what a day today has been. just got home to Newcastle after me and my mate decided to do the Fred Whitton route today. left at 5, got to Keswick for 7, and started from there (closer to Newcastle than Coniston). So first climb was Honister. beautiful blue skies, tough climb, but its a cracker, started the descent to Buttermere, very fast and twisty, one of the corners is damp, my mate locks up the back, and slams into a dry stone wall at approx. 30MPH....
long story short, complex fracture of his left hip, lots of cuts and bruises. I've just got home, he's being transferred closer to home tomorrow for an op on his hip. 15 hour day for 20 miles!
stay safe 🙁
Yikes!
Ah well, at least you missed the rain.
Very true! the one good thing about the day!
His bike is mangled too, Carbon doesn't like slate wall...
Healing vibes to your mate.
A guy I used to work with broke his back on that same descent, in the same way. Hope your mate makes a full recovery ASAP.
It was great on the FW this year, head wind all the way down it. You couldnt go fast enough to crash.
A friend of mine came of in that spot a couple of years ago during the FWC. Wrote off the bike (snapped forks, bent frame and wheels), broke his arm and a couple of fingers.
There's an S-bend over a bridge on that descent which catches out a lot of people. Hope your mate gets better soon.
you pick up speed so quick on that descent, its very deceptive. It was the second steep drop just as the valley opens up. by the time you realise the speeds you're doing you're on a 25% slope...
basically into the wall straight ahead [url= https://maps.google.co.uk/?ll=54.515847,-3.20662&spn=0.000783,0.002406&t=h&z=19&layer=c&cbll=54.515847,-3.20662&panoid=9w6pRDXJPJ7o6ZHi7gWzYw&cbp=12,316.88,,0,0 ]google map[/url]
What bike did he mangle?
Canyon cf. 2 chorus shifters are history too.
Judging by the state of the wall straight on from that view, your mate isn't the only one to hit the wall there!