Keep your head up!

Roastie

Saturday night, I was running late getting to an important social engagement, so blasting flat-out (on The Pig, thankfully) along SCR central towards VB. I'd slept badly the night before, so my neck as pretty stiff. There was also a stiff, cold headwind, so I had my head down a lot (more than I should have, the neck again) and was giving it beans.

Across the road from the Shell garage I looked up to see the grey bumper of a parked Jaguar. It is funny how things happen when you realise you are going to crash. I knew I had no chance of even getting a handful of brake, and that pain was imminent. And I was glad it wasn't a hatchback, estate or van.

So I clouted the Jag at full pelt, my chin hit the rear window and I tumbled onto the roof and then off onto the pavement. It took a few seconds to get my bearings again, but I seemed mostly uninjured. That was when I realised that I was definitely going to be late.

I picked The Pig up - quick damage assessment was forks very bent, saddle too. Front mudguard detached perfectly. The rest seemed fairly unharmed. The Jag showed hardly any signs of harassement, a minor scuff from The Pig's bar ends on the bootlid (that would polish out, if not wash off) and that was it. I had no pen on me to write a note to the owner, and intended to pop back the next morning when I could - but in my state of shock I became acutely focussed on getting to the show.

I walked The Pig over to Pimlico, locked it up and took the Tube (Gr). Went to fetch it Sunday AM, the Jag was gone.

Later in the evening I became very sore, especially my jaw and neck, but I'm pretty amazed that I got away without a scratch. Sunday I felt surprisingly good. Today I am in a good deal of discomfort.

Lucky escape, and lesson learned (or at least a good reminder) to always look where I am going!

Kieran_Burns

A very lucky escape!

One thing...

How the hell did the saddle get damaged? Was this from the severe involuntary bottom clench as you realised you were about to enter a world of pain?

Or maybe you clamped on so hard with your buns of steel, you wrenched the bugger as you shot off?

Rich158

Glad you're ok dude, well relatively speaking. I guess the aches and pains will come out over the next few days or so and then ease off.

there's nothing more embarasing than hitting a prked car :oops: I've nearly done it myself several times, although it's always in the summer when my attention has been diverted :roll:

Roastie

Kieran_Burns wrote:

How the hell did the saddle get damaged?

Nothing as exciting as that - I guess The Pig did a bit of a somersault as well - the saddle must have taken the brunt of the landing.

rjsterry

Glad you're ok-ish. Have done something similar at very low speed (9 or 10 mph) years ago and that was bad enough. Really wouldn't want to try a full tilt version

lost_in_thought

Sorry to hear about that Roastie, you did rather bring it on yourself though!

Try to keep yourself as warm as possible - it does wonders for muscular stress. If you worked in Finland you could go in the office sauna.

gbsahne001

Did the same thing 15 years ago; head down at full pelt only to run into a parked post office van at somewhere between 25 - 30mph.

Result; broken collar bone, concusion, overnight stay at hospital and a new bike required.

Clever Pun

glad you're ok though

oscarbudgie

Once did the same into the back of a parked Triumph TR7 (shows how long ago that was!) and bent the top tube where it meets the head tube (steel bike) My Dad actually managed to straighten it although it never looked pretty again.

Roastie

lost_in_thought wrote:

Sorry to hear about that Roastie, you did rather bring it on yourself though!

Try to keep yourself as warm as possible - it does wonders for muscular stress. If you worked in Finland you could go in the office sauna.

Yep, 100% self inflicted!

German company so no office sauna , but thankfully my company has an office physio! I'll certainly be seeing a lot more of her in the near future.

Bassjunkieuk

I've done something similar but managed to rather spectacularly open up an impressive cut on my nose (which still hasn't healed properly, so I have an odd shaped nostril - suspect it needed stitching at the time!!!).

Mine was also into the back of a car (Pug 206) whilst I was checking the front sensor on my fork as it wasn't getting a reading - look up to see the bumper of the car then splat, into the back window...........

Luckily a office colleague was walking up the road and saw it happen. They grabbed some tissue to stem the blood that was leaking from my nose and walked with me back to the train station as my parents lived across the road.

Glad to hear your OK tho Roastie!

Jamey

Glad you're ok and glad you were on The Pig as well. Hope the aches and pains go away soon

Bikequin

Ouch!! Sounds very painful - I had a similar incident last week but at much lower speed I think.

As you say theres always that awful moment when you realise - "Oh cock" I'm not going to stop and this is probably going to hurt. Then in the immeadiate aftermarth you're always far more concerned about your bike than your own health.

bigmat

Almost happened to me this morning, I had just turned right onto Balham High Road and was passing the petrol station, head down for a moment, when I looked up some silly bint was in the process of left-hooking me. Fortunately I'd fixed my brakes last week so I was able to stop on a dime (only travelling around 15mph) but another second and I'd have been on the deck.

always_tyred

MatHammond wrote:

Almost happened to me this morning, I had just turned right onto Balham High Road and was passing the petrol station, head down for a moment, when I looked up some silly bint was in the process of left-hooking me. Fortunately I'd fixed my brakes last week so I was able to stop on a dime (only travelling around 15mph) but another second and I'd have been on the deck.

That's not almost doing the same, that's almost being driven into, not almost cycling into something.

There is a strange outbreak of cycling into stationary objects going on at the moment.

bigmat

Always Tyred wrote:

MatHammond wrote:

Almost happened to me this morning, I had just turned right onto Balham High Road and was passing the petrol station, head down for a moment, when I looked up some silly bint was in the process of left-hooking me. Fortunately I'd fixed my brakes last week so I was able to stop on a dime (only travelling around 15mph) but another second and I'd have been on the deck.

That's not almost doing the same, that's almost being driven into, not almost cycling into something.

There is a strange outbreak of cycling into stationary objects going on at the moment.

Yeah but I should've kept my head up to look where I was going, that's what I meant!

always_tyred

MatHammond wrote:

Always Tyred wrote:

MatHammond wrote:

Almost happened to me this morning, I had just turned right onto Balham High Road and was passing the petrol station, head down for a moment, when I looked up some silly bint was in the process of left-hooking me. Fortunately I'd fixed my brakes last week so I was able to stop on a dime (only travelling around 15mph) but another second and I'd have been on the deck.

That's not almost doing the same, that's almost being driven into, not almost cycling into something.

There is a strange outbreak of cycling into stationary objects going on at the moment.

Yeah but I should've kept my head up to look where I was going, that's what I meant!

Possibly, but then you also need to keep an eye on the road surface, shoulder check, etc. Depends how long it was for, but I realyl don't think you should be too hard on yourself!!