Best way to fall/crash?

cberry

I had a bit of a shocker on the commute this morning- managed to get hit by a white van while I was travelling at speed and he was accelerating from a stop. I'm ok and the bike is getting fixed (and the apologetic driver is paying) so besides being a bit shaken up things are ok. But as I've now been hit twice in 3 months (in London, of course) it got me thinking: what should ones reactions be once its obvious you are going to crash?

I ask because I'm new to cycling but grew up ski racing, and ski racers frequently have dramatic high speed crashes and end up ok, because when you have the experience of having crashed a lot you know exactly how to react to minimize danger to life and limb. This contrasts to many less experienced skiers end up with injuries from comparatively minor crashes because they don't react in the right way.

So the question is, once a (bike) crash has been initiated (eg evasion no longer an option) what do you do? Try to protect the head? Try to stay loose? Try to keep the bike away/close to you? Or just wait it out and hope for the best?

Sorry for the depressing question! Its been bugging me all day....

PhilTheFish

Wear an inflatable Sumo suit for commuting? That'd work!

As for a serious answer, I have no idea. I suppose the difference with skiers is that they have something relatively softish to land on...didn't help me when I snapped 2 bones in my leg on my first afternoon on snow though!

tardington

What do skiers do then?! I want to know, and fast!

In the meantime, I'll stick to shouting 'Khaaaaaan!' like Captain Kirk does in Star Trek II : The Wrath of Khan.

Atz

Treat it like a motorbike. If you're sliding and feel likely to hit something, get rid of the bike. If you've gone over the handlebars/car bonnet, either try to roll or just resist the urge to lock your arms before you hit the ground.

whyamihere

I used to do Judo, so I was used to falling hard from odd positions. I just apply that to the bike.

dennisn

I have heard that you should always hang on to the handlebars when crashing.

Dennis Noward

prj45

Well, I went over my handlbars the other day (and the car door that was in front of them) and I didn't really get time to think about how to land, I just did.

Didn't do too much damage, but clearly landed on my left shoulder and right thigh, right arm and left hand (don't ask how, I don't know).

The overriding thought as I went over was "f***, I was really enjoying that ride as well, and now I'm not going to get to finish it".

ellesse

I used to do a bit of freerunning and landing was a big part of it,
http://www.urbanfreeflow.com/fundamenta ... entals.htm
look at landing as it might help, (not if its straight into the side of a lorry of course)
I usually just hope for the best. but if you relax (which i guess is really hard to do) then there is a much lessor (sp) chance of tearing muscles and ligaments (i guess)

fossyant

Usually, first thought 'This is going o hurt.....'

In vehicular crashes - like cars turning on you etc, you won't always have much time to react, but don't tense up too much - broken collar bones are very common in cyclists - the bike will usually get thrown if clipless - don't try and hang on.

The transit that turned on me when I was doing 25mph didn't leave me much time.... shoulder went through the wing mirror, over the bonnet I flew, let go of the bike, bike unclipped - I flew a road's width, and landed smack in between a load of scaffolding outside a shop - the bike skidded into the scaffolding and was written off - well the frame was.... I broke a small bone in my hand and skinned myself a bit. Driver legged it...

Sliding's different, and will just burn your skin off - just watch for the traffic to get up and out the way pronto, then inspect the missing body parts.......

Did a bad one on the Cat and Fiddle, came off descending into Macclesfield on a sharp bend - slipped on spilt dairy products.... slid on my ass and hand (no gloves). Ripped straight through a nice pair of shorts and then my ass.. Jumped up blooming quick as I'd slid right over the road into the path of a caravan.... hobbled to the side of the road to inspect the damage.... my hand was badly cut up, and elbow, but I'd taken a 6 inch square of skin off my ass - it's still completely hairless even today on that patch.... The pain in the shower after was awful, and the wound wept for weeks :shock: :shock:

Hairy Jock

From long experience I can say the trick is not to crash in the first place.

blacknosugar

Both times I've had Incidents I think I've let the handlebars go pretty early on, just sort of let the bike go when it wanted to. It seems to have been good policy as both times I've ended up clear of the bike, coming off with a mild sprain and a few scrapes at worst.
I imagine if you hang on for dear life you are much more likely to get tangled up with the bike and be more seriously injured.
I think humans have a pretty amazing instinctive sense of balance and things will end up better if your brain is calculating only where your body is going.

My advice is;
Get clear
Stay loose
Roll
(as illustrated above - you really do not want to be sliding at any kind of speed).

A

cberry

Thanks for all the tips- not that I'll ever think of them next time I'm hit by a van, but its good to know. The bike was at the shop this morning so I used that thing called "Public transport." Train was delayed, tube was shut, busses were a nightmare, and what takes me 50 minutes by bike took me 1h45. Will be back on the bike this evening!!!

(ski tips for those who asked- stay loose especially when you're still at speed, and ensure your skis/legs aren't crossed and try to get your legs downhill from your body, otherwise wait it out while gently slowing yourself down, provided you have the space)

Random Vince

dennisn wrote:

I have heard that you should always hang on to the handlebars when crashing.

Dennis Noward

no, thats motorbike racing, you hang onto the bars and hold the clutch in, then you dont have to re-start the bike, assuming its still in one piece

lateralus

Hairy Jock wrote:

From long experience I can say the trick is not to crash in the first place.

Much as I love the idea of having a clever plan for falling, in my experience, if you have time to think about that, you have time to do something to evade the crash. The times I've been taken out, it's all happened so fast it's just down to instinct. Just rely on those skiing skills - wish I had some of those

fossyant

lateralus wrote:

Hairy Jock wrote:

From long experience I can say the trick is not to crash in the first place.

Much as I love the idea of having a clever plan for falling, in my experience, if you have time to think about that, you have time to do something to evade the crash. The times I've been taken out, it's all happened so fast it's just down to instinct. Just rely on those skiing skills - wish I had some of those

Ah but when you've come off a fair bit.....you learn the best way to do it instinctively.... admittedly it's not a good way to learn, but that's cycling for you !!!

Izembard

Must be a theme, I got wiped out by a white van last Monday. Bloke drove straight through me. One second I'm riding along the next I'm upside down travelling through the air. The bike stayed attached to my feet. I managed to tuck my head over to one side and roll onto my shoulder. Unfortunately as the bike was still attached I wacked my ankle.
Driver stopped but then scarpered. The bike was actually snapped in two!! :evil:

cberry

I guess I'm comparatively lucky- my bike had only minor damage and the apologetic driver (or more correctly, his company) just paid for a nice servicing- the bike has never worked so well! Lucky for me he was accelerating from a stop so was only going a few mph when he hit me from the side- I was doing about 15. Bike did not stay attached, not sure why but my clips came out pretty much instantly. But since this is the 2nd time in 3 months I've been hit (other one was me in a cycle lane, and a car pulled the classic last-minute left hand turn) I'm only counting the days it happens again.

phil s

It's very worrying, though sadly not surprising, that two of the stories here involved vans that did a hit and run... just interested whether you got number plates or whether any members of the public got number plates and reported to police?