Crash | Stronger Cyclist

Bike crash injury

posted on November 7th, 2011 in Cycling, Cycling Tips, Ride Reports by Stephen

I crashed. I was going too fast and there were acorns and lots of leaves on the ground. I hit hard.

I went Mt biking with some buddies today. I slowed down at an intersection to make sure everyone was together and 2 of the guys passed me – suddenly I was playing catch-up. I went into a berm with more speed than usual, ended up high on the berm, I overshot the exit and the front wheel landed on leaves. The front wheel immediately folded out from under me and next thing I knew, I was rolling off the trail so that I wouldn’t get run over by the guy behind me. It happened that fast.

If you have not crashed, your not going fast enough…. or something like that.

I went down on my left side and had pain in my left knee. The guys stopped and waited as I figured out whether or not it was serious. I finally got up gingerly and slowly got back on the bike, and continued the ride. The knee was sore, but I pushed on…. I was riding the Jamis SS so I had to mash and stand often. My knee wasn’t very Happy, but I was enjoying the ride. After we finished an easier loop we moved onto another trail.

After transferring over to this other section my knee felt like it had hot-spots. I pulled down my knee warmer, which revealed a purple knee cap and being October, I don’t exactly have a tan. I could see where the skin had taken some abrasion. I was now figuring that I needed to take it easier than I was and attempt to spin my way out of the woods if possible.

I solo hiked & biked my way back to the parking lot and threw down some advil. Once home, I elevated and put a bag of frozen broccoli on the knee cap. Hours later and there was serious swelling and I could barely bend my knee past a 90 degree angle. This was probably my fault.

Things I did wrong
I should have realized how hard the impact was that my knee was going to swell and be sore. More riding was not going to ‘loosen it up’. In fact, all it probably did was aggravate it even more. Being on a Single Speed wasn’t helping either.

Things I did correctly
Once I realized that it was worse that I initially thought, I attempted to get back quickly and take advil in hopes of suppressing any swelling.
Elevate the leg and start 15 minute periods of icing the knee.

UPDATE:
Knee joint itself feels good – no pain through full range of motion.
The inside and just above the knee muscle seems to be quite swollen – I’m continuing to take Advil, apply ice and elevate. I am also seeing noticeable improvement in range of motion and less pain.

Is Rubbing Racing?

posted on July 22nd, 2010 in Cycling, Cycling Tips, Reviews, Ride Reports by Stephen

There has been some debate recently about whether or not ‘rubbing is racing’ in the cycling world. Although it may seem that rubbing is not (or should not) be involved in cycling and racing, the fact of the matter is that it is involved, and the reasons may not be what you would think…..it’s for safety!

on the right you can see 2 guys bump in this sprint finish of a cat4 race

Ever watch a big stage race on TV, and see the overhead shots of riders along the narrow streets. They seemed like they are packed onto the road in a sardine container. They are so close to each other that 1 potential slip would cause a pretty serious crash, which often happens when you get about 180 cyclists on the road. Tension is high. Riders are moving around the pack, domestics are dropping back to get bottles, jostling for position before a climb, riders have to grab feed bags as they go through the feed zone, there is a rotation of riders at the front of the peleton that are doing the most work, teams have to gather and organize for sprint lead-outs.

All of this moving around with in the pack, this pack that is in constant motion, not only externally, but also internally is another reason that rubbing is racing. In both racing and many group rides, riders often bump into each other, but I would bet that crashes per bump ratio is pretty low. In fact, I would be willing to bet that riders bumping into each other causing crashes is much more rare than when riders over-lap wheels!

photo by Jon Woodruff - www.TwoToneAtl.com

As you become a Stronger Cyclist and ride more group rides and especially if you race, you will at some point either be bumped or bump someone else. Riders may bump for several different reasons. The difference is A) how hard someone is bumped. If a rider is crashing, there isn’t much you can do. If a rider slowly shifts left or right then you may get bumped. B) the intention and C) the way it is handled.

The Intention: Often times, riders will simply shift slightly left or right and if you happen to be on that side of a rider, then you may bump into each other. Usually the little bump is neither planned nor intentional. The riders merely touch, separate and that is the end of it.

Sometimes this is a safety measure to let the person ahead of you know that you are on that side of them.

Sometimes in racing someone will bump into you attempting to move you over and/or take your position. Although this is more intentional, it is a legal move as long as their hands stay on their handlebars. In fact, this is a very common practice in a Velodrome race called the Keirin. (And much easier to take pictures of!)

photo by Carleton Hall - http://www.flickr.com/photos/carleton_hall/

If you ride in a group, you will more than likely get bumped. So here are some guide lines of how to handle it.

Guide Lines of getting Bumped:
A) Try not to freak out.
B) Do NOT slam on your brakes!
C) Attempt to hold a straight line

photo by Carleton Hall - http://www.flickr.com/photos/carleton_hall/

If you want to practice bumping, it is best to talk it out with a friend ahead of time, so you both know it is going to happen. Start by cycling in the grass, as you get close, try to barely touch elbows. Your goal is not to hit them or move them, but to just make contact.
Next time try to reach out with your elbow and attempt to touch the other person’s hip.

If you are not used to be bumped while cycling, there is a good chance that it will freak you out the first time. But if you handle the situation well, it really will become 2nd nature after a while. After a while you may find that like I did, I would bump my friends that I know how to handle the situation and I knew don’t mind, so much that eventually I would bump them and with out them seeing me, they would say ‘Hi Stephen’.

Wrist ID or Ankle ID?

posted on January 28th, 2010 in Cycling, Cycling Tips, Reviews by Stephen

I currently have the Road ID that I wear on my ankle, but because of the cold weather here, I wear it with an extra layer of clothing over it. I’m concerned whether or not someone would notice it on my ankle if I did have an accident.

Do you have ICE in your phone? In Case of Emergency #?

Do you have a Road ID or similar?

If so, where do you wear it?