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#11
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I crash into religion
landotter wrote:
Wooden bridges are deathtraps. The slime that builds up on them can be a terror as well. Last fall I took a spill on one due to similar loss of traction. One second I was spinning nicely, the next I was laying on my hip going WTF?? I got a hip bruise and lost a couple nice old Cinelli end plugs. Damn you bridge! Now I slow down and only coast across wooden bridges unless I'm positively sure they're dry. You'll heal up fine. I've taken a couple to the face, including going headfirst into a snowbank at night, losing my glasses in the snow, and having to ride home, one-handed to keep the blood from gushing out my eyebrow. Fun for all! Commuting as extreme sport! w00t! It shouldn't be a blood sport. Not every accident is avoidable, but most are, including this one. Bike paths often have unique hazards, traps for the unwary. How many more crashes will be caused by this particular situation? I hope the OP reports this. |
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#12
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I crash into religion
On Sun, 07 May 2006 07:23:42 -0400, Peter Cole
wrote: landotter wrote: Wooden bridges are deathtraps. The slime that builds up on them can be a terror as well. Last fall I took a spill on one due to similar loss of traction. One second I was spinning nicely, the next I was laying on my hip going WTF?? I got a hip bruise and lost a couple nice old Cinelli end plugs. Damn you bridge! Now I slow down and only coast across wooden bridges unless I'm positively sure they're dry. You'll heal up fine. I've taken a couple to the face, including going headfirst into a snowbank at night, losing my glasses in the snow, and having to ride home, one-handed to keep the blood from gushing out my eyebrow. Fun for all! Commuting as extreme sport! w00t! It shouldn't be a blood sport. Not every accident is avoidable, but most are, including this one. Bike paths often have unique hazards, traps for the unwary. How many more crashes will be caused by this particular situation? I hope the OP reports this. Dear Peter, (AP-Pueblo, CO) "Authorities were informed of a recent 6 a.m. bicycle crash involving a rider who slipped and fell at 25 mph on a dew-covered wooden bridge that had recently been re-painted." "Signs, warning that any surface may be slippery when covered with early morning dew, are being posted at 100-foot intervals along the 20-mile ride." "In related news, Carl Fogel announced that he was damned glad that Paul Cassel wasn't hurt worse." "Mr. Fogel added something incoherent about being up at an ungodly hour himself, having been struck by a thought about hanging a biccycle wheel from its upper spoke in an unrelated spoke-testing thread, stated that the accident confirmed his long-held opinions about early rising, and went back to bed at 5:52 a.m. MST." Cheers, Carl Fogel |
#13
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I crash into religion
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#14
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I crash into religion
Paul Cassel wrote: Today I fell down hard on my road bike. I figure I was going about 25 mph when I hit new paint at the end of a wooden bridge I've been over dozens of times never finding any traction issues. However, sometime recently, the City decided to put new wood and paint on the bridge. Add some dew at 0600h and it made for a slippery surface. I skidded sideways and then, when I hit the tarmac again, I high sided. I was not wearing a helmet, but have good reflexes in the curl and roll. I ended up with a terrible case of road rash, my eyeglasses embedded in my cheek (the lens came out and stuck into my cheek right at the cheekbone) and a lot of debris embedded into my muscles plus other injuries. I truncated the ride returning 20 miles instead of the planned 40. My bike sustained minor injuries with the saddle being the most badly damaged. Evaluating the crash, I figure that I may have been more badly hurt wearing a helmet, but ironically, I'll will buy and from now on wear a helmet when riding. This sounds paradoxical, but here is my logic. The only place I hit was my face from the cheek down. I hit the glasses very hard, scraped away a lot of skin from my face, nose, upper lip and chin. There are other lower body injuries as well including a badly hurt right arm and leg. I would guess that had I hit just that way with a hat on, the visor would have exerted rotational force on my neck making for, perhaps, much more serious injuries. Get rid of those visors, they do nothing but....they are held on with what, little velcro things or something? I doubt you would have gotten 'serious neck injuries' because of this little piece of plastic. I am not a helmet nazi but ya know, helmets never hurt, 'may' help. If ths is a troll, I'll know soon enough. However, what will remain with me for a long time, and it was the first thing I remembered when I woke up there on the bike trail, was the sound of my face / head hitting. It was a loud crack-like sound. I had some time to review things on the ride back home and then waiting in the hospital urgent care to think on things. I was mentally unprepared for the suddenness and ferocity of this crash. Had I hit higher up on my head I surely would have had a great chance of sustaining serious brain injury. Instead of a little nap and a hideous headache now, (along with at least two weeks off) I may have been looking at permanent injury or even death. It was the realization that even at bicycle speeds, something I dismissed before, one can get badly hurt. Yes, I'm still opposed to mandatory helmet laws, but I doubt you'll be seeing me ride without one from now on. |
#15
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I crash into religion
Paul Cassel wrote:
Glad you weren't hurt much worse than you were... this kind of accident always seems like the kind that happens to "other people", and is a good example of the kind of thing that can happen when you're just riding along minding your own business. Evaluating the crash, I figure that I may have been more badly hurt wearing a helmet, but ironically, I’ll will buy and from now on wear a helmet when riding. This sounds paradoxical, but here is my logic. The only place I hit was my face from the cheek down. I hit the glasses very hard, scraped away a lot of skin from my face, nose, upper lip and chin. There are other lower body injuries as well including a badly hurt right arm and leg. I would guess that had I hit just that way with a hat on, the visor would have exerted rotational force on my neck making for, perhaps, much more serious injuries. As Sorni said, the visors pop off with almost no effort, so it's unlikely it would have had any effect. Others claim that the increased radius of a helmeted head will lead to more injuries by applying more torque to the neck, but I have to believe that the lower friction of a helmet to road connection (compared to skin to road connection) would more than offset that. The bottom line in this kind of "scraping, sliding" crash (to me at least, YMMV) is that you're going to have to stop by grinding SOMETHING on the road, and if part of that load is taken by the helmet, there's some part of your body that's going to get off that much easier. Mark Hickey Habanero Cycles http://www.habcycles.com Home of the $795 ti frame |
#16
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I crash into religion
Qui si parla Campagnolo wrote:
Get rid of those visors, they do nothing but....they are held on with what, little velcro things or something? I doubt you would have gotten 'serious neck injuries' because of this little piece of plastic. I am not a helmet nazi but ya know, helmets never hurt, 'may' help. "Helmets never hurt"??? You haven't been paying attention, Peter. SEVERE neck injuries from all that "additional rotational weight"! Defelecting blows to one's jaw! Bigger target for terrorist tree limbs! I'm afraid to go ride /at all/ now... And the AHZs say helmet /proponents/ are fear mongers. BS |
#17
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I crash into religion
Paul Cassel wrote:
(snip) Yes, I'm still opposed to mandatory helmet laws, but I doubt you'll be seeing me ride without one from now on. Glad that you are okay. I had never wore a helmet in many years of bicycling. A couple of years ago I was propelling my then 55 year old body along on my road bike @ about 20 mph doing my Walter Mitty imitation of Eddy Merckx. I went into a patch of sand on the road that was deeper then it first appeared. My front tire grabbed and down I went. I landed on my left shoulder breaking my collarbone and separating my AC joint. When I hit I saw the asphalt coming to the side of my head and in that tenth of a second tried to hold my neck muscles to keep from hitting my head without success. I heard that sickening popping sound you describe as the side of my head hit the pavement. I am not sure if I was knocked unconscious. I think I may have been for a short time. One way or the other I had one hell of a head ache. I lost five weeks work and five days off the road. Got a stationary trainer after the first week to maintain some semblance of condition. Once I was able to get back on the road I have never ridden without a helmet again and never will. An ounce of prevention. Good day to all, Jimmy |
#18
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I crash into religion
wrote: (snip) I lost five weeks work and five days off the road. Got a stationary trainer after the first week to maintain some semblance of condition. Once I was able to get back on the road I have never ridden without a helmet again and never will. An ounce of prevention. Good day to all, Jimmy FWIW, I should have said I lost five weeks off the road and five days off the bike. Incidentally, I found that using the stationary trainer an hour a day left me in better condition five weeks later when I was able to get back on the road then I had been in before the accident. It also helped my morale a great deal as during my early recovery I was not a happy camper. Jimmy |
#19
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I crash into religion
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#20
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I crash into religion
Per Sorni:
My recollection is that you still might be looking at death. Way to buck the boy up, Pete! eg Yeah, I just thought it would cheer him up a little bit. Isn't that how Bruce Lee got it? -- PeteCresswell |
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