Big Wrecks You Walk Away From...

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Big Wrecks You Walk Away From...

19 posts & 15 voices | Started 2 years ago by doug_basqueMTB.com | Latest reply from doug_basqueMTB.com

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doug_basqueMTB.com - Member

I was riding a new route yesterday and had done a fantastic descent, I was riding well and quick with autumn leaves covering all the ground. (See pic!)

Came to the end of the trail and it turned into a nice bumpy track made out of grey slate which I could see all the way to the road, about 200m's away. I let go the brakes and was playing on the bumps doing 46kmph (checked my GPS after) I suddenly saw a chain across the trail at headtube height, about 2 bike lengths ahead. It was almost invisible against the grey trail until it caught the sunlight. Braked hard but no distance to slow down so jumped over the bars and tumbled for ages, feeling the bike hit me and going over and over and over again! I don't know how but I am almost completely fine! Scraped and have a perfect imprint of half my E13 bashring on my stomach (glad it wasn't a 44t big ring!). Bike is fine too, not a scratch but I've hit the chain hard enough to completely smash the big padlock on it, the link on it is bent almost straight!

I'm still shaking my head and wondering how I got away with that. Anyone else got any similar stories?

Posted 2 years ago #
PeterPoddy - Member

I suddenly saw a chain across the trail at headtube height

You're having a feeking laff? Was it put there deliberately?

Glad you're OK and had the reactions and skill to get out of it!

EDIT
Just read through again, I'm guessing it was to block an entrance, yes?

Posted 2 years ago #
robgarrioch - Member

Might be a plan to hang something noticeable on that (nice pic btw)

Posted 2 years ago #
mrmichaelwright - Member

bailed/crashed form a 12ft high A frame ladder in canada. broke a few branches off on the way down and walked away. I was lucky

it was the start of this stunt:

stupid thing was i'd already ridden the line and was showing someone else how to hit it.

I didn't really ride anything big after that, and haven't since

Posted 2 years ago #
rolfharris - Blocked

Done exactly what the OP did on a trail in the White Peak many years ago. Had more space to stop but it was back when V's were the norm. Lucky to get away with it.

Posted 2 years ago #
nickc - Member

Few weeks ago, in the big ring, stood up pegging it down a wiggly bit of singletrack, there's a branch hanging vertically from a tree just to my left, the kind of thing that you can "bat" out of the way with your handlebars on the way through, and it'll swing out of the way...Well this branch was firmly attached, bike stopped dead, and under that nice Mr Newtons laws, I carried on, flew for about 20 feet, luckily my head broke my fall, and I stopped myself by putting out my hand, and bending my fingers right back...following morning hand looks like a comedy child's drawing, off to A&E, not bust, couldn't believe it...

Posted 2 years ago #
doug_basqueMTB.com - Member

Yeah it was deliberate by the hunters to stop motorbikes and cars from driving past their hides. The should legally hang something on it and I would have done it but I'd completely wrecked the chain I'd definitely smashed the padlock to bits and I thought I'd broken the chain too but my mate thinks it was just part of the padlock I'd seen. I've never seen a chain blocking an entrance without a big sign hanging on it but I'll know now to slow down for entrances.

PP, no skill involved tbh, just jumped for my life!

MrM-W, whoa! That is indeed a crazy train, you got off pretty lightly there I'd say... What went wrong on your second go?

Posted 2 years ago #
user-removed - Member

Nowhere near as dramatic, but this from yesterday's thread about Chopwell Woods.....

On the first run down The Powerline, I hit the North Shore stuff (the highest lot in the 'black' section) a bit quickly. Didn't walk it first as it looked pretty straightforward. It's absolutely lethal in the wet - and no chickenwire!! Slid straight off the highest point, over the bars and landed square on my head. The bike then fell on me. Everything went a bit fuzzy for a moment but OK now bar a stiff, sore neck....

It was my only bad fall this year (so far). Doesn't sound like much, but I reckon if I was carrying a bit more weight, or had landed on rocks, it could have (should have?!) been serious.

Posted 2 years ago #
mrmichaelwright - Member

What went wrong on your second go?

i stalled on the top of the A-Frame, the stunt is all about getting the speed right on the approach and then just letting go. I didn't let go

riding that stunt put me off big stuff really. It was an awesome thing to have done but I don't really want to be that scared again.

you could say i quit freeride at my 'peak'

Posted 2 years ago #
matt_outandabout - Member

Doing some cheeky riding in Rivelin Valley Sheffield, my front wheel washed out on the edge of a drop, sending me over the bars and down about 10-12' of cliff onto a steep grass slope. I landed on my ar*e and slid down the slope. Only a bruise from where the bike smacked into me at the bottom.

Posted 2 years ago #
samuri - Member

I can see why you fell off that crazy train thing, there are big gaps between the stretches of wood. Someone should cover them up.

Posted 2 years ago #
mrmichaelwright - Member

AHHHH i didn't spot that, thanks

Posted 2 years ago #
Hob Nob - Member

I've had a couple, my biggest was an attempt on the quarry jump on the Cwmcarn DH track. Got the landing all wrong on that one and actually shot down off the right side of the track, in an almost side saddle effect. I soon went down, and just kept on falling (its pretty steep there off the side of the track). Ended up wedged against a log with a snapped branch next to me with an exceedingly sharp break. I dread to think what damage that would have done.

Everyone thought I was dead! I got up, brushed myself down, climbed a long way back up to the track, then had a little sit down when I realised what just happened & how far I fell. No real marks on me after the event.

More recently (this weekend) I came up short on the triple on the Chicksands 4X track. Done it many times before, came into the berm before, few comfort pedal strokes, as I hit the take off I was thinking "not going fast enough for this", so I heaved with everything I had to try& clear it. Rear wheel hung up on the last jump, pulled the front down hard & fast & next thing I know, i'm down, hard. Messed my leg, hip & shoulder up & got a good whack to the head, but after 10 or some minutes I managed to walk away from it.

Suffering a bit now though. I look (and feel) like i've been in a fight. And to add insult to injury i've just come down with the dreaded flu. Great!

Posted 2 years ago #
GW - Member

Doug, Had loads of big wrecks I've walked away from in my time but your story just reminded me of what happened to one of the younger guys on holiday with us in Leg Gets about 12 years ago.
dunno if anyone here remembers (or has ridden) the old Grundig DH track at Les Gets, well, incase you haven't, it started from the very top of Mont Cherry (2nd lift) and the top section was rough but wide open and flat out fast, just where the track crossed the main fireroad (to the left of the big lift station) there was a huge road gap jump over tat fireroad and into a wide left hander, you really needed to pin it down the grassy run in to even get close to clearing it, well that one guy had been riding that track most of the week, while most of the rest of us were riding other stuff (personally, because it was so rough it just wasn't fun anymore).. well anyway he was on his own and pinning the top section, coming up to the road gap when at the last minute he noticed the farmer had errected an electric fence across the take off, luckily he had time to lay the bike flat and he and the bike slid (just) underneath the wire.
further down on the same track there is a section where you jump out a tight wooded section onto a steep scree turn, at the bottom of that there was sometimes an electic fence (but strangely somedays it wouldn't be there). one time I came down with my mate training me so I pulled over after the scree to warn him of the electric fence, the dumb **** thought he'd capitalise on this chance to beat me down a blind (to him) DH.. straight into the fence wire (luckily it caught his chest) and ripped him clean off his bike.. funny as ****, but could have been sooo bad!

Posted 2 years ago #
Mackem - Member

Many many years ago when I first got into mountain biking I thought it was a good idea to see if I could ride down a steep hillsde next to a viaduct thru the trees. I lost control a bit, bailed by grabbing some overhanging branches and my bike fell over to its side. Went to fetch my bike and right there in front of me was a sheer drop of at least 30m that I didnt know was there. Pretty lucky really.

Posted 2 years ago #
ianpv - Member

LOL@ Michael Wright.

I crashed on the roll in before 'Crazy train' too, stalled just like you and fell all the way down! That is one nasty A frame. Had to get up, go straight back up and do it again before I lost my bottle. By far the hardest move on it. Once you're past the first step up the rest just does itself. The big gaps in the wood turn out not to be a problem

Posted 2 years ago #
twohats - Member

Had my front wheel wash out over the edge of a drop on a corner on one of the many super fast sections of singletrack in Chamonix. As soon as I realised I was going to go over the drop with the bike, I attempted to chuck myself back onto the track to no avail and ended up going over the bars and over the drop! Both me and the bike slid down the drop with the bike thankfully coming to rest on its side with the bars and seat facing down the near vertical slope against a tree with nothing to stop me continue sliding/rolling into oblivion but each of my feet hooked under each grip! My mates had to link together and use a long branch to pull me to safety!

Posted 2 years ago #
crazy-legs - Member

Years ago out on the North Downs, we were riding a chalky and very bumpy descent, group of about 4 of us - one older guy and us three all aged about 17. The trick with it was to simply not brake, I'd had nearly 50mph down it in the past. Anyway, we were screaming down it and the older guy lost it in spectacular cartwheeling style, him and the bike bouncing and rolling for ages in clouds of chalky dust.
We were bricking it big time - we were only young, this was before mobiles etc but the guy picked himself up, checked the bike and got back on and carried on riding.

About 2hrs later we pulled up outside his house, he had a spd moment, wobbled at about 2mph, fell over and broke his collarbone...

Posted 2 years ago #
doug_basqueMTB.com - Member

GW, sounds nasty. How many times has I seen that, rider slowing down, other sensing weakness goes for it and wipes out something the 1st rider has seen!

I thought about laying the bike down and trying to go underneath but just didn't have time.

I hit a chain a few months ago as well but I'd seen it a lot earlier so wiped a fair bit of speed. Stayed with the bike but went down, not hard. When I opened my eyes there was a confused goat looking down at me, must have been within inches of my face, with the other end of the chain round it's neck!

Two hats, sounds like a close call. Have you seen the section of video in one of the earthed films (I think) where the guy falls 'over the edge' in the Mega and his bike tumbles for ever and ever??

Posted 2 years ago #

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