My first crash...



BugMan

New Member
Jul 4, 2003
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Well... my first crash in a race anyway.

Only about 5 minutes into a 40+5 crit - I was taking the outside line on a high speed turn launching into a long climb. I was in the front 15 or so and feeling good. Suddenly this kid 2 bikes up freaks and cuts wide, taking out the rider in front of me... and me! We were doing about 25 mph - I flipped completely over the guy in front of me, landed on my back and head, and slid off the road. Despite all that, I'm fine - just a few scrapes. I hopped back on the bike, but my front shifter was bent in so I couldn't get the chain on the big chainring. One of my seat rails was also bent so my saddle was all lopsided. I got up the hill and went to the officials and asked for a free lap - they said go to the wheel pit. Right when I got there, the field was coming around again and the official there said get back in now or your out. I tried but without my big chainring I just couldn't catch them.

I found the kid afterwards and gave him $hit. He said somebody else took him out, but I told him from where I sat it looked like his fault. He muttered something as I rode away so I went back and asked him what he said. He just clammed up, so I figured I made my point. I was actually quite restrained, although I'm sure the kid still thinks I'm an @$$hole.

I started racing road races last year but avoided crits because of the reputation they have for crashes. People told me don't worry about it, so I started doing crits this year. Every crit I've done I've had a crash happen right in front of me but was somehow able to keep from going down. They finally got me in my 7th crit. The funny thing is that where it happened was like the last place I would've expected any problem - then boom it just happened so fast it was over before I even knew what was going on.

Have I officially been initiated now?

Was I an @SShole to the kid?

Am I a dork for caring?

Man, now I need a new saddle!
 
Originally posted by BugMan

I started racing road races last year but avoided crits because of the reputation they have for crashes.
:confused:

I hear you about crits. Now I'm not an expert, actually just a rank beginner. But one thing that makes me angry is that some guys who race crits seem to get all steamed up about holding one position, gaining one position, and will ride aggressively or even dangerously in order to preserve that neglible advantage. Now, at the sprint, sure - there's gonna be some jossling. Outside of the sprint, a strong rider only has him or herself to blame for getting in a bad position. In the end one wheel position isnt going to win or lose you a race, anyway!!

Why are some guys prepared to risk their own injury and expensive bike repairs for the sake of a few positions??

cheers
 
i assume you are asking me what a crit is, in that case i don't know, but i bet it's gonna be the point of this thread.
 
A crit...(short for criterium) is a short circuit, usually around a couple of blocks and usually less than 1 mile. Most races will go on for 30 to 60 min. (+ 5 laps) depending on the race category. It's very fast, aggressive and exciting. If you've never crashed at high speed try crit racing where you will eventually.
 
damn, that sounds like so much fun, i was recently thinking about organizing some races in the town that i live in, as there are none, and i didn't even know what a crit was. cool.
 
Originally posted by 4900Rockpock
what is the point of this thread?

i think the point of the thread is that it is a cycling story and this is a cycling forum :)

I'm sorry about your crash Bugman, just glad you're ok...

I'm still wigged out this evening after my wife had a bad spill this morning while we were riding to get coffee with friends... She didn't cut the run up a driveway sharp enough and her front wheel dragged right as her body continued to go left...

I was right behind her and saw the bike just yank out from under her as she went chin first into the pavement... I still hear that sound of body slamming into concrete and it makes me shake...

She banged up her knees pretty good and has 8 stitches in her chin... Her hand is hurting pretty bad as well, but the doctor said that there are no breaks and its more of an impact trauma...

She's a brave one... only the smallest whimper as we were waiting for the ambulance and she was sitting up on the sidewalk with blood gushing out of her chin :(

One nice thing about a small town though is that about every piece of emergency equipment showed up! THe fire truck, paramedic truck, ambulance, and two police cars! I swear there were about 12 emergency folk on the scene :) She felt famous :)

I'm proud of her for how she bore it all, maybe I ought to go and tell her that :| But I'm just a dumb inarticulate male... damn...

Maybe that's why I'm here writing so much tonight, nervous energy...

Feanor
 
My first crash was when I had just gotten my first bike. I was somewhat wobbly. I held the handlebars but didn’t steer. I wound up going over an embankment. I just sort of tipped over at the side of the road and landed in the weeds. I was six years old at the time. I’ve since crashed while crossing wet railroad tracks, on loose gravel, rough roads, etc. I’ve also been hit by cars twice. The worst crash was on broken pavement on a fast downhill section. My head sort of whipped onto the surface with a snapping sound. When I got up, I had a bent wheel, torn clothing, road rash, and a cracked helmet.
 
my worst one was while riding just a training ride. my best mate, my brother and his best friend were riding, and i had just pulled off the front. i was winded, and not really with it, i guess. when i went to duck in behind, i clipped my brother's rear wheel. i dont remember much else :) i managed to get out FU...., they tell me. the next thing i remember is the lights from the squad. let's face it, if you ride hard enough, long enough, you are going to take a spill. all you can hope for is that it is minor, and that you come out okay.
 
aaaah, i see now, i thought he just made it to say his first big crash, but now everyone is telling their first crash, i guess i'll join in.

My first crash was when i was learning to ride(no really?), and i was goin along without any cares, when suddenly the big ugly curb of doom/death came up. to make a short story shorter, i ended up flipping over the handle bars, flew in the air about a distance of five feet, and landed on, yippee, a rock, in the middle of a nice grassy, soft knoll, and i landed on the only rock.


Then the bike landed on me. oh boy, that made me want to ride again, uh huh, yessiree.
 
yeah crits are a potential crash zone....but such is the nature of the sport...

my last crash in a crit I locked bars with another rider and went over onto my head and shoulder......( helmet smashed to bits ) I came up into a sitting position on the road and all I could hear was bikes locking up behind me....next thing one of the riders hit me in the back ( broke his wheel and cracked my ribs ) I then started crawling for the side of the road and got whacked again by another rider....completely rooted my bike......(which also got run-over)

crash was one of those things, nobody to blame, just gotta remember 'rubbin is racing'.......
 
yeah crits are a potential crash zone....but such is the nature of the sport...

my last crash in a crit I locked bars with another rider and went over onto my head and shoulder......( helmet smashed to bits ) I came up into a sitting position on the road and all I could hear was bikes locking up behind me....next thing one of the riders hit me in the back ( broke his wheel and cracked my ribs ) I then started crawling for the side of the road and got whacked again by another rider....completely rooted my bike......(which also got run-over)

crash was one of those things, nobody to blame, just gotta remember 'rubbin in racing'.......
 
Lots of years ago... Was pedaling home from school, a car passed me then promptly turned right (in front of me) and STOPPED before it had left the road we were on! B****r!
Tried braking but it was way too late. I hit it hard just in front of the rear wheel (2 door car) but had braked enough not to tip over. My ride at the time was VERY sturdy and weighed 20KG. The bike and me were both fine afterwards but the car had a huge dent where I hit it. The car driver never got out, just checked that I was okay and drove off. Must have been really disappointed when he checked his car afterwards though. ;)
 
Lets hear some race crashes, there more exciting than running into a curb (sorry :) ) Anyways, in an XC race I managed to clip a tree with my shoulder while on the single track, took a turn too quick or something, damn tree reached out and slapped me. My bike was alright though, it finished the race with no problems!
 
Originally posted by BugMan

I found the kid afterwards and gave him $hit. He said somebody else took him out, but I told him from where I sat it looked like his fault. He muttered something as I rode away so I went back and asked him what he said. He just clammed up, so I figured I made my point. I was actually quite restrained, although I'm sure the kid still thinks I'm an @$$hole.

Why bother giving the kid a hard time. Crashes will always happen in races, riders will always makes mistakes and some day its very likely it will be you making the mistake and crashing, possibly taking out others. Its the way racing goes. You have now been initiated. get used to it... :)
 
Originally posted by BugMan

Only about 5 minutes into a 40+5 crit - I was taking the outside line on a high speed turn launching into a long climb. I was in the front 15 or so and feeling good. Suddenly this kid 2 bikes up freaks and cuts wide, taking out the rider in front of me... and me! We were doing about 25 mph - I flipped completely over the guy in front of me, landed on my back and head, and slid off the road.
Ouch! That sort of thing is one of the reasons I don't race so much.
I found the kid afterwards and gave him $hit. He said somebody else took him out, but I told him from where I sat it looked like his fault. He muttered something as I rode away so I went back and asked him what he said. He just clammed up, so I figured I made my point. I was actually quite restrained, although I'm sure the kid still thinks I'm an @$$hole.

Have I officially been initiated now?
Yep. Crashing is part of the package, especially in amateur level races.
Was I an @SShole to the kid?

Absolutely. You acted just like the jocks I went to high school with. The only thing you failed to do was gang up on him with a couple of other guys and throw him in the dumpster. This isn't the pro racing circuit, for god's sake. If you felt that you had some wisdom to share with the kid, you should have gone up to him and explained nonconfrontationally how he could have avoided causing the accident. Maybe it was his first race, and he didn't know the importance of holding his line through a turn.

Am I a dork for caring?

It's irritating when you get a bunch of road rash and a broken bike because someone else screwed up, but it happens. Either live with the risk or stop riding crits.

--Josh
 
Have you ever hit a bump hard enough to get the death wobbles? My first racing crash was exactly that. I tried to wrestle control of the bike, over correcting and bouncing all over the place. It seemed to go on for eternity.

I ended up in a heap, but everyone managed to get around me safely. I spent 5 days in hospital witha broken elbow, once I was fit again, it was back on the bike, and back to racing. It's a small (and painful) price to pay for the enjoyment of the game