How many times have you crashed and what was the result?

[scottcw2]

After close to 10 years of regular road riding, I had my first crash in early August. I was descending a hill when the front tire caught a slick spot causing the bike to go out from under me. The result was a sprained right shoulder, both elbows and both knees torn open, a large bruise on my right hip, and a trashed helmet, shorts and jersey. I probably won't be fully recovered enough to ride for another couple weeks.

This make me curious how many times others have crashed, how long you have been riding, and the result of the crash(es).

[Charles M]

Cant count the number.

But everything from breaking bones (hand, both wrists, color, ribs, toes, both arms) to, breaking a Trek in half (riden by a guy who decided to do a u turn on a blind corner in a steep hill, to nailing a ferrari and breaking the drivers side window and denting the door and rear fender to going head first into a mail truck (while wearing Christian V's team issued Postal jersey). Broken forks frames wheels, broken pedals and bars, broken a shoe (foot not included...) Taken the mirror off a BMW M6 and actually have hit 4 bmw's :confused: went head on into my friend on a blind corner (he was on my side of the road comming the other way) and broke bike, his color bone, 2 ribs and his jaw but I rode home. I rear ended a motorcycle going down hill as he got pissed that I kept catching him up and slamed on the brakes (he then felt horrible and took very good care of things)

Also a few wrecks where I hit nothing but the ground...

[Fixed]

lost count could count scars though ..my worse sent me to the hospital for a week they almost took my spleen out .. broken ribs ..broken arm
cheers :beer:

[girlie]

Well...2 screws in my right leg.
A couple to the bone road rashes.
Hit the side of a van and then hit the trailer it was pulling head on....while in the Killington Stage Race. This made me have to retire from racing...nerve damage down the left side of my body. It's gotten better over time:)
Had been racing/riding 5 years while all that happened.
One time I was in stage 7 of Toona....the crit. Went down behind Van Gilder and some others (someone maybe Van Gilder broke a collar bone in that crash)....slid for 10 to 15 feet - hit the curb with my helmet/shoulder and was flung up onto my feet. This old man said "Get this girl a chair." I yelled, "Where's my F***ing bike."
girlie

[bigbill]

I don't know how many times.

Separated shoulder twice.
Broken radius, didn't know it until two days and a road race later.
Severe road rash on the arm that was broken, probably why I didn't realize it was broken.
Concussion twice.
The outside of my right calf is a scar over a scar over a scar. Just a patch of scar tissue.
My right ankle bone was showing after one crash. I had to see a dermatologist every other day for a month. The skin grew back.
Two broken fingers on my right hand.
Lastly, the outside of my right foot is scarred from a crash on a fast off camber turn. I slid so far that the side ripped out of my shoe. Good hip pointer from that one as well.

[stackie]

I was starting to think I really sucked. Of course, I'm sure that many of you have put down way more miles than me. I've had 4 crashes that I remember in 20 years.

1. Slid out in corner after rainstorm washed gravel into it. Road rash and cracked chainstay.

2. Taken out from behind by car in San Diego. Concussion, road rash. Bike worked over pretty badly. Lady's insurance paid over $1800 to have frame inspected painted, and any damaged components replaced.

3. Hit pothole in San Diego, thought it had been repaired. It was, just not very well. Remember flying through the air wondering what happened to my bike. Bike pretty much ok. Me: grade 5 AC separation, concussion, herniated disk.

4. Sideswiped by car this march. Car ran. Bike: front wheel out of true. Brifters trashed. Me: fractured radius and ulna, concussion.

I seem to notice that the better the bike fares, the worse I fare.

I also think that 2008 has been the worst year for cyclists that I can remember. Everyone I know has been having bad crashes.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[Fixed]

once when i first started messengering i went to pick up lunch to go .. the plastic bag got stuck in my front wheel. i went over the bars and whacked my head good ..another trip to the hosp. i had all this long hair thing going they shaved it and sewed me up .. i didn't cut the rest of my hair left it shaved on top and long everywhere else ... i don't miss days like that now that i am not a messenger anymore
cheers

[girlie]

once when i first started messengering i went to pick up lunch to go .. the plastic bag got stuck in my front wheel. i went over the bars and whacked my head good ..another trip to the hosp. i had all this long hair thing going they shaved it and sewed me up .. i didn't cut the rest of my hair left it shaved on top and long everywhere else ... i don't miss days like that now that i am not a messenger anymore
cheers

What happened to lunch? Was it saved or did it get your bike all dirty?

[gone]

Twice, details here (http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=34135) and here (http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?p=162291#post162291).

To briefly hit the highlights of both. The first one resulted in lots of road rash, badly separated collar bone (surgically repaired 6 months later), collapsed lung, 2 days in hospital.

Second one more serious. Broken neck at c2/c3 (unstable) resulting in 6 weeks in a halo, severe facial lacerations all over (they stitched on my face for 3.5 hours), lips smashed to bits, bottom one nearly cut in half, couldn't eat anything except jello/cream of wheat/etc for 6 weeks. Several days in hospital. Lots o' fun.

The good news is that in both accidents the bikes I was on weren't hurt a bit :D

[michael white]

going to church once, actually, with dress shoes tied on handlebars. Of course they went into the brake, what did you expect. Collarbone still has strange right angles in it.

many other, too. I hit the ground pretty often. Pavement gets harder the older you get.

[Steve in SLO]

6-8 road; >20 ATB

Worst: Breaking a Campy quill pedal while in an uphill sprint...thought I'd exploded a sensitive body part on the top tube as I went down. Luckily, only a bit of road rash, once the pain went away.
Actually, I did this twice, back when I was strong.

Most embarrassing/lame: 0 mph trying to clip out of SPDs on uphill trail...this happend at least 5x when I started using SPDs. Fortunately, all of these were oly witnessed by my dog, who kept quiet in exchange for a small portion of my post-ride beer.

[Fixed]

What happened to lunch? Was it saved or did it get your bike all dirty?
it was toast
glad i am not a messenger anymore
cheers

[scottcw2]

it was toast
glad i am not a messenger anymore
cheers

You had toast for lunch?

[girlie]

You had toast for lunch?

And carry it in a bag?
Sorry you went down:(

[Fixed]

the bike was toast the lunch was for the boss
cheers :beer:

[rustychisel]

it was toast

cheers


Splutter!!!!! [COFFEE ALERT]!!!!

best answer...

[chuckroast]

Probably a half dozen or so times over the last 21 years of adult riding. A couple of those were MTB so I don't really count them (although I had one particularly spectacular face plant when I failed to clear a log duh). A couple of others were slipping on icy roads. I had been clean since 2005 until a couple of weeks ago when I passed a construction site and slipped up on some dirt in a corner.

Worst injury was a dislocated shoulder in 1989. I used to think that you needed to crash every once in a while or you just weren't trying hard enough. This latest one though convinced me I'm getting too old to think that anymore.

Fixed, when did you stop being a messenger?

[regularguy412]

Three 'serious' crashes:

1. Broadsided by an oncoming pickup truck that was turning LEFT across my lane and into a driveway. Left knee went thru the grille of the truck. No serious internal injuries, but my knee was cut pretty badly, as was my left ankle. Trashed my Cannondale's wheels. I traded the frame in shortly thereafter for another one,, the 2.8 Series. The settlement money helped on that occasion.

2. Clipped a guy's wheel while pulling back into the rear of the paceline while the 5 of us were off the front chasing down 2 other breakers. Didn't crash right away, but managed to go head-long off the side of the road into a ditch that was about eight feet deep. Hit something buried in the grass HARD with the front wheel. The impact sent me over the bars with a flip. Second degree left shoulder separation. Took about two weeks to get over that one.

3. Out for a training ride with 'the guys'. Was second in the paceline about to start climbing a hill going approx 20 mph. Guy in front hit a six-foot piece of strap aluminum. It couldn't be seen due to long shadows across the pavement. He bounced it as he rode over, but it somehow got wrapped into my front wheel/fork and locked it up. Again I go over the bars. I landed on the back of my left shoulder as I tried to roll with the fall. I heard my left collar bone snap. It was louder than the sound the fork made when IT snapped. Collar bone ended up in three pieces. The fork was barely still in one piece -- held together by only 2 small pieces of aluminum just below where the legs were bonded to the crown. Spent eight weeks in a figure-8 sling, sleeping in the recliner. Was back on the indoor trainer by week 2 after the accident. :D

Plenty of other, minor spills at low speed. No excitement there, thankfully.

Mike in AR :beer:

[northbend]

fallen countless times on MTBs, very few times on a road bike in 30 years of riding as an adult, nothing serious till june 30 this year when my crankarm snapped. broken collarbone and rib

[kerrycycle]

I'm a racer & race at least 20 races per year & train 6 days a week...hence the chance for going down goes up significantly. Been riding 6 years and have had only 5 real spills (nothing major), but have avoided many more by actively watching everything around me, good bike handling skills, and learning when to push back (i.e. on cars or other riders).

[RIHans]

Orlando, I believe. Racing in a kinda big crit, it was around a park. Had cobbles on on leg.
Going fast, front wheel washes out on the cobbles in a corner, down hard on the hip and elbow.
Ambulance, paramedic says "Bit down on this towel, it's gonna hurt. We're going to use the brush" This is on the open raspberry wound.
Never forget it.

[Elefantino]

Oh, a few. The notables:

1990: T-boned a Caddy that was pulling out of a driveway. Rolled over the hood. No broken bones. And the bike was, miraculously, fine.

2001: Back of the paceline, didn't get out of the way of a tree branch in time. It got stuck in my front end (broke the carbon frame), flipped me head over bars and I landed on my head. Broken neck, paralysis (central cord syndrome), fusion surgery, four months in rehab learning to use my hands and arms again, have to take prescription drugs that won't allow me to drink anymore.

2003: Wheel touch during a century, down hard, another concussion (I've had so many I've lost count). But two slamming Red Bulls helped me finish the ride!

[Fixed]

P

Fixed, when did you stop being a messenger?
got a promotion
administrative office coordinator
cheers

[johnnymossville]

I really dislike talking about past crashes. there have been a few. :)

[Tom]

Scary thought.

One really silly one where I hit a post looking at this girl on campus. Great recovery, though, I simply cartwheeled bike and all onto the grass. She laughed at me, I shrugged. Out of my league anyway so no biggie.

Only ones before that was when I tried to ride across a frozen pond. Twice. Then I realized it probably wouldn't work.

[little.man]

I also think that 2008 has been the worst year for cyclists that I can remember. Everyone I know has been having bad crashes.



+1
4 broken clavicles so far this year in my relatively small club.

Crashed twice myself this year and broke mine back in April. 1st crash in a race in 10 years of racing. Guess I was due. First one this year was due to another rider overlapping wheels, going down and sending his bike into the front of mine. Flipped over the bars and remember the back of my helmet hitting, then landing on my back. Had a vest in there, so added padding may have helped. Must have looked really bad though cause everyone seemed more than willing to cut the training ride short at that point.

Second one was at the start of a road race. Course they start it at the top of a steep hill, 30+mph in less than 200 meters, then big crash occurs, I try to avoid, but front wheel washes out in gravel at the side of the road and I land on my shoulder/side. Walked the bike back up the hill to DNF. Shortest race I was ever in. Shoulder hurt, but did not really think it was broken until xrays a few days later proved otherwise. Dr did not think it was broken either when she first looked at it. Kept riding by myself for the next 4 weeks. It was broke at the end, so the muscle held it together pretty well.

Quite a few other crashes over the years. And some near misses.

[scottcw2]

Out of my league anyway so no biggie.

No such thing...