Been out this morning. Lovely ride in the Chilterns which has turned into fast hard packed earth mixed in places with flinty gravelly looseness.

Absolutely flying down one of the quick descents on my route and the front tyre which I knew was a bit low tried to roll off the rim (tubeless) while under braking (and in fairness while turning – yes i know !) burping even more air and sending me into a hugebbramble bush and down the flinty path.

A few bumps and scratches, replace the chain and straighten the bars, but nothing major considering the speed.

And I learned something, low pressures are fine until they get too low. Then you’d bloody well better be wearing pads unless you intend to just go straight on !!

Last Tuesday afternoon.. a hot and dusty Devon day, the kids off round to a mate’s with their mum for their tea

To cut a long story short, I had cut down off the common to head towards the outward leg of a homeward bound clifftop run.. I was belting down a pebbly and rutted farm track past the reservoir towards the farm at the bottom and a short road section.. I slowed down to pass a fella walking his dog, and then accelerated again for the last 25 yards of track, bunnyhopping a kerb at the end and into the dusty and potholed hardpack earth driveway of the farm heading onto the road..

I think I must have sat up to stretch my back, maybe released my grip on the bars, but the next thing I knew my arse had slipped off the seat and my hands off the bars, leaving me barrelling along completely out of control with my feet stuck to the pedals, my arse resting near the top tube and a horrendous tankslapper imminent.

I regained the bars just in time for the front wheel do dig in and catapult me over the top..
The dog walker behind me (himself a cyclist) said it was a spectacular crash, he wandered if perhaps I had been shot..

He saw me inexplicably wobble out of control and then a huge dustcloud formed with me being spat out of the front of it at velocity into a crumpled heap on the floor, where I lay for several seconds before moving..

no damage really.. sore undercarriage, a couple of scrapes and now my shoulder is sore a few days later

not the first time I’ve been hammering over roots and rocks and chutes and drops all afternoon, only to be undone on a simple farm track on the way home

Bike/car interface. Entirely the drivers fault

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/did-i-hit-you

Regular Monday night ride two weeks ago. Got to one of our little play areas and did the opening drop but had to much speed to make the berm after it. Panic braked, front wheel dug in and over the bars I popped. Jumped up and did the usual wrists and shoulders checks – all seemed fine so back on I jumped and carried on. Five minutes later riding along and wondering why my leg was wet on a dry spring evening. Pulled up my shorts leg to see a VERY bloody knee. Could see a cut but it felt fine and I finished the ride. Got home and showered, cleaned the knee up to find a hole an inch long, 1/2 inch wide and not quite down to the kneecap. Eek!

Couldn’t face A&E at 10 on a Monday night so stupidly MTFU, scrubbed out the wound and steristripped it together. Got home from work the next day with a stiff, painful, swollen knee so thought I’d better get it checked out. Senior nurse at our GP’s took one look at it, “Should’ve got that stitched, but too late now. I’ll clean it up and give you some antibiotics. It should be fine as long as you’re not bothered about the cosmetics of your knee once it heals.”

So now, two weeks later I’m still not walking quite right, and reckon it’ll be another two weeks before I can bend the knee well enough to get back on a bike.

Never bothered with pads on local woodland rides. I think from now on I might.

3 weeks ago now riding my fairly loop in the wyre forest, reaching the end of my loop, 4:30pm approx. No idea what happened next, the results of which are new helmet needed, bruised ribs and broken jaw in 3 places.

Yunki – comedy genius

Colournoise – that looks sore. Can’t believe you didn’t notice that!

GolfChick – 😥 Sorry to hear that. You look like you we’re doing 200mph !

Common theme appearing. 50% of people have no idea how their crash happened. Clearly too much fun is distracting.

I crashed cos I chickened out of a jump. Tried to turn but lost the front wheel and slammed. My own fault for being a wuss.

On 14 april decided to take road bike out. had head on crash with car. Left leg broken in 3 places, right femur broken, right hip broken, right lung collapsed rightside ribs broken, black eye, bruised legs and elbows etc. Helmet has split in it but no damage to head. discharged from hospital on 1st of may, wont walk again for 6 months. lucky really as no spinal or organ damage. Before this I had never broke a bone in my body.

Couldn’t get my foot out of the spd today, fell of doing 0 mph. Got a poorly knee now!

Chico 😯

Get well soon!

Front wheel washed out on a dreadful dry dusty trail. Bring back the winter mud I say

So went for a ride with a roaring hangover this morning and had stupid moment transitioning from a steep downy bit with acute left turn into rutted climb, didn’t carry enough speed, front wheel stopped in rut and I couldn’t unclip so put my herbert screwed left wrist out to cushion the fall. Ouch.

Last wednesday over the wyre, 1st MTB ride since breaking ribs 6 weeks ago. Giving it some welly on the section called fast loop, and thr front wheel washes out on a tree root. over the handlebars , going head first towards atree. Instinctively place my right hand out to break the impact..
Hand goes flat onto the tree, I then headbutt my index finger at about 15miles an hour! Finger swelled up up nicely, fair bit of bruising too. ( still doesn’t bend properly) Best part was next day riding to work on the road bike trying to change gear and cover the front brake with a walls sausage shaped digit.

Just read Chicos!! ouch!

Fell of last Saturday on the Beginning of the End at CyB. Was on the rooty, natural feeling section.
There’s two large roots and my front tyre just skidded along it. Kinda knew it was coming but was too tired to react in time, thought it would sort itself out but it didn’t.
Just one of those ungrateful clatters to the floor you hope no one else has seen.

Friday before last, trail I’ve ridden more times than I care to mention. Quick test on clients Nukeproof Mega to see if I liked it. Rocky single track, past the tricky bit and suddenly caught the edge of a small gully, front wheel washed out and I went down. Brushed my self off and swapped bikes back (Thankfully no bike damage). Elbow was a bit sore but finished last bit of trail gingerly.
Expecting just soft tissue damage I tried a slice of MTFU and just iced it at home. Not much sleep that night and next morning I could barely move my arm. Trip to A&E and found I had a radial head fracture which needed some surgery.
All done and back home now, but looks like its going to be a boring 4 or 5 weeks ahead.

Just had operation number 6 to fix my double wrist fracture in April 2012. So that was my most recent crash! Got a double wrong at Mabie and it cost me a year of the MTB. Nearly there now though.

Photo0023 by mattbibbings, on Flickr

right1 by mattbibbings, on Flickr

Good Friday at Phillips park, Prestwich.

Carried far too much speed in to the red run out if the car park. Hit the second jump and over shot the landing, over rotated forwards and managed a level 4 ac joint separation.
Before surgery

After surgery

2 metal plates and an load of recycled ligaments from dead people.

Matt, that must have been some impact. Bloody hell.

Chico, what a nightmare. Gutted for you. At least everyone else did it to themselves.

the LAST techy bit on Rangers pass, I still claim my line was good, but not enough commit, front too far down not far enough forward, weigh far enough forward, supermanned, well more Usain Bolted, one arm out infornt, severe bruising, but no more. both lucky and unlucky.

Cycling away from traffic lights in Aberdeen. Next thing I know I hit the tarmac hard. Look back in the road to see my left pedal still attached to the sheared off end of my crank arm.
Thanks to the cyclist who stopped to see if I was OK
Ribs still sore 3 weeks later, but could have been worse, thankfully there were no cars behind me.

Ouch at Chico.

I haven’t had a proper crash for ages. Don’t know if that’s luck or riding like a mincer. Around christmas I think. Riding to work, caning it down this hill, car up my arse. Get to the corner at the bottom, turn sharp left and lose it on a patch of ice. I slide across the road with the car now also sliding right behind me. Come to a halt on a load of gravel. Car stops a few feet away. Gravel rash, bump on elbow. Bike fine. Phew!

Me too .
Ouch at Chico . Mega Healing Vibes out to you. It all sounds very hurty and long time off the bike.
No falls for a year then fell off twice in 15mins. 1st led to second really and being more stupid than I admit to carried on riding after hitting a tree . The resulting crash was because I could no longer grip the bars properly.
Re-snapped my UCL , which is the grip tendon on my right hand.
Will prob need surgery ( again ) but no pain atm just a nice yellow wrist.

Thursday just gone – Clipped another riders back wheel on a bit if singletrack, sent me off line, hit a tree stump and siperman’d into a pile if brambles & roots. Nothing on a par with some if the above, but I’ve got arms like a particularly annoyed Emo kid

Thanks for the healing vibes folks. Police said I can have my bike back next week but frame is in 3 pieces, wheels all buckled,not a lot left. He did say he never thought he would be taking a statement from me as I was in such a mess. looking good for a prosecution of driver though. I can say for the first week in hospital I thought I never wanted to see a bike again but got in to my garage today in wheel chair as step dad fitted ramps all around house. saw my MTB and thought cant wait to get back on it. long time away but I will.

fair play chico!! don’t let the bastards drag you down.

Get well soon.

Chico, quality words well spoken.

Not recent but the worst crash I’ve had was at about walking pace… a friend cut me up doing some street riding, I slammed the front brake on and went over the front breaking both my arms.

I’ve not hurt myself badly ever since apart from a concussion after hitting a tree, I’ve had half a dozen high speed tumbles in the alps where I just tumbled down the track like a Moto GP rider and got back up again with minor scratches.

Kind of learnt how to crash now but I don’t think that would help if I came off at high speed in a lairy rock garden like the types you find at Fort William.

Spent most of last night in A&E after going over the bonnet of the car that turned across the cycle path I was on! Single speed cross bike written off, badly grazed knee and very sore neck!

Last week in lanzarote: took a Jump over a wall and hit a palm tree square on. Broke hire bike only.

Rock Garden drainage ditch OTB.

Miracle once-in-a-lifetime-land-on-feet.

I think the shock of landing pretty much upright surpassed the shock of not breaking a bone.

*looks around for bike*

Finds it. At the bottom.

Edit: Chico, keep us posted

Back in February, out on the road bike, just riding along, next thing I know I am lying on my back on the ground, looking up at the sky and a circle of faces looking down on me. Before I could more I get told Do Not Move, the ambulance is on its way.

Turned out the fork had snapped. Also snapped my right thumb, presumably on the brake hood. Also got concussion, a black eye, and several swellings, skinnings and bruises.

To this day I still don’t have any recollection of the accident itself.

Not my latest one (latest one was quite daft) but here’s video (click the link as it’s not on YouTube).
Link to my crash
Latest crash was today (4th may), just messing about in a field with a few sheep tracks, took a different line to normal, jumped one thing then straight down to face a grassy lump, forks compressed a lot (fox 40’s) and on rebound sent me over the bars where I came away with the insides of both knees being sore? Quite a weird crash, hope noone saw. 😛

And that’s why I always slow my fork rebound down a bit and up the compression when trying new jumps or when I used to huck off things larger than a few feet. 😛

Wednesday, riding a some foresty singletrack when I suddenly came to a complete stop and went straight over the handlebars.
Got away with some bruised ribs, couldn’t figure out what stopped me either?

came out of a corner yesterday and got a bit of a slide on thought I had it coming back till the front wheel clipped the edge of the trail, spilled onto the only bit of rock free trail surround 🙂 laughed about it as I looked back at the 6-8ft of skid and slide marks

Always good if you can laugh about it afterwards.

Started to laugh at mine yesterday and thought I’d broken my ribs. False alarm, just jabbed my elbow into floating ribs low down but it gave me a scare.

Starting to feel confident yesterday on a descent yesterday so lifted of the brake, next thing i knew i was in a heap. Only think i can guess was that i hit a rut or rock which caused a pinch flat. Only got a sore wrist now, which is lucky as i could’ve been far worse off by falling to the stream bed on the other side.

Looks like the Wyre Forest has been taking some casualties… Think its because it’s finally dried up and running fast.

Here’s mine from last Saturday, snapped collar bone, just hoping its all fixed and strong for the Alps in July.

So Annoying to be off the bike now for a fair few weeks while the best of the Summer weather has started.

Travelling at 30mph, it went a bit like:

That van is on my side of the road it’s going to hit me head for that gap I am going very fast the brakes they do nothing I’m not going to make this corner it’s covered in gravel don’t try to turn you’ll come off I’m not slowing down in the slightest okay definitely going to crash now oh shite there’s a wall behind that hedge please don’t let this hurt too much get ready that’s a big rock OOF no not over the bars please…

I’m alright…

What about the bike MY PRECIOUS BIKE is the bike alright christ that’s okay as well.

I got away with a trivial cat scratch on my arm, then sat on one of my conkers as I got back on the bike, and had to spend a couple of minutes walking up and down the road, bent double.