jools182 - MemberSomeone broke their back in Hayfield a few years ago
How much do you want to bet that he wouldn't have had he been wearing a helmet?
Bike Forum
do people die mtbing in the uk ?
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Posted 7 months ago #
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My wife went on a child bereavement course last week. Two kids were there talking about their dad who died driving home from a ride at Hamsterley.
Posted 7 months ago # -
Yes they do , customer of mine lost his life at Cwmcarn a few years back, he was wearing a helmet.
Posted 7 months ago # -
my mate disembowelled himself on one of his comedy bar-ends back in 1993 riding the bombhole at pines ridge on woodbury common..
he's still very much alive though.. they shovelled up all the slippery stuff and stuffed it back in..
Luckily he was accompanied that day as he often rode alone and it was pre-mobile phone
Posted 7 months ago # -
a fellow guide stacked it last year in the hills around Trento, Italy. the un-capped bar spiked her in the gut. she was air-lifted to Trento and spent two weeks in care. the bar dug itself deep inside her gut and she lost half her stomach. she can no longer eat meat and can't tolerate as much alcohol as before - a big problem for a girl from munich....
the doctors said that if she'd arrived 30 minutes later at the hospital there was a very good chance she might hae died.
whilst guiding over winter on Gran Canaria one roadie died after drifting across the road, getting bumped by a car and then falling head first onto the kerb stone (by chance i road past this guy when the ambulance and police were there. he was clearly dead - a pool of blood that had originated from his mouth surrounded him and his eyes were glazed over. horrid), another ended up in intensive care after a heart attack and one swedish guy paralysed himself trying to impress some girls by going fast, locking his back wheel in a hairpin, losing it, hitting the deck and sliding underneath the crash barrier and falling/tumbling 40m down a cliff.
on one of my tours a guy literally lost his face after not paying enough attention to his direction of travel relative to the road. he crashed into a concrete storm drain about 1ft deep by two feet across. his fall was slowed by his face grinding down the rock face above the drain.
i jumped off my bike and luckily there were three other people who saw it happen. i jumped down into the drain and landed in a pool of blood. the guy was face down and all around his head there was a pool of blood. i was scared. i thought the blood was coming from his ears or mouth. luckily the guy was still conscious. we sat him up and shaded him. his right cheek was open - a two inch, messy gash - and the bone was visible. he had his hand over his mouth and was mumbling that it hurt. i told him that he'd have to show me what the problem was otherwise i couldn't help him. he removed his hand and his whole top lip came away in his hand until it was hanging by a thread of skin. it like something out of a film. i unwrapped a sterile patch and told him to press it firmly onto (what remained of) his lip and not to try talking.
it seemed like an eternity before the ambulance showed up. the worst part was hearing its sirens echoing around the valleys for at least 30 minutes before it arrived.he got taken to hospital and ended up having skin grafts from his arse plastered onto his face to reconstruct his upper lip.
and the irony of it was is that this happened after i had a led the group down some rather tricky, loose, rocky singletrail and 15m away from where i'd told the group to take care on this twisty windy asphalt descent.
overall... not something i'd like to go through again...
i had some other incidents to deal with whilst on GC - a few broken collar bones; a guy that ripped the tendons that hold the ankle together and could no longer stand or pedal; one guy who drifted off the road and tumbled 10m down a cliff through cacti and shrubbery and landing a few metres ahead of a bumused member of our group; one guy who got taken out by some idiot resulting in his forearm bone sticking out through the skin and his elbow ripped open to the bone; several broken ribs; a few embedded cactus needles; plenty of grazes; and lots of punctures.
Posted 7 months ago # -
Depends on how much more bike stuff I buy, Mrs C might want to bump me off!!
Posted 7 months ago # -
I very nearly died trying to ride UP Smith's Coombe on the Quantocks a few years back ,,,I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest.
Lucky escape I think I only ride down it now..
Posted 7 months ago # -
Alpin, let me know where you are going to ride next, and I'll make sure I go somewhere else...........
Posted 7 months ago # -
I hear exploding 29er wheels have caused a few minor injuries from shrapnel, but thankfully so far no serious injuries or deaths.
Posted 7 months ago # -
ditto Lucien. Alpin sounds like the kind of guide that has made some bad calls about his clients ability?
Posted 7 months ago # -
lots of casualties due to carbon frames snapping and the fibres getting into their blood.
Posted 7 months ago # -
Many years ago there was a downhill series in the Valleys that got cancelled because someone hit a tree and died, or so I heard.
Posted 7 months ago # -
crotchrocket - Member
ditto Lucien. Alpin sounds like the kind of guide that has made some bad calls about his clients ability?
wouldn't say that....
this here relates to my time on Gran Canaria... much of the problem lies with the company. they'll book people onto a tour without any knowledge of that persons skill level. the guest will be collected from the hotel having already paid and will be expecting a tour. sometimes there were 15 plus people.
the majority of these people have little or no experience of MTBing.
many people can talk themselves up, but can't ride. many guests have little experience of mountain biking other than a bimble along wide forest tracks back home. when you find that out it is too late as you are up in the hills without any other means of getting back down other than riding.
we even had to take people aside and explain how the brakes worked or not to pull the front brake as they'd fly over the bars.
also, this sounds stupid, but due to peoples lack of experience minor tumbles end up with exaggerated results as people don't know how to fall. most of the bruised/broken ribs (3 cases) were because of this - in fact one of these was because the lady panicked when another guest over took her and she grabbed a handful of front brake.
always safety first, but when you take 200, maybe 300, plus people out you are bound to have a few accidents. there is only so much you can do as a guide; tell people where the dangers are, give them pointers and if necessary tell them to get off the bike and walk. as it happens, i often sent people back down to the shop if i felt they weren't up to it, but this wasn't always possible due to the geography of the island and the area in which a tour was taking place. and as said, once you're up in the hills you're a bit buggered.
in fact, there was not a single serious accident on the "freeride" tours. i put this down to people being bikers prior to their holiday excursion.
the best myself/a guide can to is try to prevent those from happening. each rider is responsible for their actions and i will always tell them at the start to ride "safe", that there are no points or prizes and that if they have a serious accident not only is it their holiday that is ruined, but also their fellow riders. i will also tell people to walk/push a section if i feel they are not up to it.
the tours i guide over summer are generally frequented by "proper" bikers - that is people who have and regularily ride a mountain bike. accidents do and will always happen.
have fun, stay safe.....
Posted 7 months ago # -
Alpin- been there, done that. Although many years ago, with a different clientelle. I know how you feel, it can be pretty grim.
Posted 7 months ago # -
friend of mine spent an hour telling me how his daughter ( experienced rider late 40's) died recently whilst out riding with her family, fell from bike whilst stood still. helmet wearer.
Posted 7 months ago # -
alpin
luckily, three other people saw it happen.
yeah, lucky old them!
Posted 7 months ago # -
There was a STW who died on a group ride (a few years ago) from a heart attack.
I remember a tribute thread from the time.
In general, if you have a fairly heavy night on the booze then strenuous exercise first thing you are at risk.
Posted 7 months ago # -
Alpin, no need to justify why people injure / die when they go riding with you.......honestly
Posted 7 months ago # -
I nearly died laughing at Harry Spider ans wwaswas talking about donkey catching
:lol:
First time I've laughed in ages - quite enjoyable, I might try it again soon.Posted 7 months ago # -
There are plenty of stories of timetriallers getting killed - at least a couple a year. It's got to be the riskiest form of cycling sport. However mountain biking (lower speeds - no 2ton metal boxes on the roads to hit you) is comparatively much safer (in terms of deaths) than any form of sport or recreational road cycling.
Posted 7 months ago # -
I don't think many folk at all die from mountainbikeing. All the stories I have heard are people who die while mountinbiking - from heart attacks and the like.
I am sure deaths happen but given the total lack of publicity I think it must be very rare
Posted 7 months ago # -
Can we not be so grim please?
Lets talk about the 99.999999% of people who are healthier, fitter and more relaxed, not as stressed due to mountain biking?
Posted 7 months ago # -
I have it on good authority that there have been sightings of skulls in wharncliffe woods.
Posted 7 months ago # -
A mountain biker died near here in 2000; he hit a wall at the end of a fast descent. There's a memorial there now.
Posted 7 months ago # -
I suspect off-road biking is safer than road biking.
Posted 7 months ago # -
tonyg2003 - Member
There are plenty of stories of timetriallers getting killed - at least a couple a year. It's got to be the riskiest form of cycling sport. However mountain biking (lower speeds - no 2ton metal boxes on the roads to hit you) is comparatively much safer (in terms of deaths) than any form of sport or recreational roadHave had more near death experiences commuting than I've ever had on an MTB.
Posted 7 months ago #
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