First proper 'off' in 18 months

[anonymous-user]

All my cycling colleagues at work tell me that it's inevitable that you are going to fall off at some point my time came yesterday:

I had a great ride in at lunchtime I nipped out to the corner (farm) shop for some food and came a cropper as I turned into the entrance.
Classic case of being on unfamiliar terrority, and as I went from the tarmac and onto the gravel, the bike slid away and off I came!
Initial checks revealed that I'd only sustained a hand graze so after wiping it clean with a wipe kindly provided by the shop staff, and dusting myself down, lunch was purchased and very nice it was too. So when I got back to the office I thought I'd better do a proper assessment of any damage incurred and did have to laugh at the result: Grazed shoe, grazed ankle, grazed knee, grazed belt, grazed trousers (with a hole) grazed buttock, grazed elbow and grazed hand. To add to that I broke off one of the nose supports on my sunglasses, squashed my backpack, including squashing the glasses case inside the bag. Of course I was wearing a helmet, but only had my work clothes on as I was only cycling 1/2 a mile to the shop.....anyway lesson learnt, i escaped than one with minor injuries. It had no effect on my ride home, and I actually got a KOM on strava.

So lunch cost me £9.40 at the farm shop, with an added bonuses of the damage mentioned. At the moment thay have a special offer on - a free gravel sandwich - just pick it up on the way in!

The corner of impending doom:

[E65Ross]

Sorry to hear this, but glad you are OK in the grand scheme of things! I have only had a handful of offs worthy of remembering, the worst of which involved a clavicle fracture November last year. The funniest was in Scotland (I think! May have been Wales) but I was riding with fellow PHer "BeirutTaxi" on my MTB, went straight over the handlebars, I effectively did a forwards roll and ended up on my feet thinking "WTF just happened"

[anonymous-user]

Been out with a work colleague today (also a cyclist) by car so have had a chance to recover from my 'injuries'. Other than the grazes, I have a bit of a sore shoulder, but that has improved throughout the day. I can recommend the leather seats in an Alfa 147, driven by an enthusiastic driver, to aid the healing process, should anybody else find themselves in similar circumstances.

To be honest I've been laughing over the incident for most of the day. There were plenty of people in the car park I hope they enjoyed the display

Crash helmets make good crash helmets, backpacks make good airbags

[bigdom]

I had a similar issue last week, on a cycling path near my office. It was raining, as i came down a slight hill with a left turn under an underpass. Navigating around a pedestrian on the cycle path, and front wheel just went and I low sided with the change of surface condition.

Bruised wrist, forearm, shoulder, side and below knee, and thigh. Little to no pain, just colourful.

Needed new buckle for Sidi shoes, grazed pedal and front left lever. Luckily no damage to bibs or top. Ortlieb pannier no damage at all, and seemed to protect the rear of bike.

[Darft Vader]

Had a crash last november it was dark and I thought I was going up a drop kerb but the next thing I was flying through the air and luckily landed on a grass verge manage to gather my senses and cycle another 6 miles home.Next day I had a dead leg and about a week after that a nice bruise

[Maxf]

Had my first proper off in June during a sportive on about mile 10 of 60.... fast downhill, 90degree bend at the bottom, damp and under trees. My friend came off (braked and her back wheel went), and I came off hard braking to not hit her. She had some decent cuts and had to get stones picked out of them and I was in A&E the next day with a suspected broken wrist... luckily it was 'just' bruised ligaments.

It happens pretty bloody quickly when it does! We finished the ride and missed our hoped for time by about 30 seconds!

[Toltec]

I started mtbing again a couple of months ago and while I don't have an off on every ride I'll have at least a minor on most, generally just involves a low speed roll off the side. Lost it on a slippery downhill and rolled into a nice soft holly bush a bit fiurther down the hill, lost the front on a rut and bodychecked a tree resulting in minor scrapes and bruising to upper arm, elbow and ribs, the best one was a full over the bars a about 10-12mph when I hit a stump, a tidy forward roll arrested my movement with little damage other than a blackened toenail from hitting the stump, I think.

A decade or so of martial arts in my younger days seems to help with the landings.

Not that I'll be trying any of the big jump stuff you see in Youtube videos.