Originally Posted by
Looigi
but have never fallen off my bike, like it was standing there waiting for me as I was getting back up off the ground. The bike goes with me and we fall together, as a unit, until and if forcefully separated.
when you hit pavement at speed (e.g. 20+ mph) its likely that you will be separated (bikes skid better than people). in fact, some of my worst injuries (e.g. drive train cutting into leg) occurred when there was insufficient room (or too many bodies) for this separation to occur. that smooth plastic coating on helmets is an important safety feature designed to allow your head (and body) to skid.
Quite a few times remember being on the ground still clipped
your bindings are too tight.
PS: watching crits is a good way to dispel the belief that hitting pavement is incredibly dangerous (or that helmets are useless).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcC5Kxb5ZSU