Commuting - Horror Stories

What are your horror stories? e.g. crashes, cars, dogs, weather, etc.

I have this extreme phobia of large dogs. When I see them my heart starts pounding and I get really nervous, even if they are on a leash.

At the local camping site which I bike to frequently there is this sign that specifically asks everyone to "Please keep your dogs on leash".

I went someday during the week, which meant the park was very empty. So this moron thinks its okay to let the dogs off leash.

I was in the parking lot trying to fix my pedals or something. From 30 meters away I see these two huge gaurd dogs sprinting like cheetas towards me.

I don't remember how I sprang to my feet, got on my bike, and pedaled my phuckin ass off... all I know is that when I came to my senses again I was shivering and looking down on my computer which read "50 KPH".

Someone mugged me while I was on my bike. I wound up in the hospital emergency room with a plastic surgeon from the fall.

Today, some tickle-head passed me in a huge SUV, cut into my lane and immediately braked for a sudden right turn. This was really just like making a right turn from the left lane, which is illegal, but I guess it's not when you cut off a cyclist. I had to maneuver quickly to the left of this comedian at about 27 mph., since his behemoth of an assault-vehicle had a rear end so wide it almost took two lanes.

I doubt the driver would have noticed a cyclist plastered to the back of his rig until after he got to work.

:crash:

Well you see, in the olden days when I used to mess around, I did an 8ft drop off from a pedal-kick. Unfortunately my balance went backwards and I could have broken my back/neck. But luckily I managed to force myself sideways landing on my knee which I had brought up. It hurt a lot and my hip was badly bruised as well as having a huge cut/graze all the way down my left leg. It passed but I haven't ever tried the same drop off again, and now I do more training on my bike than trials/messing.

My horror story is pretty mild, but give me time. :D

It involves the time I went on my Huffy in jeans to a charity ride (twenty miles) and everyone else there was on expensive bikes and wearing lycra.

To make things worse, it had rained all morning and the road was covered in an incredible number of dead worms, which all smushed and stuck to my fenderless bike and me, and dried on permanently. (Took weeks of scrubbing to get them off. My brother has that Huffy now, and I bet there are still worm bits in the corners.)

The only moment of satisfaction was toward the end, when a skinny chick in Lycra on a Giant bike really had to work to pass me so she wouldn't come in last.

BTW, Amir P., I get along with all dogs but Great Danes, and I could tell you some nasty stories about being chased by those monsters!

My worst moment on my bike while commuting was when I got cut off by an 18 wheeler rig. I had no choice but to crash my bike on the curb to avoid being crushed by those big wheels. I almost panicked as I saw the available road in front of me shrinking and the container van of the 18 wheeler inching closer to me and my bike. The scariest part was imagining what would have happened if I fell beneath the rig instead of on the curb.

Second worst moment was when a car cut me off to get to a 7-11 store and hit my handlebar in the process causing me to crash. Luckily my helmet bore the brunt of my impact on the pavement as shown in the pic below.

Moral of the story: Always wear a helmet, wear high visibility clothings and helmet (I now use an orange colored helmet), make sure you have good insurance coverage, and fill out and sign your "Will Kits" just in case.

Five years of year-round bike-commuting and this is all I have:

Last year after 2 straight weeks of rain on a normal commute I "orbited", waiting for a red light, going in circles. It was a very long red light, so I decided to orbit around a transformer in full view of the lights, off the street area, and ready to jump back into the bike lane as soon as I got the green light.

Turns out that the constant rains had left an invisible sheen of algae on the concrete surface. The moment I entered the first orbit loop, at maybe a whole two MPH -- out went the front tire exactly as if I were on ice. No chance. Down I went ... hard.

I broke my elbow.

Kind of a lame injury for someone who's been fending off garbage trucks and buses for five years. But if this is the worst in five years, I'll take it !!

It's always the little stuff that bites you in the end doesn't it?

Originally posted by cyclocommuter

Moral of the story: Always wear a helmet, wear high visibility clothings and helmet (I now use an orange colored helmet), make sure you have good insurance coverage, and fill out and sign your "Will Kits" just in case.

Holy cow.
You make cylcing sound like an Evil Knievel sport.

Good day fellow commuters,

Well, I have two stories for you. In the early 90's I used to work in Yosemite Nat'l Park during the summers. Throughout the park there is a paved two lane bike/walking trail. One day I happened to be cruising down the path at around 30 MPH (yes way too fast) when a little kid on a bike crosses over into my lane. I had two choices: crash into the kid or go off road and take my chances. I rode right over the top of a drainage pipe and flipped a couple times, finally landing my sorry ass in a ditch by the side of the path. I ended up compressing the vertebrae in my back temporarily but luckily I escaped without serious injury. A park bus full of Japanese tourists happened to witness this event. Man was that embarrasing.

Second story: I was riding to the University one day when I hit a patch of dirt in the road. Next thing I know I am riding home with a broken collarbone, a bump on my head and a vague recollection of someone offering to give me a ride to the hospital. It took me quite awhile to get over my fear of riding bikes again, if you've ever broken something while riding you know what I'm talking about. I don't recommend it.

Both times I was not wearing a helmet. This is dumb, dumb, dumb!! Wear your helmet and slow down when there are other people on the path.
Be safe, :D
-BT

When I was 9 or 10 riding with another kid through a gas station parking lot, I fell for the old, "Look! it's the Goodyear blimp" or something like that and as I was looking for it, smashed head on into someone driving in to get gas. I landed on the roof. Everyone laughed except for the guy who hit me. He knew my mom. I got in a lot of trouble.

Another time I broke my ribs in my own driveway returning from a ride. All the people in the apartments across the street laughed and laughed and laughed.

I hit oil while banking sharply at an intersection and went down quickly. I was dressed for "Cops" with only shoes and shorts on and got a major road rash. My cronies were there for that one and they just laughed and laughed and laughed too.

Come to think of it, I broke my arm in the school gym in gymnastics once and everybody laughed at that one too.

I guess I look funny when I get seriously injured.

Have only been involved in one accident --I'm knocking on wood, as this is typed-- and that was when I was around 5 years old. My friend, he was about 7, and I were both riding on his older brothers bike --I was on the cross bar-- riding down a short hill on the wrong side of the road. A car turned the corner into us just as we reached the bottom. I was flung over the top of the car into the street from the impact.

That's all I remember of the incident. Except I woke up at home in my own bed after a 24 hour coma. Lots of cuts and bruises but no broken bones. That was almost 65 years ago. It's the only accident ever on a bike. I try to keep it that way.

I was commuting home one day coming up to a red light, about 30 meters before the light there was a side street. I was cruising along in the bike lane about 30kph when I see a car turning left in front of me. I had nowhere to go and crashed in to the front corner of the car left my bike on on side of the car and my body came to a rest on the other side of the car. Left a good dent in the side of the car. My bike was just as unfortunate, bent fork and cracked headset. The bike was a writeoff, his insurance covered everything.

I was fortunate to have my helmet because I'm sure that saved me from a lot more than the cuts and bruises that I walked away with