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i know it's a rubbish question. but.. do people die in the UK from riding their mountain bikes off road ?
i have no idea.
from falling off?
Yes.
But not very often.
Much like rambling.
Probably, people must fall and hit their heads/necks badly enough.
I quit motorbikes just before taking up mountain biking again properly... I've without a doubt injured myself more mountain biking over the last few months than I ever did in 5 years of riding motorbikes. Two friends have broken colar bones this year alone.
Yes, but very rarely. Even serious injuries aren't that common - far more so on the road I'd say (even if you take out the car/cyclist collisions).
how many people have died in Cannock this year because of the dangerous braking bumps ?
People only die if they don't wear a helmet. Fact.
Someone died of a heart attack back in July at Glentress, they were cycling.
how many people have died in Cannock this year because of the dangerous braking bumps ?
by the numbers?
2 with permits, 1 without, 3 dead wallabies. 🙂
The dangers of mountain biking are probably overstated.
Minor injuries are pretty common (cuts and bruises). Serious and life threatening injuries are pretty rare thankfully.
Statistically you are far more likely to be killed on seriously injured driving to the trails than actually riding them
there have been a couple of deaths at Glentress 🙁
A group of scout starved to death after getting lost in a Cannock braking bump
I had '24 hours' according to the Surgeon as a result of an infection and a kidney not working 100% from a MTB crash.
Now have a nice big 'pirate scar' on my neck, GRRR!
I've died twice, but I got better!
Someone died of a heart attack back in July at Glentress, they were cycling.
I bet more people have died of boredom reading the glentress cafe threads on here
Rugby is far more dangerous I believe.
MTB = safe/dangerous
Depending if you are concerned with deaths/life threatening injuries, or 'minor' injuries (scrapes, cuts, bruises, broken bones etc).
Rugby is far more dangerous I believe.
So is cricket, golf and donkey catching.
[i]donkey catching. [/i]
the trick is to not try and catch them if they've fallen from above the first floor.
Catch this donkey
I was once skiing at Lake Louise, when some poor soul decided it would be a good idea to try out an area marked with the following warning sign:
WARNING! Do not proceed beyond this point. Risk of Death.
In any case, he died.
Go figure.
Some poor soul died at Kirroughtree last year (I think).
Statistically you are far more likely to be killed on seriously injured driving to the trails than actually riding them
I find that stat unlikely given how safe cars are. Any references?
In 2010, in England, the KSI rate for cars was 39 per billion miles. Given that serious injuries for RTA stats includes any broken bone or any injury requiring in patient treatment then mountain biking would need to be very safe indeed to have a serious injury rate less than driving a car.
Not that I'm saying MTBing is dangerous but cars are extremely safe.
http://www.dft.gov.uk/statistics/tables/ras30056
People only die if they don't wear a helmet. Fact.
You know, I think you're right. I distinctly remember that my grandfather wasn't wearing a helmet when he died.
*runs off to see if any other people have died when not wearing helmets.*
I've heard of a few people dying from heart attacks but nothing from crashing. I was told that quite a few people have died in Les Arcs on the DH course however I'm sceptical.
Another fact.
[b]A shark will only eat you if you are wet or near water.[/b]
Stay safe kids.
It's an astonishingly safe sport/hobby, considering how many of us are rubbish and stupid 😉
I've been closer to death for forgetting the wifes birthday than going for a ride on my bike
And I am indeed rubbish and stupid 😯
I know of someone who has been in a coma since crashing at Cannock this Summer. Unknown as to whether a braking bump got her, but I think it may have had something to do with the skiddiness on the sandy bits when it got extra dry.
lots of casualties due to carbon frames snapping and the fibres getting into their blood.
If there are such stats, how many are due to injury/accident and how many to ill health? People die from heart attacks during sporting activity and MTBing wont be any different
sorry its the Daily Bile but one of the first from google
http://www.****/news/article-362803/Four-joggers-die-Great-North-Run.html
and cyclists locally to me (heart attacks, not necessarily fatal)
http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/yourtown/wallingford/9115012.Cyclist_suffers_heart_attack/
khani - Member
I've been closer to death for forgetting the wifes birthday than going for a ride on my bike
Why not combine the two and increase both statistics. 😯
Someone broke their back in Hayfield a few years ago
My mate asked a mechanic in the hub about this a couple of years ago and he reckoned about one fatality a year was what they had, which isn't much considering the number of people hooning themselves around the place. Apparently the last one at that time had been a handlebar end/head interaction?
"Apparently the last one at that time had been a handlebar end/head interaction?"
Obviously wasn't wearing a helmet.... some people
I had an 'unstable pelvic fracture' and was told that there is a 30% chance of bleeding to death because you tear the arteries that run through it. However before that in twenty years no more than cuts, bruises and concussion. Friends have done arms, elbows, collar bones and ankles of course. The only actual death I heard of was from a National Trust ranger who told me about a mountain biker getting tangled in a tree and breaking his neck.
jools182 - MemberSomeone broke their back in Hayfield a few years ago
How much do you want to bet that he wouldn't have had he been wearing a helmet?
My wife went on a child bereavement course last week. Two kids were there talking about their dad who died driving home from a ride at Hamsterley.
Yes they do , customer of mine lost his life at Cwmcarn a few years back, he was wearing a helmet.
my mate disembowelled himself on one of his comedy bar-ends back in 1993 riding the bombhole at pines ridge on woodbury common..
he's still very much alive though.. they shovelled up all the slippery stuff and stuffed it back in..
Luckily he was accompanied that day as he often rode alone and it was pre-mobile phone
a fellow guide stacked it last year in the hills around Trento, Italy. the un-capped bar spiked her in the gut. she was air-lifted to Trento and spent two weeks in care. the bar dug itself deep inside her gut and she lost half her stomach. she can no longer eat meat and can't tolerate as much alcohol as before - a big problem for a girl from munich....
the doctors said that if she'd arrived 30 minutes later at the hospital there was a very good chance she might hae died.
whilst guiding over winter on Gran Canaria one roadie died after drifting across the road, getting bumped by a car and then falling head first onto the kerb stone (by chance i road past this guy when the ambulance and police were there. he was clearly dead - a pool of blood that had originated from his mouth surrounded him and his eyes were glazed over. horrid), another ended up in intensive care after a heart attack and one swedish guy paralysed himself trying to impress some girls by going fast, locking his back wheel in a hairpin, losing it, hitting the deck and sliding underneath the crash barrier and falling/tumbling 40m down a cliff.
on one of my tours a guy literally lost his face after not paying enough attention to his direction of travel relative to the road. he crashed into a concrete storm drain about 1ft deep by two feet across. his fall was slowed by his face grinding down the rock face above the drain.
i jumped off my bike and luckily there were three other people who saw it happen. i jumped down into the drain and landed in a pool of blood. the guy was face down and all around his head there was a pool of blood. i was scared. i thought the blood was coming from his ears or mouth. luckily the guy was still conscious. we sat him up and shaded him. his right cheek was open - a two inch, messy gash - and the bone was visible. he had his hand over his mouth and was mumbling that it hurt. i told him that he'd have to show me what the problem was otherwise i couldn't help him. he removed his hand and his whole top lip came away in his hand until it was hanging by a thread of skin. it like something out of a film. i unwrapped a sterile patch and told him to press it firmly onto (what remained of) his lip and not to try talking.
it seemed like an eternity before the ambulance showed up. the worst part was hearing its sirens echoing around the valleys for at least 30 minutes before it arrived.
he got taken to hospital and ended up having skin grafts from his arse plastered onto his face to reconstruct his upper lip.
and the irony of it was is that this happened after i had a led the group down some rather tricky, loose, rocky singletrail and 15m away from where i'd told the group to take care on this twisty windy asphalt descent.
overall... not something i'd like to go through again...
i had some other incidents to deal with whilst on GC - a few broken collar bones; a guy that ripped the tendons that hold the ankle together and could no longer stand or pedal; one guy who drifted off the road and tumbled 10m down a cliff through cacti and shrubbery and landing a few metres ahead of a bumused member of our group; one guy who got taken out by some idiot resulting in his forearm bone sticking out through the skin and his elbow ripped open to the bone; several broken ribs; a few embedded cactus needles; plenty of grazes; and lots of punctures.
Depends on how much more bike stuff I buy, Mrs C might want to bump me off!!
I very nearly died trying to ride UP Smith's Coombe on the Quantocks a few years back ,,,I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest.
Lucky escape I think I only ride down it now.. 😆
Alpin, let me know where you are going to ride next, and I'll make sure I go somewhere else...........
I hear exploding 29er wheels have caused a few minor injuries from shrapnel, but thankfully so far no serious injuries or deaths.
ditto Lucien. Alpin sounds like the kind of guide that has made some bad calls about his clients ability?
lots of casualties due to carbon frames snapping and the fibres getting into their blood.
🙄
Many years ago there was a downhill series in the Valleys that got cancelled because someone hit a tree and died, or so I heard.
crotchrocket - Memberditto Lucien. Alpin sounds like the kind of guide that has made some bad calls about his clients ability?
wouldn't say that....
this here relates to my time on Gran Canaria... much of the problem lies with the company. they'll book people onto a tour without any knowledge of that persons skill level. the guest will be collected from the hotel having already paid and will be expecting a tour. sometimes there were 15 plus people.
the majority of these people have little or no experience of MTBing.
many people can talk themselves up, but can't ride. many guests have little experience of mountain biking other than a bimble along wide forest tracks back home. when you find that out it is too late as you are up in the hills without any other means of getting back down other than riding.
we even had to take people aside and explain how the brakes worked or not to pull the front brake as they'd fly over the bars.
also, this sounds stupid, but due to peoples lack of experience minor tumbles end up with exaggerated results as people don't know how to fall. most of the bruised/broken ribs (3 cases) were because of this - in fact one of these was because the lady panicked when another guest over took her and she grabbed a handful of front brake.
always safety first, but when you take 200, maybe 300, plus people out you are bound to have a few accidents. there is only so much you can do as a guide; tell people where the dangers are, give them pointers and if necessary tell them to get off the bike and walk. as it happens, i often sent people back down to the shop if i felt they weren't up to it, but this wasn't always possible due to the geography of the island and the area in which a tour was taking place. and as said, once you're up in the hills you're a bit buggered.
in fact, there was not a single serious accident on the "freeride" tours. i put this down to people being bikers prior to their holiday excursion.
the best myself/a guide can to is try to prevent those from happening. each rider is responsible for their actions and i will always tell them at the start to ride "safe", that there are no points or prizes and that if they have a serious accident not only is it their holiday that is ruined, but also their fellow riders. i will also tell people to walk/push a section if i feel they are not up to it.
the tours i guide over summer are generally frequented by "proper" bikers - that is people who have and regularily ride a mountain bike. accidents do and will always happen.
have fun, stay safe..... 🙂
Alpin- been there, done that. Although many years ago, with a different clientelle. I know how you feel, it can be pretty grim.
friend of mine spent an hour telling me how his daughter ( experienced rider late 40's) died recently whilst out riding with her family, fell from bike whilst stood still. helmet wearer.
alpin
luckily, three other people saw it happen.
yeah, lucky old them!
There was a STW who died on a group ride (a few years ago) from a heart attack.
I remember a tribute thread from the time.
In general, if you have a fairly heavy night on the booze then strenuous exercise first thing you are at risk.
Alpin, no need to justify why people injure / die when they go riding with you.......honestly 8)
I nearly died laughing at Harry Spider ans wwaswas talking about donkey catching 😆 😆 😆
First time I've laughed in ages - quite enjoyable, I might try it again soon.
There are plenty of stories of timetriallers getting killed - at least a couple a year. It's got to be the riskiest form of cycling sport. However mountain biking (lower speeds - no 2ton metal boxes on the roads to hit you) is comparatively much safer (in terms of deaths) than any form of sport or recreational road cycling.
I don't think many folk at all die [i]from[/i] mountainbikeing. All the stories I have heard are people who die [i]while[/i] mountinbiking - from heart attacks and the like.
I am sure deaths happen but given the total lack of publicity I think it must be very rare
Can we not be so grim please?
Lets talk about the 99.999999% of people who are healthier, fitter and more relaxed, not as stressed due to mountain biking?
I have it on good authority that there have been sightings of skulls in wharncliffe woods.
A mountain biker died near here in 2000; he hit a wall at the end of a fast descent. There's a memorial there now.
[url= http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/archive/2000/08/10/Lancashire+Archive/6071180.Mountain_biker_dies_in_wall_crash/ ]MTB rider dies[/url]
I suspect off-road biking is safer than road biking.
tonyg2003 - Member
There are plenty of stories of timetriallers getting killed - at least a couple a year. It's got to be the riskiest form of cycling sport. However mountain biking (lower speeds - no 2ton metal boxes on the roads to hit you) is comparatively much safer (in terms of deaths) than any form of sport or recreational road
Have had more near death experiences commuting than I've ever had on an MTB.