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With thanks for all your encouragement and good wishes, I am pleased to say that I slightly less broken today than I was yesterday. And less so then than the day before that.
In the meantime, however, the questions and assumptions have started to pour in: “Surely you’re not planning on riding again?!?”
”Okay,maybe THIS type of riding, but you can’t be serious about THAT type of riding!”
upu can imagine the stuff over heard, and it’s all based on the premises that:
a) cycling is risky
b) there are less risky things to do, therefore I should do one of them
c) I am irresponsible for risking my family and livelihood for this
d) I could just change my activity if I wanted to
e) one injury like this can be tolerated, but a second one would be tantamount to a complete shirking of all life responsibilities
Anyway, this isn’t comping from Mrs SR, but I am interested in knowing how wild would all respond. Seriously.
Shit happens sometimes. We can't predict what. Life is there to be grasped and lived to the full! Get well soon and get back out there!
I would pretend the crash left me drifting in and out of crazy and fling my own shit at them.
Your wife and kids are justified in having a say. Pretty much anyone else isn't. If mountain biking is your passion then don't give it up, there's risk in everything.
And hope you're on the mend.
Wasn't there another thread on this subject recently wherein nobody came to any sort of conclusion?
Glad you're on the mend, following 3 decent hospitalisations in 5 years I've had this debate internally and externally with mother and the SO, thankfully the Transport planning society have conducted good quality researching into the reduction of premature deaths through cycling activity Vs the risk of KSI and the odds are in your (our) favour.
P19, penultimate paragraph:
Meh you could get hit by a bus getting a paper.
Life's full of risk you just need to weigh the risk vs reward card.
Ive had all this when I smashed my pelvis n hip to pieces and spent 5yrs crippled.
1st thing I did after my hip replacement was buy a bike.... I'd rather risk an accident than being miserable and more overweight than I am.
I reckon cycling's positively safe compared to your other sport I believe you play....
Need to watch till it happens.
Wasn’t there another thread on this subject recently wherein nobody came to any sort of conclusion?
You do know you didn't need the words "on this subject" in there don't you???
Give up the road bike and return to MTB. You can actively aim for leaves and laugh heartily when you plough through them and nothing happens. Everyone needs an outlet and if cycling is yours and you live it, nobody should be asking you to stop.
Funny isn't it, if you had a car crash because you skidded on a diesel spill or cracked your skull tripping over a cable, no one would suggest you give up driving or walking.
You can't mitigate all risk in life without it becoming an incredibly boring existence.
I'm certainly less inclined to ride on roads these days. I feel really vulnerable.
There's cycling, and there's cycling. I don't wish to be critical but since you started the thread...
I notice that you are quite a bit quicker than me descending on road despite being slower off it. It's not that I couldn't keep up with you, it's just that I don't want to take that much risk! Roads might be mostly smooth and open, but with far more energy, the consequences when they aren't are much worse as you've found out.
Basically I'm saying take it easy on road descents. Especially steep country lanes and especially when it's wet. Do that and you'll remove almost all the risk. I did some stuff at like 5mph today, conditions were that bad.
As for all the people telling you to stop riding - if you'd had a car accident would they tell you to stop driving?
What Akers said. Heal up soon and live life.
Year 2000, I was sitting in my hospital bed awaiting a rather nasty and complex operation in the groin area. My consultant came past while I was reading an MTB magazine and remarked that I "wouldn't be doing any more of that again" He was wrong. 😊
Bin the road riding. That world is full of hate. Just ride off road and be happy forever.
I think you should buy a gravel bike, clearly this us an n+1 moment.
Bin the road riding. That world is full of hate.
Since when? About a million miles from what I experience. That statement says more about you than anything else.
@molgrips +1
I don’t know you. I know cyclists who are an accident waiting to happen and I know cyclists with decent ability. My approach to them after a crash would obviously be different.
But if you’re in the latter camp I would say, shit happens learn from it and get back out there. If cycling is your ‘thing’ then the mental and physical health benefits go hand in hand
like i said to you yesterday mate, you cant live your life thinking 'what if'.
or maybe you can, and 'what if' nothing ever happens.
that would be a waste of a life i reckon.
keep on keeping on mate, no surrender.
Life without risk isn’t really life at at all. That’s just a riff on the old trope about the difference between living and being alive. It’s not a binary decision though. I stopped riding motorbikes when we had kids because it’s the only thing my wife ever asked me to stop doing. Lasted about a year before starting riding MTBs.
There’s a fine line between being selfish and denying yourself the stuff that defines you. You’re pretty much the only person who can work out where that line is.
If we’re quoting tired old axioms, then there’s worse than ‘it’s better to regret what you did, rather than what you didn’t'
Anyway, read the other thread. Sounded bloody horrific. Hope you heal quick 🙂
See how you feel once you have healed, maybe it’s a sign you should be performing a greater risk assessment as you ride and adopt to suit the conditions.
you cant live your life thinking ‘what if’
No but you can descend (and drive) thinking it, and it really helps keep you safe!
Accidents can happen at any moment. We all know that we don't have to be the cause of them. And the risks of riding on the road are probably greater than off-road.
Am now realising I could write loads on this subject but don't have the time ... so what I'll say is similar to Molly ... basically, stick closer to your limits a bit more.
I know people that literally go as fast as they physically can on downhill trails, and seem to give no shits whatsoever for the conditions or who/what might be round the corner. I've also seen some of them have some pretty nasty mishaps. One of these was c 15yrs ago. As a result, I chose not to ride flat out on the stuff I can be less predictive about. Sure, as above, accidents can happen anyway. I just prefer to lessen the chances myself. I don't give a monkeys about someone eeking out an extra 2mph on a section blah blah. I love being out in the woods, the hills, the trails, the roads (ish) ... but I like to think I do so with a bit more respect for one's safety than some riders.
Force them to watch the Josh Bender Crashes video, inform them he is still alive and still mountain biking, and then that you're never going to be anywhere near as crazy as that.
i was meaning, i will pack in cycling because 'what if' i have another accident.
but obviously you knew that .
keep on cycling, just a tad slower down steep unknown slippy descents.......... ;o)
I know people that literally go as fast as they physically can on downhill trails
Yeah they are all over Strava. Some of the times on some local natural segments can only be set by people with absolutely no regard for safety of anyone including themselves!
If you take out other vehicles riding on the road should be as safe an activity as you choose to make it. Even with traffic it's still safer than most other active sports/pastimes.
Basically I’m saying take it easy on road descents. Especially steep country lanes and especially when it’s wet. Do that and you’ll remove almost all the risk.
MG hits the nail on the head. Learn from this (some lessons are hard) and there's no real reason not to carry on cycling, providing of course you still want to. I'll look forward to getting out with you again. You can have the pleasure of kicking my arse up the hills. I'll take beating you down, because I'm an idiot and haven't learnt my lesson, unlike hopefully you have 😉
If you search on my ID you'll see I've had several discussions with various medical professionals on subjects such as this (brittle bones quite literally for me including broken T12). To paraphrase: The mental and physical benefits of cycling and doing something you enjoy are better for long term health than stopping. I don't ride quite as fast but idI rather be riding than stop and be miserable and fat.
Heal well.
I've had it more from mates, how could you keep doing that when it has caused this.. My injuries aren't life changing, neck and back brace for 12 weeks, no driving for 6 months. Wife, who cycle commutes, accepts I'll be back on the bike, riding as much as possible. Indeed, for family sanity (and my sanity), i need to be riding to stop going mad. I'll slow down a little, at least in the short term.
Crack on riding if you feel like it, if you don’t then go do some thing else.
Life is about choices, YOUR choices.
If you love it, carry on. If you don’t love it.. then do something else.
FWIW I gave up a sport I once loved because I broke my foot really badly, I didn’t want to put myself back in that same position again so gave up..
Guess what..
Yep, taken it back up again...
As long as your family support and you are happy with that then there’s really not a lot stopping you... even if they object you can still carry on but maybe need convincing that you’ll take it easy for a while.
form some proverb or other, if you fall down get right back up again and carry on..
I would in the meantime enjoy the rest and relaxation and do something completely different whilst convalescing... you may find another outlet you’ve never had the time to explore whilst laying around chilling and getting a bit bored...
You can't always avoid bad luck but falling off hurts and I've never really seem the attraction of cycling downhill recklessly. All the old bold cyclists I know have facial scars!
Glad to hear you are recovering.
If ,for example ,you were involved in a car crash , does that mean you never drive again?
I would want to get on the bike asap tbh. The first damp bend would be a test. But the confidence comes back,eventually.
Besides ,you were looking well buff in the "before" photo....:-)
Quick healing vibes to you.
I was talking to my wife about your situation this weekend. I was taken out by a car, driver was convicted and I was totally blameless. Maybe I could have mitigated the risks along similar lines to those mentioned above, but if im honest im not sure how anyone could descend a hill at 15mph dragging the brakes all the way. What would be the point really?
But I had someone to blame. Helped financially as I can claim loss of earnings and I'll receive some compo. However moving on I mentally am struggling as it has hit home that my fate was not in my own hands. I went from blissfully and to my mind safely riding along to broken in two in a microsecond. So even though im physically able im now not sure riding is for me. Off road is a non starter as it'll just be too uncomfortable right now.
So I wonder if long term the fact you can look to yourself as ultimately the cause of the fall that it'll help you get back on the bike. I hope so, as I honestly can only describe what in feeling about myself at the moment as bereavement, and it's not nice at all.
I don’t wish to be critical but since you started the thread…
No more offence taken than if you said, “5+5=10, but I notice you end up with 9 a lot.”
I don’t wish to ride like an idiot, and don’t perceive myself as riding like one; but clearly I did something on Tuesday that almost killed me, and I have to re-evaluate what I do the road.
If you say - as you have - that you think I descend too quickly, and I have now almost killed myself... well, clearly I have to take that seriously.
i want to ride WELL. I don’t just want to ride FAST.
Unless I've missed something, you were cornering fast downhill on wet leaves. I think the clues are all there...
you may find another outlet you’ve never had the time to explore
He has more outlets than anyone I know. It's ridiculous!
It's not that I necessarily think you descend too quickly everywhere. But sometimes I go through sections on the brakes because I am envisaging crash scenarios in my heart and you pull away.
I really don't want to sound like an insensitive arsehole at this point and I feel like I may be. I hope you don't take offence. The point I am badly trying to make is that road descending is be as safe as you make it. Now, I appreciate that descending slowly might be boring and might be anathema to you. I don't find it hard to slow down on road because those damn skinny tyres and drop bars make me nervous, but I appreciate that if you love descending then this could be a hard thing to countenance.
But there is no reason to stop riding altogether.
but if im honest im not sure how anyone could descend a hill at 15mph dragging the brakes all the way.
Just to be clear this is not what saying. On an open two lane road with good sight and good surface, fill your boots. But on a narrow road with poor surface, it's different.
I should say that some.of SR's quick descending is done on clear open roads and I am probably move cautious on some. I'm not calling him a reckless lunatic.
I broke my arm on the road bike (3rd break in 2 years), it was at walking pace or slower at a junction, just rolling upto the give way line and the front of the bike just let go on a patch of diesel.
Shit happens.
<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">Aforementioned shit precipitated lots of comments calling the lines of "you need to have a serious think about your activities and their impact".</span>
This was quickly solved by the following statement on faceache "If one more fat person makes a comment about my health and exercise, I will comment on theirs". Obviously this hit a nerve somewhat but one of the culprits did lose over half their bodyweight in the next couple of years so maybe being called out on it was of some benefit!
Similar situation.
I've given up road riding due to the idiots in vehicles. Very nearly killed/paralysed when a kar hit me.
I mainly do MTB now, or Zwift to keep fitness up. No idiots on tracks and trails in vehicles. Yes MTB is more risky, but you can chose to go silly fast, or take it easy. I'm careful on descents, and I've fell off a few times, but it's been at manageable speeds and no injury done.
I was doing just 13 mph when the car turned into me, but 13-0 without slowing snapped my back mid air. I was already in agony before I landed !
Had all the same as you, so the compromise was staying away from traffic. The only positive I have was that it was someone elses fault, but mentally, just as wait4me says, I'm also struggling.
Added stress is that the defendant's are being ar$es despite admitting liability. They've been asked to get into 'negotiations' but haven't even responded and also refused to share medical reports. Well, I can be an ass too.
There isn't much you can do about greasy roads - it's just unlucky how you fell. Spines do break quite easily, I now know !
If there's something safe you can do that you can enjoy as much as the potentially unsafe things you do, then do them.
I suspect, as with me, there probably isn't.
I was involved in a hit-and-run crash about a month-and-a-half ago - a teenage lad riding a non-road-legal dirt bike on the wrong side of the road round a blind bend ploughed straight into me on my road bike.
I was descending and just swerved enough to turn it into a glancing blow rather than fully head-on. I suffered bad bruising and damage to my bike. Still got a weird little lump above my hipbone where the swelling hasn't fully subsided - but I consider myself quite lucky not to have life-changing injuries or worse - considering the closing speed of around 30-40mph.
Where am I going with this? Well, in theory it hasn't put me off road cycling - I've done a little bit for utility purposes - but I haven't really felt the urge to go out on the road bike either.
So maybe just get better and then see what you feel like doing? That may change over time as well.
Yeah they are all over Strava. Some of the times on some local natural segments can only be set by people with absolutely no regard for safety of anyone including themselves!
This was my lightbulb moment with Strava back when people were still talking about that crosstown rider in the States who’d ploughed into kids chasing a segment. Around the same time I lost a segment that was in a mixed use area and extremely close quarters on a poor surface with many blind corners. My time had been about as fast as you could possibly cover it and still be able to not have an accident when you rounded a turn if someone was there without baling over the fence into the river (not possible without leaving the bike to have the crash without you). That was when I stopped racing when I wasn’t in a racecourse.
What thecaptain said.
I've no idea why anything else is being discussed or could be relevant
I got hit 3 times on the road by cars, none my fault. Luckily I avoided major injury and I gave up road riding and haven't regretted it. Still ride on roads to get off road, but the idea of going out just to ride on a road seems totally alien to me now. luckily we do have alot of national cycle routes off road round here so if I want to just get the miles in I can still ride from the door and stick on the gnarmac.
Never been hit but find riding in traffic unpleasant. I'll do it for transport or to get somewhere I enjoy riding, but I can't relax like I can off road.
But if you enjoy it and give it up because of the risk, what are you losing? I suppose having a family that depends on you changes things to some extent, but it's hard to imagine an injury making me want to give up mountain biking.
Statistically most accidents happen in the home. Staying at home you are more likely to be involved in a freak iron/ironing board accident (oh the irony) than you are out on the bike