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that made you thank heavens and wonder how you walked away?
not sure...
Dec 2012 had my biggest for a while broke thumb skinned one side and off the bike for 2 1/2 months. Followed it up with a big stack into a tree that I managed to walk away from - both racing crashes.
the big one prior to that was hitting a pile of sawn tree trunks at a hell of a speed - the guy following just saw me go up in the air landed close to where it happened too - unstoppable vs immovable. Bent cranks, broke toe.... Very lucky except for the fact it was practice for the mega and 2 days before qualifiers.
Last year, I massively screwed up a step down that was about 3 foot vertical drop over a gap of about 10 feet, hit the lip and faceplanted massively. Not a scratch!
Just to add to that it seems like I messed up on a one off, that is not the case I am a terrible rider and have no idea why I attempted it as i can't jump for s*** and was very glad I had purchased a full face the day before.
The last really big one I had was on the Plenny run in Morzine. I was riding like a hero ([i]I thought[/i]) and HONESTLY the last thing i remember hearing was "mon dieu!" as I went past a Frenchman at warp speed 10, before being slung down the hill like a rag doll.
Blasting down Route 66 (Vallnord bike park black run, Andorra) rounded a corner into the sloppy stuff, I recall thinking, oh no, not here, not now, as I overtook my handlebars, before landing on my protected knees.
I also recall thinking how comfortable my pads felt as I hit the ground. 😀
I was a bit muddy but very happy I had my lovely Fox Launch pads on.
Last night.
I bounced down a steep rocky descent on my head while my bike waited at the top watching
Not a scratch and no one watching
😆
I hit a big squishy bit of mud in a bombhole and slew sideways off the bike the other week near Langdale. Handily I landed on the shoulder injured a week before.
I found a house brick on a dimly lit cyclepath in the dark on my road bike and the front wheel deflected hard to the left and I couldn't go with it and went down on my shoulder and head.Big egg on my head that matured into a champion black eye.
The same shoulder took all my speed in Elterwater before Xmas and I went from downhill demon to thinking what a lovely look starry sky as I lay on my back. Thought I'd smashed my shoulder but the pain subsided and I got back on and grimaced. I've lost some range of movement, as evidenced at a kids party where I could not do the YMCA dance and form letters with my arms above my head.
3 crashes in 3 months all on one shoulder...
Oct 2012 - a really small simple drop which I tried getting some air from...landed heading straight towards a tree...hauled on the brakes...otb...but forgot to let go of the bars...one cracked helmet, ti saddle, 3 inch gash in hip and broken collar bone. Used an inner tube as slingto get me back to the car. Collar bone still gives me grief even now.
Cuple of weeks back at BPW trying to 'lead' and just ****ed it all up and ploughed into a tree root.
I'm off to Jedi tomorrow... expect a new post tomorrow evening 🙂
Not so much of a crash but a lucky escape...
There's a double in the local woods on ons of the ghetto DH runs that's quite close to a tight corner. I wasn't goodng quite quick enough, put the nose in to the landing but was a bit short. Somehow my forks absorbed the impact from the backside if the landing and I ride it out. Needless to say my bottom was doing an impression of a rabbits nose!
about a month ago, out with the roadies, watched the person in front go down, had time to think this is going to hurt lots and how many are going over me?
In the end only one person rode over me, so not too bad.
As it was I successfully protected my helmet with my face. nice black eye where my glasses dug in, cheek is still a bit tender to the touch, so not sure if I bruised/cracked the bones. took a nice bit of skin off my knee and shoulder.
Important thing the bike was OK
Last one that hurt was at Woburn on the alternate start to Transfer Line. Came off the little drop too fast and didn't slow down in time for the berm so my front wheel went over the top and I ended up in a ferny bush. Would've been ok but I had my keys in my pocket and ended up with a nice key shaped bruise and dead leg.
Not so much of a crash but a lucky escape...
There's a double in the local woods on ons of the ghetto DH runs that's quite close to a tight corner. I wasn't goodng quite quick enough, put the nose in to the landing but was a bit short. Somehow my forks absorbed the impact from the backside if the landing and I ride it out. Needless to say my bottom was doing an impression of a rabbits nose!
Closest to a bad 'un was descent of Carn Liath, which is 500m descent of this angle:
[url= https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5443/9222637931_bb24602387_b.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/matt_outandabout/9222637931/ ]Beinn a'Ghlo munro's by bike[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/matt_outandabout/ ]matt_outandabout[/url], on Flickr
.
My brakes faded, and there are a couple of cheeky drops at the bottom. I just shot off the first one, unable to slow, and with a bit too much bravado and adrenaline flowing...4' to bumpy heather and rock, over the bars and landed in the only patch that seemed to be missing rocks...phew.
Each time I don a particular pair of shorts. Forget how baggy they are and catch them on my reverb button every time on the first climb.
Really embarrassing. Happened three times on the same climb with the same ridding buddy. He thinks I'm special and frankly I can't argue. 😳
Erm probably last summer at Stile Cop. Got off line and things very quickly went from bad to worse as one of Cannock's corner-apex trees loomed large. As I parted company with the bike I became curiously aware of the microscopic detail of the tree trunk a split second before I instinctively turned my face away and hit it.
The impact trauma was huge I have never felt anything like it and my first thought as I rolled to a stop was 'is my back OK'
I stood up and took my helmet off and there was a fist-size dent in the side with bits of bark embedded in it. Bike was OK and apart from some trail rash so was I although my neck was stiff for a few days afterwards
Look out for those trees eh folks and always wear a helmet
CYB, last summer. On False Teeth, IIRC.
An OTB at speed that shot me out on the downhill side, somehow avoiding hitting any of the numerous rocks and trees in the way.
No damage, but the speed of it really shook me for a while.
couple of weeks ago at Gisburn....decided to use the flats instead of SPD's and foot slipped off the pedal...now have a nice set of scars down the back of my calf!!
[url= http://dawonderful.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/too-extreme-for-his-own-body.html ]October 2012[/url]
During last years Manx End2End (September), I lost the front on a fast, rocky descent, hit the earth bank quite hard and expected mucho damage to me and the bike. Somehow, we both survived unmarked and uninjured 🙂
Reading this thread a rational person might conclude that mountain biking is a pretty stupid activity.
Stupid is as stupid does
i smashed myself to bits at mk dome on saturday snowboarding. concussed again :)but thought i was going to break myself as i messed up a ledge slide and hit my head then got up and followed my mate over the jump we'd been doing all night with double vision. Crashed that but fully got away with it 😀
The last close shave was a week or two ago - clearing a small gap (to my joy/surprise) and then taking on another and casing the front wheel through the lip. Saved by 6" of fork travel and soft ground, somehow stayed (mostly) behind the bars! The last actual crash resulted in an A&E visit, a back board and neck brace and lots of scans, back in July. I'm just about fully recovered now it's 8 months later...
I had a near death experience at moelfre last year. I came off the drop at the top, only to forget the track goes to the right a bit. I ended up landing on some rocks, and landed on my hip very hard and bad. I thought I smashed my hip but i ended up with just a hematoma the size of the moon. It still hurts to this day and the doctor recently said I probably bruised my bone, which I didn't know you could do!
must have been a bad 'un if the first thought wasn't 'is my bike OK?'and my first thought as I rolled to a stop was 'is my back OK'
😉
Reading this thread a rational person might conclude that mountain biking is a pretty stupid activity.
Needless to say, I'll not be discussing this thread with the wife over cocoa
Last November I was lucky not to be impaled on a fallen tree branch projecting from the trail. I was concentrating on clearing another obstacle and just didn't see it. The point of the branch shot across my rib cage, spinning me sideways and off the side of the bike.
Totally my fault and a lesson learnt to be a bit more observant.
[url= http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/repairing-holed-lycra ]About a month ago[/url] Knee's just about healed, before that I took a tumble off my DH bike in September...
So about once a quarter seems to be the average
Sunday the 16th.....(see my thread with vid) and ended up like chiefgrooveguru, spinal board and neck brace for 6 hrs, padding etc, scans and stuff.
Very nearly broke my neck TBH but recovering well considering its not quite 2 weeks since.
I had both my brakes run out of pads half way through the last round of the thetford winter series, I was amazed the amount of times that I came flying into a corner only to forget I had no brakes! luckily it only resulted in one slow speed crash but was super glad it was thetford and not somewhere more technical/steep!
I also had a very near off recently where I attempted to follow a significantly faster mate down a descent, only to scare myself and knock my confidence! - still not got it back 100%