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What’s the worst cycling accident you ever had? Was it your fault or someone else’s?

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  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,337 Mod ✭✭✭✭CramCycle


    I remember on the track hearing this noise like a shotgun just off my right shoulder. I looked over to see Caroline_ie upside down. It all happened so fast that it looked like she was handstanding but I obviously just caught a glimpse mid somersault. She definetly broke a few things IIRC.


  • Registered Users Posts: 24,937 ✭✭✭✭Wishbone Ash


    MojoMaker wrote: »
    ..... life changing injuries from cycling, however temporary...
    Temporary? Life changing injuries are usually permanent.

    (Speaking of life changing injuries, a few years ago, I arrived on the scene of an incident between a cyclist and a left turning truck a few seconds after it happened. Not a pleasant experience).


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,121 ✭✭✭daragh_


    Cracked ribs a few times - mostly commuting and avoiding pedestrians and Cars. Once at a CX Race - Grangecastle of all places which is probably the least technical.

    Worst crash was in the most dangerous of all cycling disciplines - the A4 Bunch Sprint :D Broken collarbone, finger and epic road rash. Still have some wonky fingers from that one.


  • Registered Users Posts: 184 ✭✭Chris871


    Some terrible injuries on this thread.

    Luckily enough for me, Road rash and bruising is my worst outcome to date after being left hooked by a jeep last summer. Fingers crossed my good luck continues.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,482 ✭✭✭MojoMaker


    Temporary? Life changing injuries are usually permanent.

    Totally. I mean the injuries that temporarily change your life in very inconvenient ways - like breaking both wrists and having to have someone else wipe your a$$ for 6 weeks. That's a change to your life! :pac:

    Injuries that result in facial damage, memory loss, teeth reconstruction - nothing permanent, but major hassle and a real downer.

    This thread has been an eye opener - way more injuries than I expected to read, and more serious than I would have wagered.


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  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,714 ✭✭✭ThewhiteJesus


    As a cyclist this thread has scared the crap out of me, I will deffo dig out the helmet and get that long overdue service done, happy you all survived !


  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 6,813 Mod ✭✭✭✭eeeee


    As a cyclist this thread has scared the crap out of me, I will deffo dig out the helmet and get that long overdue service done, happy you all survived !

    I can only speak for myself but I have been commuting through Dublin city centre for 15 years, and racing for 6 years, 7 this year (jesus!), both largely without incident. I do more mileage on a bike a year than most do in a car. I have gotten away extremely lightly when you consider how many km's I do a year. 2 notable incidents in 15 years of daily cycling and years of racing and big mileage makes for a very safe activity.
    This thread just makes it sound bad!


  • Registered Users Posts: 271 ✭✭Kander


    Crashed in a club league race going for the finish.

    Broken elbow on impact with pretty bad road rash on my shoulder and knee. I got ran over by one of the other guys behind me and his front wheel broke a couple of ribs in my back as he was using me for a speed bump. He ended up in hospital as well when he fell off.

    Couple of years later the elbow still hurts if I bang it of anything including pins and needles in my hands. It hurts when its cold outside also. I get aches where yer mans front wheel hit.

    Decided not to race after that.


  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,337 Mod ✭✭✭✭CramCycle


    Kander wrote: »
    Decided not to race after that.

    I had a conversation with a club member abut it one night as we rode out to a club league race. We very much came to the conclusion we were insane and if we gave it any rationale thought, we simply wouldn't partake in it. We then stopped talking about it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,168 ✭✭✭secman


    Suppose I'm lucky, cycled in my 30s , a little bit in my 40's, then again from early 50's, in early 60's now. Had a period of 10 yrs off the bike.
    Have come off the bike 5 times, all at varying ages and speeds, from as slow as 15kph to 30kph +, All ended with road rash and bruising thankfully. Yet a cycling buddy has come off twice and suffered breaks in his arm on both occasions


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  • Registered Users Posts: 6,175 ✭✭✭DaveyDave


    Both of my major injuries were my fault and mountain biking related!

    Around 10 years ago I went over the bars on the upper trail in Ticknock and separated my shoulder, full tear of ligaments but fortunately didn't need surgery. The pain was the worst thing I've ever experienced. The smallest movements hurt like hell even with a tight sling something as small as sitting up to adjust a pillow was agony.

    Two years ago I broke my wrist at The Gap. Just as I was getting warmed up on the blue trails I went wide in a corner to avoid brake bumps and the front wheel washed out. I thought it was a bad sprain at first and even considered riding on but eventually decided to go home. Went to work the next day but it wasn't until the second day the pain started to feel really bad. Went to the hospital the next day and found out it was broken. It was only minor and I went from a half cast to a splint which wasn't too bad but I still had the inconvenience of being off the bike for 8 weeks along with the awkward daily life with one arm. Everything from showering to food shopping was an absolute pain.

    I gave up mountain biking after that. 99% of my cycling is on the road and I didn't currently have a mountain bike of my own so it wasn't exactly a difficult decision.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,561 ✭✭✭Eamonnator


    Kander wrote: »
    Crashed in a club league race going for the finish.

    Broken elbow on impact with pretty bad road rash on my shoulder and knee. I got ran over by one of the other guys behind me and his front wheel broke a couple of ribs in my back as he was using me for a speed bump. He ended up in hospital as well when he fell off.

    Couple of years later the elbow still hurts if I bang it of anything including pins and needles in my hands. It hurts when its cold outside also. I get aches where yer mans front wheel hit.

    Decided not to race after that.

    Was this race in the Dundalk league 2015, by any chance?
    It seems terribly familiar.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,355 ✭✭✭Paddigol


    fatbhoy wrote: »
    It was fear of overshooting the landing, which I thought you'd need to brake just after because there's a tree and a bend. It's the big drop at the start of the trail at the big crossroads in Carrick. So I actually brain-froze and brake-checked just before it. I can't explain the rationale because there was no rational rationale :pac:

    I reckon I could do it grand with a bit of a manual and a load of speed. Some day this year I'll do it.

    I live opposite the entrance to Carrick so, despite being a roadie, got myself a MTB to mess around on. I know the drop you're talking about - most of Carrick scares the **** out of me, but that one is definitely one for the big boys! I pass it on runs, walks and cycles and occasionally go up to it and just shake my head. I've had a few offs on Carrick because even when you think you've found a middling trail, it has the habit of throwing something nasty at you. Currently nursing a sprained thumb from an embarrassingly stupid fall last weekend. Can't imagine what your crash must have been like. Great to hear you're on the mend and planning on getting back at it. Envious of the skills you proper MTBers have. The kids are the worst - mental.

    My greatest skill as an 'athlete' is my ability to fall gracefully so despite head over heel summersaults on rocky IMRA descents, I've avoided any serious injuries. Worst incident on bike was right hook by oncoming car at Appian Way T-Junction (Donnybrook/ Leeson St) - up onto bonnet and dumped on road. I could see it coming but no time to do anything about it. The sound of bike meeting front bumper was interesting. Got away with bruises and road rash. Thankfully was on my alu commuter so frame was ok. Most of drive train had to be replaced, along with wheelset.

    Could have been a lot worse considering some of the injuries listed on this thread.


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 47,975 CMod ✭✭✭✭magicbastarder


    do i recall hearing once that the manager of a cycling team used to bring the team to a clown school once a year to teach them how to fall safely?
    maybe it was not cycling. could have been another sport.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,355 ✭✭✭Paddigol


    do i recall hearing once that the manager of a cycling team used to bring the team to a clown school once a year to teach them how to fall safely?
    maybe it was not cycling. could have been another sport.

    I missed my calling!! Its actually a very hand skill. Not quite up there with linguistics, neurosurgery, or computer programming. But handy nonetheless.


  • Registered Users Posts: 271 ✭✭Kander


    Eamonnator wrote: »
    Was this race in the Dundalk league 2015, by any chance?
    It seems terribly familiar.

    It was the Swords CC league in 2016. The race was just outside of duleek so that could have been it. The lad that hit the back of me ended up in hospital as well and his bike broke in 3 :(


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 47,975 CMod ✭✭✭✭magicbastarder


    is damage to bikes at races covered by the race/rider insurance?


  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 6,813 Mod ✭✭✭✭eeeee


    is damage to bikes at races covered by the race/rider insurance?

    Nope. Unless you've insured them yourself specifically.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,575 ✭✭✭monkeysnapper


    Beasty wrote: »

    I just read all that thread .....

    Did you make a full recovery Beasty ..( hope so..) ... that looked really bad man.....


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,561 ✭✭✭Eamonnator


    Kander wrote: »
    It was the Swords CC league in 2016. The race was just outside of duleek so that could have been it. The lad that hit the back of me ended up in hospital as well and his bike broke in 3 :(

    Not guilty, mine was at the Fane Bridge, Dundalk.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 68,317 ✭✭✭✭seamus


    I've been very lucky. Even as a stupid teenager on BMX and MTB I never had much worse than a lost layer of skin on knees and elbows, despite many crashes.

    My worst was more than a decade ago at this stage. Commuting on an icy day and transitioning from road to cycle track. What I thought was a smooth transition, actually had a small kerb (no more than half an inch) at 45 degrees to the direction of travel. Well, it was obviously slippy, I was doing easily 30km/h downhill and the front wheel followed the direction of the kerb, while I kept travelling in a straight line.

    Basically landed straight on my face, luckily just a bit of road rash on my nose and forehead, but the impact between the tarmac, my lip and my teeth managed to split my bottom lip almost clean through. Just needed a couple of stitches, and 2 weeks later it was like nothing had happened.
    I suspect I may also have fractured the outside of my hand in that incident, but I took 3 weeks off the bike anyway, so I never had any issue with it.

    To add insult to injury, I got back on the bike to go home and 2 minutes later got a puncture. So I had to walk limp the remaining kilometre home with blood dripping off my chin, getting a lot of stares.

    In terms of the dangers of cycling, of all the times I've come off, I can only think of one that qualifies as "unavoidable", and that's when I cycled into a huge diesel spill on a wet day. It was only when I got up off the road with fuel all over me that I realised what had happened.
    All of the other crashes had an element of "I could have avoided that", even the ones that weren't my fault.


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