[Closed] Near Catastrophic End Of Ride

Having been in the canal (in the dark and on my own) I can tell you that it's cold, wet, muddy and smelly in that order.

and also about 3 feet deep

I had a massive 'moment' on my ride yesterday. I don't know what happened as it was on a very simple 'resetting and picking up speed' part of a trail, between two corners. I must have hit something because it pushed my weight sideways and the front wheel did that 'slide sideways for a second' thing. The one where you are just a passenger waiting for the bike to either correct itself or dig the front wheel in and send you into the weeds at pace.

Luckily it righted itself and on I rode. But I did get that proper feeling where the pit of your stomach drops away!

I don't crash a lot, but I went down twice on consecutive rides a couple of weeks ago and nearly made it hat trick.

A pal of mine ended up in the canal a few years ago.

Freak accident, you know you encounter someone and you both do that thing where you go the same way. My pal ended up in the water on a very cold midwinter Scottish day. Not funny and she was lucky both to get out of her pedals and to retrieve the bike.

Glad you avoided the same.

I've fallen in the canal when trying to avoid another cyclist under a bridge (mostly my fault), my kids love me to recount it. I actually went in head first and I agree it is rather cold and smelly.

Had a moment yesterday on my cross bike where my front wheel went sideways on an innocuous looking bit of trail, somehow I caught it in time. I went from total - adrenaline spiked - fear to a giggling little boy all in a few metres.

I ended up in a canal about 5yrs ago, had already been a tormented by a couple of punctures and using my patches and spare tube up, as I crossed a concrete runoff section my front tyre suddenly lost air and I barrel rolled into the water.

As said above, cold, wet, muddy and smelly! I was surprised that it wasn't deeper too. Had to walk into the nearest town, managed to find an hardware shop with cheapo puncture repair kits, fixed it and took the most direct route home.

Passing a tip I got another bleddy puncture! Probably my worst ever ride!

I ended up in canal one Boxing Day - it was -10C. I was riding the towpath which was packed snow - I hadn’t accounted for the kids making a polished slide as it dipped under a bridge. I took a foot out, but I just fell on my ar$e and shot into the water. I remember looking up at the blue sky from under the water! Hooked my bike with my foot, climbed out - wrung the water out as best I could and decided to ride 8 miles home as waiting for Mrs was likely to result in hypothermia. My clothes were frozen when I got home and just climbed in the shower fully clothed.

Great anecdotes. Proper made me chuckle.

I must say 20 years ago i did end on the Thames near Newbury but canals always seem just 1 step above a sess pit.

I nearly ended up in the Black Devon between Clackmannan and the bottom end of Alloa one night in the dark. I went out for a quick night-ride after work before an evening meeting. I was blasting along on my SS in the dark on a narrow riverside trail when BOOM, LANDMINE! Actually no, crank strike on a root/stump. Full OTB ejection was followed by a winding impact and roll. I threw out my arm to help stop the roll and there was nothing there. I came to rest lying on my back with my head and right shoulder overhanging the water, and my arm still desperately trying to "dab" in space.

A very delicate oblique sit-up was required to ensure continued contact with terra-firma, then a ginger ride back to safety. This was entirely on the line. There was no spare margin. One mm further and I would have gone into the waster, headfirst, backwards and in the dark, but if you weren't there, you wouldn't understand.

, I hit a piece of a fallen tree and headed straight for the water but somehow I just turned and missed by mm’s.

Sounds like you had a very narrowboat escape.

I ended up in the canal in spectacular fashion once, giving it full beans down a gently sloping piece of single track, what I didn’t know was that underneath was a canal tunnel.

Cue the track turning 90 degrees left, me going straight on and a not insignificant drop into the canal below.
Looking back on it, it was hilarious. At the time, not so.

Turns out the barrier had rotted, the council were aware and someone was supposed to be putting a temporary fence up.

The Black Devon. Taken many a rider.

My mate has a story of how when he was a kid he was riding his BMX down the towpath with fishing rods on his shoulder and when turning his head the rods pivoted and Knocked a passing woman into the canal 🤦‍♂️

Apparently after climbing out the first thing she did was yell “You wet me fags you bastards!” at them.

Sounds like you had a very narrowboat escape.

Good job no one was there to barge him in

Is canal swimming allowed during lock down?

Round here if you go into the canal you come out with a different bike.

I used to live near a stream which ran between 2 housing estates, if i needed anything for my bike I would go and have a look down there.
My mate called it the supermarket. Never fell in it tho.