Back in the saddle after accident

zenbuffy

So, last night I crossed another newbie first off of my list - on the way home, someone drove out onto a roundabout, and straight into me. Said she didn't see me.

Ouch

Too sore for the bike this morning so I drove into work, but I think I'm nervous to get back on it too. I knew about a second or two before that she was going to hit me, but there was nothing I could do about it but watch it happen, and it was pretty damn scary.

How do you get back to biking after an accident?

doozerie

The first thing to remind yourself is that accidents on the bike are very rare. In the immediate aftermath of an accident it can seem like everything on the road is a danger that's actively trying to knock you off the bike but if you think about how many times you've come off the bike in the past you'll probably find that it was very very few. Basically, you need to reassure yourself that your accident last night was just that, an unfortunate set of circumstances that led to an accident, not something that was inevitable.

Once you are back on the bike and riding around you'll probably find that you'll quickly forget about the accident and you'll settle back into enjoying being on the bike again.

ustazjoseph

zenbuffy wrote: »

So, last night I crossed another newbie first off of my list - on the way home, someone drove out onto a roundabout, and straight into me. Said she didn't see me.

Ouch

Too sore for the bike this morning so I drove into work, but I think I'm nervous to get back on it too. I knew about a second or two before that she was going to hit me, but there was nothing I could do about it but watch it happen, and it was pretty damn scary.

How do you get back to biking after an accident?

I spent 6 weeks off after a fall which left me with a broken collar bone. There's two sides to this I think. There's the trauma, fear anxiety etc. there's the injury and fitness issues. A quiet place and time . a commitment to ride for ten minutes two or five miles , whatever is comfortable. then build it up. Im still unfit ,in pain and a little nervous but did a joyful descent yesterday which helped. The confidence comes back. breath slow, stay mindful- good luck.

Beasty

I had a big crash 3 years ago. No vehicle involved, but hospitalised for a few days with concussion and requiring a skin graft

I tried out the turbo a week after the accident, then set myself a target of the Tour de Kilkenny just over 3 weeks later. I only managed to get back on the road the week before the sportive, and ended up chickening out of the 160km, taking the turn for100km instead. I did "beat" Martin Earley home though.

Anyway, what worked for me was setting a target and turning it into an achievement.

ck101

Beasty wrote: »

I had a big crash 3 years ago. No vehicle involved, but hospitalised for a few days with concussion and requiring a skin graft

I tried out the turbo a week after the accident, then set myself a target of the Tour de Kilkenny just over 3 weeks later. I only managed to get back on the road the week before the sportive, and ended up chickening out of the 160km, taking the turn for100km instead. I did "beat" Martin Earley home though.

Anyway, what worked for me was setting a target and turning it into an achievement.

After my accident this year which cost me an 8hr wait in beaumont, at least €500 and a contusion (with concussion for 10days). I got back up on the bike after a two week break.

Felt a little apprehensive at the start, since then I've completed a lot of safe Kms and three sportives. I still take it easy on the descents.

It's a scary stage and you may consider throwing in the towel but if you stick with it and play it safe you will get past where you are at the moment and enjoy the spins once again.

Qualitymark

Any witnesses? Any CCTV? Get her number? A driver who goes straight across a roundabout into a cyclist shouldn't be on the road, surely?

zenbuffy

Thanks for the replies. I'll have to wait a few days to get back on the back because, well, my posterior region is pretty bruised and banged up, so even sitting on big comfy armchairs hurts - not quite ready for my dinky saddle!

After that, I suppose I'll try a short cycle around the area, on some quiet roads, and then see how I go. Funny thing is, even though it was wet out, and a bit rainy, I was still enjoying the cycle (up until the accident of course!).

Doubt there's any cctv at the roundabout, but there were plenty of witnesses, as the road was pretty busy, and since I was sprawled in the middle of the roundabout, all the traffic pretty much had to stop until I could pick myself up.

zenbuffy

Decided to order a RoadID wrist tag today. Probably seems overkill, and I'm certainly hoping I won't have another accident, but I'm just damn unlucky, so I figure why not?

Surinam

Don't think that's overkill at all, you have the right attitude. Since reading the other thread on cycling ID I'm going to order one of those too. I hope you regain your confidence soon - I can only imagine how shakey you must have felt after the incident.

I haven't actually had a fall on my bike yet but last week did have a seriously *heart stops* moment when a truck came right up alongside me while a large pothole was coming up in front. The tyres of the truck were literally inches from me so I only had one option - onto the grass to the left. If I were going even a little bit faster I definitely would have come off but at least the lawn of the house at that point was big and flat so there was time to slow down safely on it. In future I'll have to assert myself on the road more; truck driver shouldn't have come up beside me like that. :rolleyes:

zenbuffy

I was definitely in shock afterwards. I was only a short ride/walk from home when it happened, and I was too shaken to get back on the bike, so I pushed it home, limping alongside. Couldn't stop sobbing and shaking for a good long while after it, I just couldn't help it. Legs almost went out from under me a few times as I walked home too. It was pretty unpleasant

Surinam

That sounds awful, you poor thing. Onwards and upwards from here then

cdaly_

zenbuffy wrote: »

So, last night I crossed another newbie first off of my list - on the way home, someone drove out onto a roundabout, and straight into me. Said she didn't see me.

Surinam wrote: »

I haven't actually had a fall on my bike yet but last week did have a seriously *heart stops* moment when a truck came right up alongside me while a large pothole was coming up in front. The tyres of the truck were literally inches from me so I only had one option - onto the grass to the left. If I were going even a little bit faster I definitely would have come off but at least the lawn of the house at that point was big and flat so there was time to slow down safely on it. In future I'll have to assert myself on the road more; truck driver shouldn't have come up beside me like that. :rolleyes:

@zenburry, hope your behind gets better quick so you can get back out on the bike.

Both of these tales sound very much like poor road positioning on your parts. Not dissing you personally but many cyclists stay too far left and end up with no escape room or in a harder to see position at junctions.

I stay further out from the kerb (I treat the line marking of a cycle lane as a minimum distance to stay from the kerb) and will take the middle of the lane if there are obstructions ahead. This leaves me with escape room and requires drivers to go around me rather than 'squeezing' past.

For roundabouts I take the middle of the lane and occupy it all the way around the roundabout. Again, this leaves me in a more obvious position (basically where drivers would be looking for cars) and also reduces the likelihood of a car being alongside me on the roundabout (this means it's less likely that they'll turn across me without warning).

zenbuffy

I was actually in the middle of the lane going around the roundabout - that's where I tend to go so that I'm as visible as possible. I was going straight through the roundabout, and she drove out from the entrance on my left as I was not too far from leaving the roundabout. I wasn't at the edge of the road at all, pretty much smack dab in the middle when she hit me.

Popoutman

For the first time back on the bike, try cycling around a large carpark to get used to the mechanics of cycling again, and it'll allow you to see if your aches and pains are gone down enough to move onwards.

Then just pick a short journey out and back, and take it from there.

When I'm cycling on the road, I'm expecting every car to try and hit me, so I cycle as defensively as I can and I try to always give myself an escape route if I can. It just becomes part of the roadcraft of cycling and it becomes routine to cycle defensively and still thoroughly enjoy the cycling.

Confidence will return in time, and it'll take time and miles to get there, but you'll back to normal at some point if a little more cautious of the idiots on the road.

NeedMoreGears

I was on the Clontarf cycle track last year when a car came across it. I went into to the side of the car quite hard. The driver had been stopped - there are stop signs at the crossing point. They just pulled across me as I was coming along - I hardly had a chance to even brake. They never saw me despite it being in plain daylight, I'm a cycle track (a proper one with signs and all) etc etc. It was a pure error on the driver's part.

I didn't feel entirely at ease on the bike for a week or two. Generally fine but just more concious of my surroundings rather than worried that every car was going to run me over. After that all was ok and I haven't had anything much (other than the usual minor annoyances) since - although I always slow down at that spot now.

Hope you recover quickly.

Caroline_ie

Something happened to me a few years ago. I was cycling into work on the fixie and a taxi entered the roundabout at speed and hit me. He hadn't seen me.
I was bruised and scratched, the bike was ok but the wheels were broke. My boyfriend let me use a spare set of wheels.
I made sure I was back cycling into work the next day. I was slow and very sore with bandages everywhere, but I didn't want to let myself think this would happen again, otherwise I would never have got back back on my bike.

cdaly_

Did something similar a few years back too. Came off with a blowout and ripped up my arm. Fixed the puncture, got back on the bike and cycled home. Stopped at a petrol station to inflate the tyre a bit more and got some funny looks from a driver. "Excuse me, do you know your arm's bleeding?". "Um yeah..."

Back on the bike next morning...

SetOverSet

Hope you feel better OP...

I've only had the one crash while commuting (wet Luas lines, d'oh), but did have a near on a roundabout in Dublin - I was going straight through, no cars at all from my right so I proceed, nearest car coming from the left is about 100m or so away. I keep glancing left; pretty sure he makes eye contact, so confident he sees me, I carry on, but does he brake - does he f*** - flies straight across me, just as I reach where he joins the roundabout. Heart in mouth time...

Perhaps OTT, but I now assume every driver's out to crush me and that every ped is just about to step off the path and so am continuously looking for escape routes.

Raam

I got taken out a few years ago by someone who pulled out in front of me from the left. I got an awful whack on the head. For months possibly years after that, I was on edge whenever I saw someone approaching from a side road on the left. Even on the bus or in a car, I would visibly jump. That reaction is gone now, but the awareness of the possibilities is not. It should just serve to heighten your awareness to a new level.

JMcL

zenbuffy wrote: »

So, last night I crossed another newbie first off of my list - on the way home, someone drove out onto a roundabout, and straight into me. Said she didn't see me.

Ouch

Too sore for the bike this morning so I drove into work, but I think I'm nervous to get back on it too. I knew about a second or two before that she was going to hit me, but there was nothing I could do about it but watch it happen, and it was pretty damn scary.

Ouch indeed. I guess the main thing is that you came away from it with nothing more serious than bumps and bruises.

The exact same thing nearly happened to me a couple of weeks ago when a dimwit in a van drove straight onto a roundabout that I was halfway round at speed - it gave me a fair adrenaline rush (and got the driver - who did slow down - got a fairly robust outlining of van vs. bike; winner van)

Anyway, hope you get the courage to get back in the saddle soon, best of luck!