[Closed] Dealing with the side effects of a big off

Yup. Broke 5 bones in my wrist last Oct time and had 10 weeks with my right wrist in a cast. Buggered up my ability to work, ride, drive, swim or do anything I normally do.

Touched my mountain bike far less this year and used the road bike more. Tend to run in the hills more than ride trails these days...

Broken bones as a yoof are fun. As an adult they are a proper hinderance and no fun!

pretty natural to be concerned and it may well impact on your riding long term.

what/where/how often did/do you ride, how did you crash.

there might be ways to reduce the risk so that you are happy with it, that might impact on the type of bike you buy. end of the day people can suffer pretty devastating injuries hill running or road riding.

(i did google life changing golf injuries, but from p.1 you are probably ok unless its a VW Golf)

Ive heard golf is bad for your back.. 😆

Theres possibility of injury in any sport. Analyse what went wrong.. learn from mistake.. carry on as you were.... Oh and MTFU

I had some decent offs when I was younger and have broken collarbones 3 times, wrists twice and my leg. Don't think I've come close to a serious back injury so not sure how I'd feel at that point. After the crashes I've had I can't say I was overly mentally affected, it did take me a while each time to get back up to the sort of speeds I was achieving pre accident.

I have slowed down as I get older but it's more down to a feeling of responsibility towards my GF and son more than worrying about physical damage itself.

Nowadays I generally ride within myself, which doesn't always mean slowly and whenever I'm riding blind I go steady until I know the place. I think you should just sit on any insurance payout and leave any decision until you are much further into recovery, no point making rash decisions. If you really love the sport you won't give it up, you can just engage with it in a less risky way. And the longer you wait to buy the more mooching time you have and the better deal you'll get.

I feel for you.
After 2 years of misery, 2 breaks (not from mtbiking though) and a tumble 11 days ago, where I had to carried off the hill side and am now once again on crutches. I really think it's time to hang up my 5.10s.
Even after a skills course a few weeks ago (the chap was amazing) my head is in such a bad place. Also it's really rocky where we ride and a big off for me will more or less result in some sort of hospital visit and time off work.

Maybe for you it will be different and you'll be getting back into the saddle in a few months.

Hope your recovery runs smoothly.

Natural reaction. My response depends on how serious your injury was. When I learnt how serious my wife's neck injury was I told her not to take up riding, not work the risk of an otb putting her I a wheel chair. That being said on the basis a normal off won't be serious just take it easy and work your way back into it, perhaps a bit more xc. I'd say just replace the frame/broken bits, again perhaps something a bit more xc. If it makes you feel better buy a back protector. Lastly, epreally work on the physio/rehab as more confidence will flow from knowing your body has recovered.

think about what caused the crash, was it something that you could do differently now you have the experience, or was it just complete random bad luck.

ie now you know what caused the crash, could you prevent it if the circumstances happened again in the future, if so, just ride on and dont do what caused this crash, if it was just random bad luck then MTFU or take up road biking.

Different sport but I went for a really straightforward scuba dive then woke up on the surface surrounded by a rescue team. I'd been given cpr and oxygen and owe my life to my dive buddy who saw what happened and got me to the surface. Plus I was at a site where another group had been practicing rescue drills all day and had all the kit at the water's edge.

I had no lasting physical problems but the mental side was a different story and for me it turned out to be the triggerthat pushed a lot of other mental health problems to the fore.

I eventually walked away from diving and sold my kit. My biggest obstacle wasn't losing the activity itself, it was losing my place in a close group of people. Tbh I think I made that decision in the back of the ambulance but it took another 6 months to accept it.

So in summary I think you may already know which way you're going on this, and will do it once it feels right. Paradoxically for me it was the extra time from not diving that got me into riding bikes, so there is a positive outcome.

Insurance??? I wasn't even thinking of that sort of thing - would I be covered in any way?

I ride probably 2-4 times a week round Cheltenham / Forest of Dean and it is something I love but now I'm sat here on the sofa contemplating the future and the risks of continuing.

The off was basically going over a small drop (tiny) I caught the chainring on the lip and I end up rolling down a steep chute on my front wheel. Ended up going over the bars and hitting the tree. So basic but such a stupid mistake and I've hit bigger stuff no problem and normally ride much faster/harder. I think that makes it worse in that it was some unlucky off which came close to life changing.

What I'd do differently would be to fall off earlier next time rather than trying to ride it out and be more careful on lips like this

💡 Sports psychologist ❓

I had a big off 4 weeks ago, no major injuries, bruised rib is still not healed fully yet.

The biggest problem was the concussion, I can't remember it, was confused afterwards (my brother in law had to argue with me to get to a&e) I thought I was fine apparently, but every couple of minutes I wanted to stop and fix the wheel, then ask what had happened. I can laugh about it now but will be more cautious next time.

I've decided to change the type of riding I do. I had been pushing myself to do more and more technical stuff, trying jumps etc. I'll be going back to doing longer rides in the Cotswolds rather than trail centre type stuff. I used to enjoy the adventure of getting out there so I'll get my confidence back with that type of riding.

Broke my wrist last year put me out for a few weeks and another off at race put me out for about 2 months with a knee injury. Neither of these really dented my confidence, however this year I've had quite a few minor crashes and I completely lost my mojo which I'm only just starting to get back after changing bikes.

The off was basically going over a small drop (tiny) I caught the chainring on the lip and I end up rolling down a steep chute on my front wheel. Ended up going over the bars and hitting the tree. So basic but such a stupid mistake and I've hit bigger stuff no problem and normally ride much faster/harder. I think that makes it worse in that it was some unlucky off which came close to life changing

I was in a similar position 18mths ago. My bar caught on an unseen rope swing on a downslope, which catapulted me off the bike, landing flat on my back from about 8 feet up. The fact it resulted from a silly/freak accident actually made it worse in some ways, as if I had been going for it on something a bit more extreme I could have rationalised the accident as par for the course.

I 'only' fractured my coccyx, and had to take a couple of months off riding.
I took me a good few months to regain full confidence, and the loss of fitness was depressing in itself.
However, you need to take a look at yourself and decide..... Am I someone who happens to ride a mountain bike, and any other sport will do? Or am I a mountain biker? Sounds cheesy as anything, but I've been riding MTBs since I was 14 - 26 years in all - so it's just ingrained in my psyche! If you love the sport you'll come back to it....wiser, maybe more cautious, potentially a better rider, and definitely more aware of small drop-offs (b*stard rope-swings in my case!)

Get well soon

Went OTB and concussed myself at one of the inaugural UKGE rounds in 2011, my fault as I was new to the sport, had no idea what I was getting into and took a short travel XC type hardtail to ride....with no dropper post to boot.

Made me think about my choice of bike and the events I wanted to enter.

Replaced with slacker angled full suspension bike and started brushing up on skills with YouTube vids, gradually pushing myself at 'safe' venues like BPW, FoD etc until I started to feel confident with steep stuff, drops, jumps etc....

Still far from polished with my riding but happy to try most stuff now, it's been a four year process.....these things can't be rushed!
Loads of things I still won't ride but with breaking the theory down in my head and starting small I get there in the end.

+1 for thepurist if you're not feeling it anymore move on to something different, there's loads of cool outdoorsy stuff to try and life's to short to worry about how to have fun!

No question, a lot of us go through some significant shit which can stay with us for much longer than it takes for the wounds to heal and the scars fade.

For years after certain events one can suffer flash backs and random episodes of complete disorientation where one might not know who or where they are.

In your case (OP) I'd suggest the following.
If you still feel the irrepressible need to ride, then do so, any way you want.

However, if you're unsure or feel some degree of reluctant to swing your leg over a bike. Then don't.

There are alternatives and thankfully for you theres always tomorrow and you never know. Your experience may lead you in another direction entirely, or to return to cycling, at any, yet to be defined date in the future.

Lets face it, cycling ain't going away, so we'll see you on two wheels again, when you're ready.

🙂

I had a horrible crash two years ago at FoD. You may have seen the video, (it was in Singletrack's midweek movies!) which makes me look like someone who really can't ride a bike (suffice to say that I can!) Miraculously I didn't break anything but I had a scary six hours immobilised with a suspected broken neck. The accident was a result of a series of very poor decisions when sleep deprived and physically and mentally tired on the first day of long weekend away from my wife and few month old baby.

My fear of "bad luck" accidents hasn't been helped by a colleague being brain damaged a year ago when he fell out of a tree. It's very scary how fast life can change...

Anyway, here's how I've dealt with it:

1. A longer slacker lower full-sus that is less tiring on big/gnarly rides, more confidence inspiring and looks after me better in those more challenging moments (previously I was riding everything on my hardtail).
2. Armour - knee pads always, pack with back protector always, elbow pads and fullface sometimes.
3. Practice - working on the things that I ride badly or scare me.
4. Coaching - I went to see Jedi a few months, had a lot of minor issues sorted out and my practise is now better.
5. Stretching, yoga, foam roller etc. Anything to help my body move better as I head towards 40.
6. Strength training - some bodyweight stuff, some weights (deadlifts are great if you had the space for a bar and big pile of weights!)
7. Better self-awareness - knowing the difference between being scared but still 100% committed and being so scared that there is a loss of commitment/confidence/concentration. Currently I have issues with certain drops and most gaps - I want to do them but I'm not just going to hurtle and hope because I want to ride them well rather than get lucky and survive. Do it well or leave it for another day. If I don't feel I'm going to ride it well I don't try it.

So I guess I've tried to reduce the probability of crashing, reduce the chance of it being a bad one and make me better able to survive it (armour, flexibility, strength).

In your case the accident being so serious was indeed bad luck but the accident wasn't - as you said you went off a small drop wrong (fix the technique!) and caught a chainring (add a bash ring/guard!), went over the bars (longer/slacker bike and more upper body strength!) and smacked your back into a tree (armour!)

I'm not sure I'll ever get my pre-crash confidence back but I'm still managing to ride quicker and hit gnarlier stuff (for me!) And definitely enjoying it as much as ever. But it isn't compulsory, there are many other ways to pass the time if you find it can't be fun again.

Good luck!

Massive crash 2 yrs ago, unconscious, ambulance, few days in hospital, plastic surgery, still got some problems, then 8 weeks to the day later got taken out in the velodrome, unconscious again and another ambulance, whiplash. Getting back on MTB after a month was OK but lots of demons and eventually after 3 or 4 months went on a skills session on same trails as crash, which sorted me. Still not been back to velodrome and not sure I want to....

The accident was a result of a series of very poor decisions when sleep deprived and physically and mentally tired on the first day of long weekend away from my wife and few month old baby.

I had 6 week old twins at home when I had my off so I'm sure my concentration wasn't what it would have been normally.

Part of me wants to ride as soon as possible but another part is scared of random stuff happening which is out of my control - I'll see how I feel once I get back on it but may need some help.

Ajantom - I can relate to your comments - mtb is such a part of my life but the randomness of it is the freaky bit

Sorry to hear your crocked.......me too from a relatively innocuous but high speed off at Antur back in March resulting in an unknown tear to my rotator cuff that over the next three months got worse (aided by two more minor stacks landing on the same elbow pad) 😆
I'm still having to have physio to now free up the joint capsule (frozen shoulder as a direct result of the initial injury).
Had many bad injuries playing rugby over the years and the best thing that I always found was to forget about the injury, go back into it full bore ie make that first big hit (ideally in training rather than first match back) and play like you mean to win.....I've seen too many people cause themselves more injuries going into a game from a previous injury because they were playing scared!
I use the same approach with the MTB, I have my limits of skill when it comes to riding so try not to attempt and massive jumps or huge drops, ie DH black runs at upliit centres as I know I may kill myself trying but I am perfectly at home honing down the Reds and Blues (with armour for when I do crash to minimise hopefully any injury). Once my shoulders strong enough and mobile enough I'll be doing some more uplift days and back on the tetchy XC trails.
You can't stop random events causing you injury.......control what you can control, don't worry about the rest.

I did a lot of ww kayaking until a few years ago when I lost 2 friends in 2 days and had just had my little lad. Head wasnt in the right place and my heart went out of it.

Haven't been in a ww boat since then and I'm only just starting to get the urge back. Done loads of biking since then though.

Don't be afraid to walk away, there will be something else and you can always come back when you're ready to.

Just thought I would share my similar experience.

I've just started riding again after a big off left me with concussion, a broken arm and collarbone.

I went through exactly the same as you and decided to ride more xc stuff and in a much more conservative way.

I've just started trail centre and natural dh riding again but mentally I put it down to the same as any other sport- knowing when to attack (familiar rides, with other riders) and when to back off ( blind or new trails or solo riding).

Confidence coming back slowly but still have the odd squeaky bum moment where the fear gets the better of the bravery- just walk away and wait for the right time to go for it. It does come back!

Having a similar debate myself...
I've done loads of risky sports over the years: skydiving, rock climbing, mountaineering, MTB, road cycling and the only one I've seriously hurt myself is the MTB - 1x broken collar bone 2007, 1x broken scapula 2008, and hoping the doc signs off my broken wrist in 2 days time. I had the collarbone plated and then the plate removed, and I now have a plate in my wrist.

I'm pretty conservative as a rider when it comes to risk and after the 2007/8 breaks I took some skills training which definitely helped my flow and reduced the number of potential incidents, but the wrist was just a small slip - wasn't riding particularly risky at all. As I write, 2 friends in the Lakes who are superb riders are recovering from offs - one with a broken ankle, the other with multiple breaks. I conclude from this that neither skill nor training nor riding conservatively can eliminate serious crashes...

I do note that I do many more miles on a road bike these days in a given week than I did even at my peak of MTB and a fall is very rare indeed, whereas MTB, crashes are pretty regular, just part of the sport. Most of time there's no major injury, but sometimes there is.

For me the crux of it is what the impact of a crash is one the rest of your life re your family, job and overall health. I'm a contractor and I've been unpaid for the last month as I couldn't fulfil my contract and now have to find more work. I can't afford to do this regularly or get a reputation for being a contractor who invalids himself on a regular basis. At 42 the chances of a less than perfect recovery are also higher than they used to be. Broken bones aren't necessarily 100% recoverable either - my left shoulder is still slightly limited in movement and right shoulder, the scar catches on the bone or the bone is a little sore on wet days. I'm praying the wrist has no long term issues.

It's a balance though, 30,000 people a year in UK die of obesity-related conditions, a lady I was working with got a stress fracture from running a half-marathon so nothing's entirely risk-free.

I think I'm bailing from MTB for now to see how much I miss it, and stick to road for the time being.

All the people who have had a few big crashes, what type of pedals do you use? Spds or flats?

Dude, come down asap. Or get on the 20 with me and Atkins. Sometimes if you push your limits, the limits push back

My crashes weren't as big as some of yours, but I'm a bigger coward so the mental effect was probably similar 🙂

Last September I had my third trip to A&E in just over a year (two with fractured arms) and decided to re-evaluate my approach to the sport. If nothing else, the fact that injuries take so much longer to recover from at 50 meant I was spending more time recovering than riding.

I decided that I wasn't ready (yet) to return to the road, but I would focus more on getting out into the mountains and less on the technical stuff. It's been nearly a year now without a visit to A&E so either it's working or I've just been lucky.

A couple of things that I found to be adding to the risk were:

Trail centres. If you drive for a while in order to ride a loop that has been graded at a level that you think you should be able to cope with then you (or at least I) pretty much feel compelled to ride the whole thing whether I actually want to when I see it or not. I'm not anti-trail centre but I've had a few trail centre descents where I've reached the bottom and realised that I didn't actually enjoy the ride and in all honesty I only did it to prove to myself that I could.

Strava. Realising that over half of the people who rode a section did it faster than you can make you (OK, just me again) want to ride it faster just for the sake of it. Telling myself that it's not 50% of people at all (most folk probably wouldn't ride it at all and I'm only looking at the percentage of people keen enough to post their times on Strava) doesn't help. Nor does the obvious fact that riding it faster won't necessarily make it any more fun but just increase the risk of crashing. It really is quite corrosive, but something I still find hard to ditch.

I'm glad chiefgrooveguru mentioned the bike. Obviously crashes have more to do with your skill and sense than what you ride, but the bike still has a part to play and some bikes give you more of a margin to play with than others. Long, low, slack, big wheels should all help. Maybe a bit shorter at the back if you care about speed on the ups (although I'm not so sure on that).

Anyway, hope you feel better soon.

Pedals are flats but I don't think it made any difference

Tony - will take you up on that once I'm on the move again

julians - Member
All the people who have had a few big crashes, what type of pedals do you use? Spds or flats?

POSTED 19 MINUTES

SPD's, why ?

As an impartial observer I can tell you what doesn't work

Go OTB and break some bones
Come back after a few months off a stone heavier and covered in plastic
Crash first time out and rupture your spleen
Never ride again
Just saying like

GWS and good luck

Dude you love riding. It won't leave you

I had a bad accident on the road with a car and was lucky to only miss a month of work, I've not been very comfortable riding on road in traffic since and tend to avoid it where possible. I feel things are much more in my control off-road though, without the traffic, so it hasn't affected mtbing significantly, though maybe I do ride a bit more sensibly perhaps as I really don't want to break a bone again.

You'll get confidence back with time though.

Tony - I know. Just having a conversation about new frame. Its the balance of buzz v risk I need to work out

Strava. Realising that over half of the people who rode a section did it faster than you can make you (OK, just me again) want to ride it faster just for the sake of it. Telling myself that it's not 50% of people at all (most folk probably wouldn't ride it at all and I'm only looking at the percentage of people keen enough to post their times on Strava) doesn't help. Nor does the obvious fact that riding it faster won't necessarily make it any more fun but just increase the risk of crashing. It really is quite corrosive, but something I still find hard to ditch.

This. I've had two high-speed offs in the last two months, nothing like as serious as some of those reported here - just some nasty lacerations, bruised ribs etc. One my fault, one probably not so much. I've just got no confidence leaning the bike over now, I'm grabbing brakes when I shouldn't, so I've had to make a conscious effort to back right off until I can ride smoothly, then riding at that pace.

So perhaps use this time of shattered confidence to practice riding stuff smoothly and technically correctly rather than at the ragged edge.

SPD's, why ?

just interested really, i found when I switched to spds i went from not particularly accident prone to massively accident prone overnight, so much so that I went from never wearing pads to having to wear pads on every ride for fear of injury, it stayed that way until I switched back to flats 6 months later.

for me spds massivly increased my incidence of injury, was just idly wondering if spds were a common factor amongst people of here who were accident prone.

id say everything chiefgrooveguru has said there makes sense (which is surely a first 😉 )

2 offs in a couple of months left me with a broken hand and messed up head, in several ways, did think about jacking it all in, but now like to think im taking control a bit more

backpack with spine armour, proper bike setup, appropriate tyres etc all adds up to safer and more fun riding

for me spds massivly increased my incidence of injury, was just idly wondering if spds were a common factor amongst people of here who were accident prone.

Strava is something I've been thinking about being the root of some issues along with competitive nature of those I ride with. Pleased I get down most descents in the top 10-20% of riders but it pushes me to the edge too often and I think riding it smoother might be better in the long run especially on trails where there is higher risk or ones I dont know as well ( which is where I came off)

What spine protection backpacks is everyone wearing?

Having had three periods off work through mountain bike injuries, and being 50+ whenI last broke my collarbone, it took a while to get my head round it all again. I am now more cautious, I am quite happy to ride at the back of the pack and even get off the bike when I don't feel comfortable rather than chasing the front runners. Whilst I am not as fast as I was ( from that read never very fast so now slowish) I still get almost everywhere I want to go.
By lowering my horizons a bit I am enjoying my biking as much as I ever did.
So , for example, during my week in the Alps with our group this year, I rode most of what everyone else did, just slower. Occasionally I would get off the bike. When I felt that I was getting tired and needed a rest, I sat down whilst the others did a few more runs.
I had the best weeks in the Alps I've had to date ( the weather did help)
Some of my more competitive friends can't quite understand my attitude and I am sure they think I am not getting the most out of my rides because I am not pushing the envelope as much as they do, but they are good enough to humour me, and usually they don't have to wait more than a couple of minutes for me.

What I am trying to say is get back into it but don't be worried if you are not as gnarr as you used to be, just enjoy it.

Edit: getting a slacker longer travel bike ( Cotic Rocket on 160 Pikes vs 2008 Orange 5) with decent tyres helped the confidence in the Alps no end, I wasn't much quicker but I was much more comfortable both physically and mentally

Dear Mr OP.. Quite clearly yule be back. Your starting this thread tells me something. It may take you a year or so to build up things again. When you do, take it easy, enjoy what riding you do, and pretty much ignore some of what has been written above..

Your accident sounds a freak one - the types of crash that no amount of 'training' or mental attitude or kit can save you from. Cedric Garcia's serious femoral artery JRA crash is probably testament to that. Every big injury I've had on an MTB has been pretty much a silly JRA one... So these things happen!

My last serious injury crash (broken sternum, ribs, displaced clavicle, concussion) just happened to be during my first ride with Strava on. Delete the god damn thing!

I was gonna say - evaluate what it is you want from this sport and consider whether you want to take such risks again - but I know you will want to 😉

If you want to ride then ride, if it makes you nervous and you don't want to then don't. Things move on. What was the most important thing to you can become unimportant later to the extent you question the harm you either did or nearly did to yourself.

If you do want to ride again then learn to love climbing. I'd question the long low etc bit - surely the accident will just be faster? Rigid XC for the ups

Fifteen fractures and a pneumothorax earlier this year meant a return to riding on the road would be interesting. I consoled myself with the cause (it wasn't road racing), the setting (min roundabout) and then bought n+1 to help - a recumbent trike that, although a lot lower, offers a DIFFERENT perspective to riding.

If I have a crash off-road (and I have broken a collarbone and had some other nasties), I reconcile the same way - what was it that caused the crash and what can I do to avoid it?

I'm not a brave or particularly skilled off-road rider, so seldom push any boundaries. A singlespeed short-travel HT sees to that! On the road, and in particular, racing, I reconcile that whilst crashes do happen (an I just missed a BIG one on Sunday's sprint), I position myself safely, watch for riders and sit up if it looks pear-shaped.

Hope you make a good recovery, from one who's wrist and shoulder is still borked.

I took an innocuous seeming tumble in May but somehow put the handlebar through my knee cap, shattering it. I've been off work since and having physio and hydrotherapy on a weekly basis to regain the flex and muscles in my leg. I don't know when I can get on a bike again. It's a slow process, which is making the mental side of riding seem worse by the day. If I'm being honest, I'm pretty terrified at the prospect of mountain biking again but really want to get back to it to ease my fears. All being well after the first few minutes I'll have a feel for the bike l again and be able to ride like I used to. Failing that, I'll take up triathlon.

I'd advise you to ride a lot more and practice the difficult bits. Not just weekends. Fitness also helps a lot. The one thing I could suggest is to have some good tyres. Just try a Minion 2.3 DHF and DHR. You might be surprised at the difference in grip than say a Rocket Ron! 😀

A few people have mentioned road riding as an option if you like to ride a bike but don't like all the injuries. It's funny to think that sharing space with loads of heavy vehicles being driven at high speed by people who may not be paying attention can be seen as the safe option, but it's probably true. I spent nearly 40 years as a regular road rider and never had to pay a trip to A&E. In the first two years or riding off-road I had 4 trips to A&E (two fractures, a deep gash and some ligament damage).

It's possibly true that risk of death is higher on the road (although it seems common enough off-road too), but risk of the sort of injury that can be a major inconvenience seems to be much higher off-road. So, it's possibly worth trying to understand why.

The surface is clearly less predictable, but I'm not sure that should be a factor on it's own. We don't ride blind so we should be able to asses the danger, build in a margin of error and ride accordingly.

So, what is it that makes mountain biking such a high risk sport?

Here's a few thoughts:

1. Various factors that pressure you into riding stuff that you don't feel comfortable doing. This could be as simple as a trail being given a grade ("it's only a red so I have to ride it"), your mates egging you on, or even just your own internal monologue.

2. A focus on down rather than up; particularly on timing the descents. In my road riding days I was always cautious on the descents. With very few exceptions races aren't won on the descent so (even if you are just racing yourself) there is no point risking injury for a few seconds when you can gain minutes on the climb. When Strava first started (as a tool for roadies) it seemed to be all about the climbs. But mountain bikers turn all this on it's head, only really caring about how fast they can ride down a section and often just cruising up to save energy for the descent.

3. The whole macho MTFU culture.

some of my similar musings from last week re spills at the velodrome.. [url= http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/track-riding-spills-and-falls-frequency-and-impacts ]here[/url]

Been out for a gentle walk on the local hill this morning (Doctor told me to keep mobile as much as possible) - interesting to see the trails and see how I felt. I think I'll be back but with a few scars which I'll massage out over time.

Had a crazy dream/nightmare last night which was very disturbing and I can only put down to where my heads at currently.

Cheers for sharing your thoughts and experiences - been a great help.

I think I'll be back but with a few scars which I'll massage out over time.

Bio oil, massaged into the scar makes seems to work wonders. I thought it would be hype and BS but a good few inches of my surgery scar have nearly disappeared. Also, if the scar is on top of bone, massaging the scar is a good idea according to the physio; stops it sticking apparently.

Roverpig hits it spot on IMO..

Just see how you feel tbh. I had quite a long recuperation after I smashed my hip up and a huge motivator for me was getting back on the bike (motorbike, back then, I only started cycling after the accident!). So I was working on it, buying toys for it etc, it all helped me keep my eyes up. But getting on it was terrifying 😆 I actually never really got fully back into it, for various reasons including mountain biking, and after a couple more years I parked it up- but I never regretted keeping it there as a carrot.

to the OP - as you mention your reaction is knee jerk and completely natural

there's nothing wrong in this as the accident has only recently happened, you are currently still in a bad physical way and mentally knocked around and shocked / scared by the experience.

however from the couple serious off's i've had resulting in bad injuries, i've thought initially "that's it, not doing this any more, selling the bike", however as time has gone on and the physical injuries have healed i'v come round to the idea of carrying on riding - all be it in a more careful fashion - eventually ending up c 9 months later riding back a full pelt down all the stuff i was before.

give it time, take it easy on your return, don't rush it or push yourself initially and see what happens. if 6 months after the return to the bike you are no longer enjoying it, sell the new-ish shiny bike and you've not lost anything

I think there is a certain need for MTFU.

Why not do a skills course when you get back on the bike? One thing I found after a reasonably big fall last year was that I ended up riding the bike more defensively, and basically everything your supposed to do went out of the window, so I actually increased my risk of having another accident.

A skills course put me right on stuff I was doing wrong, and gave me my confidence back in the ability to ride a bike.

One thing I found after a reasonably big fall last year was that I ended up riding the bike more defensively, and basically everything your supposed to do went out of the window, so I actually increased my risk of having another accident.

+1. Skills course a few months later was a great benefit

Also, if the scar is on top of bone, massaging the scar is a good idea according to the physio; stops it sticking apparently.

I have some metalwork in my ankle from a crash on ice back in 2010 and I've found the best way to stop the scar tissue from becoming a problem is to massage it with a spoon when wearing socks. If I ignore it the ankle stiffens up and then puts the knee under more strain.

When I had my big crash I initially thought that I wouldn’t want to touch my bike, I was scared of riding it, I hated the state that I’d stupidly put myself in by carrying on with this idiotic sport etc etc.. all normal I think. As I went through the recovery process that all softened up so that by the time I was allowed to ride my bike I was really excited to. I was super tentative to start with but in the end it hasn’t changed my riding too much.
I guess my point is don’t fret about it too much now, you’re just reacting to the injury that’s just been inflicted. A bit of R&R may have you seeing things differently as the pain fades. When you’re physically able/allowed to get back on the bike again, that’s the time to have a go and assess the impact that the crash has had on your riding.

Oh and I’ve just read the OP again and realised the smashed up bike, maybe hire/demo something nice when you get back to inject a bit of the shiny kit effect into your return.

Good thread and some great advice on here.

I've had some bad offs over the last 4-5 years. The worst being a badly dislocated shoulder and then OTB at about 20mph onto my head resulting in a collar bone smashed to bits and another dislocated shoulder.

When I smashed my collar bone, I was too keen to get back to riding and re-broke it 8 weeks later. I spent 9 months off the bike that year. This messed with my head really badly (the accident was a random one as I caught my pedal on a root)

I eventually got back to riding, but was riding like a old granny for a few weeks.

These days I am much more likely to pass up something than I used to. Before I would just say 'MTFU' and go for it. This has gotten me into trouble a number of times.

If i'm feeling it I will still hit gap jumps and drops, but if I'm feeling sketchy then I leave it for another day.

Random accidents can always happen, but the vast majority can be avoided by riding within your comfort zone.

My comfort zone varies from 20 ft gap jumps to mincing down a trail like beginner. I'm ok with it, as I'm not someone with is very consistent with my level of riding (mental state and physical health problems) and i'd rather live to do it another day.

I don't see any reason why people can't keep riding if they 1: focus on improving skills, 2: ride within their comfort zone, 3: wear the right protective gear and 4: make sure to do rehab and PREHAB.

Unless you have a screw loose, most people with feel mentally messed up after breaking their body after a big off (nitro circus and road racers are an exception to this)

The strangest thing for me at the moment is trying to explain that mountain biking is actually relatively safe. I've been riding for about 25 years (the vast majority of my life) and only had one major accident. People keep telling me that I'll think twice about riding mountain bikes due to what's happened but I respond that I know three people that broke their ankles tripping on steps and kerbs but none of them quit crossing the road. I'm a bit scared of riding again but when I think about it logically it's treated me remarkably kindly injury wise, especially compared to playing rugby as a kid.

Over that last few years I e had an OTB that resulted in me hitting a TRAFFIC LIGHT.Got me bar snagged on a hedge and I tried to correct it and went Tits up and slammed the Light post,knew straight away,collar bone shattered and 3 ribs,The bones have healed stronger but my heid hasn't,every time I feel anything tug my bars I Sh1t myself,but I made a consious effort to slowly get my head back in the zone,
Year before that I broke my hand on a drop that I had done hundreds of times,never rode that drop again since,then in the summer I smashed face first into a big rock whilst wearing my FF lid,broke my eye socket and cheek bone,took me a while to get "Aff the brakes" but slowly getting my Mojo back,but I feel my injuries have been more bad luck than rider error.I now just ride what I know I'm comfy with,my mates push themselves harder but I just stay on my comfort level,I know I'm capable of upping my game but I know I now break easier than I thought and no having sick pay and wife and kids does play some part in how I evaluate my rides(sometimes)

I had a big off years ago. You over think it, dwell and worry 'will I ever ride as good again'.

What you DO need to do is detune your riding anyway. I ride at about 70% of my capabilities. Always hold something back as I want to ride well into my 50's. That doesnt mean mincing. Still ride all the trails just not at 'on the limit' to try and impress mates/total strangers/sheep.

Just get a fatbike....do the same stuff but slower!!...that's what I've done....had a big off last year,
I can't afford to have another 4 months off work.....as my mate said now wherein our 40s

We don't bounce anymore!!

True - although I'm surprised how well I bounce for someone in their 40s 😉

Biking (road and MTB) is my third major sport after climbing and fell running. Mountain biking is the riskiest of the lot.

Climbing was my main sport for over thirty years. I climbed all around the world rock climbing, ice climbing, Alpine climbs summer and winter and in the Himalaya, not easy stuff but climbs close to the leading edge. In that time I had one accident when I was 50 and a hold broke whilst climbing in the Peak District resulting in a broken wrist and a dislocated elbow. Out of my circle of friends and climbing companions there was a similar low level of injuries.

Compare with mountain biking and there are injuries galore. In a week in the Alps a third of the group got injuries. That's a huge difference.

It might be that a fall when climbing is usually in to thin air whereas a fall when biking is always going to result in contact with the ground which on technical trails isn't going to be nice and smooth: soft fleshy thing meet jagged rocks = hurt.

However, certain aspects of climbing can be very risky: I have lost three friends who have died whilst soloing (climbing without ropes). There isn't that variability in most mountain biking.

A couple of years ago I had a hip replacement so I'm never going to be flying down the trails chasing Strava KOMs - my Strava downhill times will confirm this 😳 - some might say I'm mincing down but so what, I'm approaching the speed at which I'm leaving my comfort zone so am getting just as much out of the trail as a 16yr kid who's hitting every jump and being the next downhill god.

I had a big crash in 2003. Smashed my face after rushing into the second run off a big drop without thinking properly. All pretty much recovered now bit still have metal in me. I remember my surgeon when I talked of quitting saying "carry on biking it's healthy, just be more careful". That's what I have done. It has made me realise why I bike ....to have fun !! That means fun for ME. I went to Canada a year after and loved it and had lessons there. I also had lessons with the excellent Jedi. I decided that I like biking but just want to do it within my own risk tolerances. I ride at my own speed. I am certainly not interested in Strava or competitive riding . My fun on the bike is still about developing skills and riding in control. I realise if it gets to much there is no fun in it! I limit my personal fear levels on trails and sections to what I am happy with. I don't rush ove any jumps until I have seen the landing and feel confident. I also have set myself limits on what I will attempt. I only ride tech bits that I "know I can do" . Going over something scared is not for me . Luckily the guys I ride with now are similar and we respect each other and do not push each other to try inappropriate sections. Speed is always a danger in off road when we get carried away and I try to contain that to what I am happy with, again having riding buddies who are considerate is important. I love the saying maximum smiles for minimum miles. That applies to tech bits too. Maximum fun for minimum exposure! Happy riding ! Do it for the reasons you started riding And don't let others push you out of your comfort zone, your speed will improve naturally if you don't push it

I am certainly not interested in Strava or competitive riding

I need to try and adopt more of this attitude. I enjoy riding on my own (exercise, peace and quiet etc) yet I can't help checking every ride and segment in Strava when I get back. I know I'm not going to top the leaderboard (unless it's a section hardly anybody rides) but if I'm not in the top half I want to go back and do it faster. Why? Why on earth do I care whether I'm better or worse than the average time of a buch of people I don't know? Why am I being competitive about my leisure activity? Blowed if I know 🙂