Your First Crash

[damosneeze]

I was returning from a short 25-mile ride that included sufficient elevation climbing. In my neck of the woods, this is pretty common. The road ahead was clear. I checked behind me for traffic, then reached for the drops. All good. With serotonin-fulled exuberance, I bolted down a short decline and darted into a right-left, one-way chicane. Coming out of the left's apex, I got off my seat to keep pace at around 30 mph, easily breezing up the short 40-foot climb. Reaching flat, I noticed a stop sign ahead, and decided to postpone braking in favor of speed and the wind in my face. When I finally pulled, I could have been cast for a kung fu flick. Straight over the handlebars, my bike flipping with me. Hilariously embarrassing. The aftermath left me with two levers curiously bent inwards like some failed attempt at aerodynamics, and, it goes without saying, a severely bruised ego. I mended these wounds by laughing at myself, and thinking to myself how much worse it could have been, physically speaking, than a few scrapes on the knees. The remaining two miles home were ridden quite gingerly, with an ambivalent consciousness as I struggled to understand this quizzical mix of serotonin, adrenaline, and shame. Again, I dealt with the situation with laughter. Thank god I was riding alone.

How about you?

 

[alienator]

I was about 10 years old. Some friends in the neighborhood and I had built a ramp that at the top was about three feet high. To build it we used a sheet of plywood and some bricks. I was the one to test it, so I rode at the ramp with a nice head of steam. As I went up the ramp and neared the top, the brick stack collapsed resulting in me veering off to the right of the sidewalk and into a lamp post. I hit with my right shoulder and torso. It definitely knocked the breath out of me and left that shoulder sore for quite a while.

 

[maydog]

Was your jump like this?

My first was in college, my first time out mountain biking. Downhill, no helmet, I took a header into a massive oak tree. Knocked some bark off the tree and had a small cut on head, they guy I was riding with was dumbfounded - he though i was deat. I was OK no concussion or anything. My front wheel was tacoed to hell, I had to bend it back into shape the best that I could to ride back to campus.

 

[JohnyRain]

I was racing in the Tucson Mountains back in AZ several years ago. I had been dropped by the pack and was pushing hard with one other guy to get back to them. We spotted two other younger riders ahead. After finally catching them, we were taking turns pulling, but couldn't get the two younger guys to take a turn on the lead. Finally one of them did for just a few seconds and I made the error of lapping his wheel. When he pulled out I was dumped so fast I didn't know what happened - all my fault! I had road rash on both knees, both elbows and my arms. We were doing about 26 MPH and I am convinced that my helmet saved my life. I sent the company an e-mail and photo and they replaced my Ironman Pro at no cost! The bike frame wasn't hurt, but one of my rims was trashed!

 

[danfoz]

Two man pace line in 1982. Wheels overlapped, my buddy changed lines and I was the lucky fella sucking wheels one minute, sucking pavement the next. I wasn't wearing a helmet that day, luckily I landed on my chin.

 

[alienator]

Was your jump like this?

No, my jump wasn't sweet like that one.

 

[Jimber]

Riding double down an alley when I was a kid my friend popped a wheelie and I tried to keep us from flipping by putting my feet on the ground. Unfortunately I had no control and my heels went into the spokes. We stopped alright. I don't remember how many spokes I shattered but 40 years later you can still see the scars.