and heading back home to our usual coffee-shop rendevous at +-45km/h. Tight turn to the left and foolishly I cut the corner, right into a hole. BANG!! Bike stops, I don't. Fortunately I managed to do a softish landing (considering the speed). Banged my knee on the handlebars. (No problem, adrenalin is pumping so I don't feel a thing . . . yet)
Back on the bike, my knee starts swelling and getting stiff. mmm, I'm a MTB Stud, I'll ride through it.

Crash No. 2

No further than 5kms later we're faced with some of the best single track in the whole of Johannesburg. About 2 kms of twisty single track all downhill!! ;D
There we go, not having to pedal at all to get up to a healthy speed. (Or in my case, not so healthy) I remembered an article I had read which said to go faster, try and brake less than you fell you have to. So I don't brake (much).
A switch to the left and the front wheel drifts, BANG!!! right into an eroded furrow. Front wheel stops, me and the rest of the bike doesn't. This time it hurt. Landed face first, closely followed by my shoulder, then my swollen knee. But, being a seasoned crash-test dummy, I roll and as I surface BANG, bike lands on my head. Thanks helmet.

Needless to say I was a bit of a girls blouse for the rest of the ride opting to ride the last 5kms on road.

So there's my war story . . .

Tell us about yours :

 

OUCH! Glad you are able to walk/limp away from that.

Where about in Jo'burg do you ride. I bought myself a MTB last year and have only really taken it on a course once. I'm looking for some fun places to ride it but must be honest I havnt looked to hard.

 

Glad you're OK.
I wasn’t so lucky! I went riding one day at the Honeydew quarry north of JHB, my friend came along to see what MTBing was all about. Naturally I want to give him a good show and pointed him down the course and told him to go stand next to the huge 4m long tabletop.

Once he was in place I started down the course gathering more and more speed in order to clear the huge jump. I usually ride the course slowly the first time to check its condition and if they had made any changes but this time I didn't, biiiiig mistake. I hit the jump and launched high into the air, here's when things started to go all pear shaped as I noticed that the landing had been washed away due to the previous nights rain.

I landed in the washout with my front wheel first, went over the bars and hit the ground with my left elbow, the rest of my body followed. The result a broken collarbone.

 

OUCH!!!

I have some of the nastiest bruises you have ever seen!

Glad everyone is ok!

 

Amazing how we all get back on (if we can) and ride again. Confidence a little bruised but it'll be back before long.

The ride was from Paulshof through Midrand and back past fourways etc. We eventually went through Helderfontein Estates and back to Paulshof. The ride was tough and seeing as there were some of the Novell MSC team riders there, the pace was also quite hectic.

I don't know whether I *bonked* or whether I was just punch drunk but I felt horrid on the last few hills.

I'm back on the bike already and did a hard road training ride and will do another tomorrow morning.

Can't stop the rat . . .

 

L_R, you got that right, for some reason we always seem to saddle up for more punishment

 

My worst crashes were at 24 Hours of Snowshoe 2000.While walking my bike with a couple dozen other "riders" down a long rooty downhill during my night lap,I alerted the riders in front of me that I was going to give it the old college try.I was using a Shwinn Mod-light helmet set-up with my battery pack stuffed into my Camel-Bak.At this particular race, the moisture just seemed to ooze from the mountainside.Anyways,as I got about 50 yards or so ahead of the others,my front tire caught on a root or rock or something,and as I went over the handlebars my Camel-Bak and battery went over as well.(Guess I should have fastened that little strap at the bottom.)So as I got up I became completely entangled in all the straps and wires.While I was still putting myself back together,the front "rider" came walking by and somewhat sarcastically said "So, how ya doin'". Though I had several other noteworthy crashes during this event,this rather embarrassing moment is probably the most memorable :-[

 

;D Nothing wrong with giving it a go. Doesn't say much for the sarcastic fellow though. Perhaps he's more suited to hiking.

I'm of the "If you don't crash, you're not trying hard enough" school of thought.

 

About a month ago me and my usual riding mate hooked up with 4 other blokes who emailed us to come with them.
"Why not" ;D
So we did (well the "why not" was a big enough hint I thought :)
Anyways, one of the guys wanted to show us his North Shore ramps in the forest. ;D
10 minutes in he was riding over, stacked it and broke his neck.
Was pretty hard to deal with. Riding with a guy who now could no longer walk! :'( ???
But he was really lucky. He broke his C4 neck bone bt didn't pinch any spinal cords. They operated and fused C3-5 together.
After waiting 1 long hour for the ambos (they got lost!) we decided to go for a qwik spin. Now the guy I usually ride with wore a helmet on this day for the first time (an old skooler).
I always wear one and he copped a bit of flack and gave in. 8)
Another 20 minutes of kick-ass riding ensues then BAM! He breaks his collarbone! :-X

I didn't go riding on Sunday....

Both are ok now btw

 

oh yeah - he broke the helmet in half!
forgot that bit....d-oh

 

Yup, just goes to show you.<br /><br />I need to go out on the MTB this weekend. Haven't ridden offroad for weeks.

 

Is this off road enough for you?? ;D

 

RoKeMS<br />Mate, it looks like your tyre is on fire in the pic? I did a couple of laps of Pelindaba Classic this morning. Enough hills to last me a while! ;D

 

Eldrons philoloshpy for the day:<br /><br />Never precede any action woth the word &quot;watch this&quot;......

 

philoloshpy? egads my keyboard hates me!

 

[quote author=Eldron link=board=13;threadid=746;start=0#22421 date=1036995615]<br />Eldrons philoloshpy for the day:<br /><br />Never precede any action woth the word &quot;watch this&quot;......<br />[/quote]<br /><br /> ;D hehe Good advice!

 

hehehe ;D ;D<br /><br />Watch this. . . (It isn't me by the way.)

 

Reminds me of myself at a intersection in Linden....<br />Lying on my side fully clipped in and unable to move...<br />Three cars full of people at the uintersection pointing and laughing :-[

 

Nearly got taken out on the Pelindaba Classic at the weekend. Small herd of 6 kudu came crashing out of the dense bush in a full gallop towards me from my left with no warning or time to react. I'm on a downhill and 4 passed in front of me and 2 behind. The one in front no more than a couple of metres. And I've been telling my roadie mates that MTBing is not really more dangerous than roading, just more spectacular. ;D ;D Collecting a kudu in a gallop would be like getting hit by a car!

 

Wow OT, what a story that one would be if you had hit them? Be sure to get into the newspapers... Pity it would probably be with a few broken limbs. I've been MTB'ing with a group of wildebeest trying to figure out whether to join their mates on my right by going in front or behind... One tried in front, the rest got scared : (Yeah Yeah, I am that ugly!!)