Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Dangers of Long Distance Cycling?

I don't know why but this question popped into my head yesterday. HOw often do cyclists in long distance events have something go wrong and wind up in the hospital or worse? I was just curious if it happens very often that people have learned to ignore suffering and push themselves too far and get really sick during events (not including RAAM).

4 deaths in PBP since 1891, no idea on hospitalisation.

In Germany, the sport with the highest death rate is the traditional equivalent of bowling (Kegeln) - a sport that is carried out in a pub environment.
Weigh your risks! ;)

The thing is, people get injured or become ill from all sorts of things. I believe heart attacks are the #1 killer, and heart attacks are generally caused (or triggered) by things like a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, eating foods that aren't so good for you, and obesity ... quite the opposite of the lifestyle of most long distance cyclists. And lots of people get injured, hospitalized, or killed at work or at home ... or in their vehicles. People die every weekend around here in car accidents.

Injuries and death do happen to cyclists, but I'm not sure that they happen at any greater percentage than doing anything else in life. I'm accident prone, and I'd have to say that the number of cycling accidents I've been in is probably about equal to the number of non-cycling accidents I've been in. The worst injury I have ever experienced was not cycling-related. I dropped a pot of boiling water on my left foot, and burnt it to the bone. Right now I'm healing from a separated shoulder (cycling related accident - a crash during a 200K 6 weeks ago), but 7 years ago, I was healing from a torn rotator cuff (non-cycling related accident - that was a sweater incident).

but 7 years ago, I was healing from a torn rotator cuff (non-cycling related accident - that was a sweater incident).

Send that sweater to your worst enemy! :D

Hypothermia/heat stroked is one to watch out for since the sport includes temp extremes from day to night.
I developed back problems before switching to the recumbent after my first 400k.
Then you have shermers neck, saddle sores, and numb hands or feet (I had toes that were numb for several weeks after a 600k once).

Most of those are avoidable before having to go to the hospital but I have seen people get awfully close to having to go.

I believe the real issue is how fit you are. Every year a dozen or so folk die from snow shoveling in Wisconsin. No one would consider snow shoveling an especially dangerous activity, but when coupled with sendentary life styles and lack of fitness, it can be deadly.

It has taken me about two years to be fit enough to ride 100 miles. My guess is that anyone that is injured in a century (not including crashes) has not adequately prepared their bodies for the event. I'm 58 years old and I know my limitations. I eat well and ride daily, but I am not ready for the 200km or 300km events that are tossed about on this forum.

I was healing from a torn rotator cuff (non-cycling related accident - that was a sweater incident).See, that sweater should have had a full zip! Bad sweater! Video link?

See, that sweater should have had a full zip! Bad sweater! Video link?

Yeah, that one should have had a full zip!! :D There I was getting dressed in the morning, more quickly than usual, and the next thing I knew there was a loud SNAP, and I was sitting on the edge of the bed clutching my left shoulder and fighting off nausea and pain. (Yes, the same shoulder I've now separated)

But I couldn't bring myself to seek medical attention ... what was I going to say??? "Ummm, I guess I was having some trouble getting dressed, and ....."

It wasn't till 2-3 weeks later when I couldn't move the arm, and was having pain from the wrist up to the shoulder and down my chest and back, that I finally saw a Dr. ... in emergency.

Believe me, it is less embarrassing to hurt your shoulder in a cycling-related incident than it is to hurt your shoulder in a sweater incident!! :lol:


But despite the fact that I ended up in emergency because of a sweater incident ... I haven't given up dressing in the morning!! :D And just because I've separated my shoulder in a cycling incident ... I haven't given up cycling. :)

It has taken me about two years to be fit enough to ride 100 miles. My guess is that anyone that is injured in a century (not including crashes) has not adequately prepared their bodies for the event. I'm 58 years old and I know my limitations. I eat well and ride daily, but I am not ready for the 200km or 300km events that are tossed about on this forum.

How many centuries have you ridden? Once you've done 2 or 3, you should have no trouble riding a 200K ... that's only 125 miles.

A buddy of mine was doing a 24 hour race and his kidneys shutdown from all the stress, he ended up in the hospital for a night and was released the next morning.

Why do you exclude RAAM? The organization is very open about why people drop out or what horrors they suffer and still finish. Go through the back issues of ULTRACYCLING and make a list. I've followed RAAM since the beginning and the worst case I can recall was that of Wayne Phillips, a Canadian. He was smashed off the road in Texas by a yellow vehicle and is permanently crippled.

A buddy of mine was doing a 24 hour race and his kidneys shutdown from all the stress, he ended up in the hospital for a night and was released the next morning.

Just a guess, but perhaps he didn't take in enough electrolytes.

I've followed RAAM since the beginning and the worst case I can recall was that of Wayne Phillips, a Canadian. He was smashed off the road in Texas by a yellow vehicle and is permanently crippled.

Bob Breedlove died during RAAM

Being overly hot or overly cold are probably much more of a concern to the long-distance crowd than the typical cyclist. I've personally been hypothermic (a 200K ridden in 38F pouring rain with 20+mph winds) and I suffered occular edema in a race once (solution: blink more, hydrate dried-out contacts). I've seen guys whose neck muscles have failed, folks with severe saddle sores (I rode with a RAAM veteran last weekend who claims scars from saddle sores; I didn't personally verify this!), lots of hand and wrist numbness and tingling that can last for weeks or longer (I know a PBP ancien with some permanent nerve damage from long riding). Note that a lot of this stuff is preventable, but these are some risks that you're more likely to encounter if you do long rides/races than if you don't.

Probably the biggest risk that we long distance cyclists face is from increased exposure to normal cycling risks -- things like bad encounters with cars (and their hostile occupants), nasty dogs, falls, wrecks, catastropic mechanical failures (I broke a stem bolt during a 400K!) -- because we're riding a lot more miles than most recreational cyclists. The risks of these sorts of things are probably fixed; they're the same no mater the kind of riding you do. We're just exposing ourselves more.

In races and even randoneuring events, these common events manifest themselves frequently. Someone died at Calvin's in 2004; RAAM has claimed two lives in the last three years; I've seen pile-ups, folks leave the road, folks hit by dogs, folks hit by cars. Of course, I've seen all this stuff in club rides (tours kill folks), USCF races (crashes are a dime a dozen) and informal group rides (got to love those country dogs!).

Most likely, I bet, injuries -- especially those that require a trip to the ER or the morgue -- to long-distance cyclists are going to come from the fairly common things like cars, wet pavement, and dogs, and not from the uncommon. That said, the uncommon stuff -- severe electrolyte problems, nerve damage, scars on your ass -- will likely never happen to you if you don't do the long stuff.

Hard to say, you don't define "long distance", nor whether the cycling is part of an organized event, or just folks riding along. There are no accurate records that bridge the collection of situations because there are no "umbrella" organizations recording all related activity.

To the best of my knowledge, records would have to be perused manually, for "incidental notes" transcribed by emergency techs to detect the nature of medical facts related to each incident.

Therefore no records exist [that I know of ] -- and this thread is just one more in a long line of bull-fish that these forums often generate...........................

For a few hundred thousand $US, I'll rectify the situation.........

But despite the fact that I ended up in emergency because of a sweater incident ... I haven't given up dressing in the morning!! :D And just because I've separated my shoulder in a cycling incident ... I haven't given up cycling. :)Well, I just hope you warm up better before trying to get dressed! It's dangerous. A male friend of mine reached down to put on his socks and wound up spending 2 weeks on the couch with excruciating back pain. It's terrible what can happen.

Last year I rode 5 centuries with no problems aside from the usual elation/exhaustion that accompanies such events.

This year we've ridden 4 centuries on our tandem (thinking about 200K and beyond next year, since this is my husband's first year of riding distances & his schedule interferes with training). On our third century, at mile 97, we were doored by a clueless motorist who blamed us for the incident. Front wheel of the tandem was taco'd, our door-hitting-sides were contused and bruised badly. We filed a police report but aside from ice & Ibupr*fen required no medical intervention.

If I worried about getting hurt, I'd never get on the bike.

Well, I just hope you warm up better before trying to get dressed! It's dangerous. A male friend of mine reached down to put on his socks and wound up spending 2 weeks on the couch with excruciating back pain. It's terrible what can happen.

They should put warning labels on clothing!! You just never know!! :eek:




Of course, with me around, just about everything should have a warning label on it. I once sprained an ankle in a TV channel changing incident. I bashed in a knee on my coffee table while slipping on a garbage bag while falling off my trainer. And I've impaled myself on a picket fence. Just to name a scant few of the accidents I've had .... :eek:

If I worried about getting hurt, I'd never get up in the morning. But then, knowing me, I'd probably fall out of bed or something. :lol:

LIFE is fraught with dangers!

A buddy of mine was doing a 24 hour race and his kidneys shutdown from all the stress, he ended up in the hospital for a night and was released the next morning.

This is a concern of mine as I get ramped up into the century range. I don't race, and certainly a century isn't the same as a 24 hour race, but living on only one kidney and riding long distances concerns me sometimes. Still, no guts (so to speak), no glory.

This is a concern of mine as I get ramped up into the century range. I don't race, and certainly a century isn't the same as a 24 hour race, but living on only one kidney and riding long distances concerns me sometimes. Still, no guts (so to speak), no glory.

Have a read over some of the articles on this site about things like dehydration, drinking too much, electrolytes, hyponatremia, nutrition, sodium, and water:

http://www.ultracycling.com/siteindex.html

Have a read over some of the articles on this site about things like dehydration, drinking too much, electrolytes, hyponatremia, nutrition, sodium, and water:

http://www.ultracycling.com/siteindex.html

I haven't, but I shall. Thanks for the tip.

More miles = more hrs. on the road = more exposure to cars. Not to mention you're solo more often than Sunday club riders, so you're even less visible.

Wear high vis. and use lots of LEDs.

I've followed RAAM since the beginning and the worst case I can recall was that of Wayne Phillips, a Canadian.

You've followed RAAM from the beginning, and don't know about the two fatalities in the event? :rolleyes:

The first was Brett Malin, struck by a truck while turning around on the road.
The second was Bob Breedlove, who probably lost consciousness somehow during a descent and crossed into the path of a truck.

I believe the single biggest medical reason for RAAM DNF's is pneumonia and other respiratory problems while riding in temperature extremes and dry air of the high desert.

Otherwise, serious medical problems from long-distance riding are rare. Hyponatremia is very rare, especially when compared to marathon runners. Hypothermia, heat stroke and dehydration are more common, but rarely lead to hospitalization. Nerve damage in hands and feet is fairly common after very long events, but not really that "serious".

I've heard it said that the biggest cause of serious injuries on PBP is riders falling asleep and crashing. That's why the ACP outlawed aero bars.

More miles = more hrs. on the road = more exposure to cars.

Not necessarily. I just rode a 400 km brevet that had less traffic than some of my local forty-mile club rides.

But yes, proper lighting and reflectors are key, which is why they are required and checked on brevets.

Not necessarily. I just rode a 400 km brevet that had less traffic than some of my local forty-mile club rides.

But yes, proper lighting and reflectors are key, which is why they are required and checked on brevets.

Yes, a lot of my brevets are out in the middle of absolutely nowhere. On my 400K last year, from 9 pm when I left Radium, for approx. 160 kms to Banff where I arrived about 5 am, I encountered maybe half a dozen vehicles.

When I start commuting again, I'll likely encounter a few hundred!

I excluded RAAM because riders seem to be exposed to such extreme circumstances during that event. I was just curious what dangers I need to be aware of as my addiction to this sport grows.

I've heard it said that the biggest cause of serious injuries on PBP is riders falling asleep and crashing. That's why the ACP outlawed aero bars.

I understand that the French ban aerobars in any organised event involving group riding. It isn't only the ACP.

Stress, overexertion and more can do alot to take down a rider. RAAM notwithstanding...

This is my first time on this part of the forum. I wanted to post here in case anyone had finished the Beloit Brevet Week in Wisconsin this past week.

If you did, and haven't heard the news from the event organizers...

well...

My dad was in that event. He finished 3 of the 4 rides (he took off the day of the 400 k ride, and had already completed a 400k ride this year so he would have been eligable for PBP). He got done with the 600 k on time, from what I understand.

He passed away the morning of the 28th.

Take care of yourselves on the long road out there folks. I'll stick to my cities for now.


EDIT... I should mention that his name is/was Robert

Right now I'm healing from a separated shoulder (cycling related accident - a crash during a 200K 6 weeks ago).

Machka, how's the shoulder doing? When I separated my shoulder I was off the bike for 6 weeks, no surgery, some of that might have been because I also had broken ribs. I did ride a trainer at the PT's office, nothing hard it hurt to breathe. I did the shoulder Nov. 2000 and started doing the distance riding June 2001. I've never had any problems with the shoulder during a ride. I do exercises to help strengthen the shoulder so I don't have a problem with it.

Machka, how's the shoulder doing? When I separated my shoulder I was off the bike for 6 weeks, no surgery, some of that might have been because I also had broken ribs. I did ride a trainer at the PT's office, nothing hard it hurt to breathe. I did the shoulder Nov. 2000 and started doing the distance riding June 2001. I've never had any problems with the shoulder during a ride. I do exercises to help strengthen the shoulder so I don't have a problem with it.

It's sore, but my physiotherapist was surprised how well I came through the 600K. 7 weeks has passed since the crash, so I guess it has started healing.

It was worse when I finished the 300K two weeks ago ... then I couldn't even move my arm at the end of the ride.

after tens of thousands of miles on my bike, my worst athletic injury was when I broke my hand

... playing golf.

after tens of thousands of miles on my bike, my worst athletic injury was when I broke my hand

... playing golf.

Similar story: DeQuervain's Tendonitis (acute tendonitis of the thumb) from improper hand positioning lifting weights. I've had a few bike wrecks, but the thumb issue took literally years to resolve (and still flares up from time to time).

Severian, I am very sorry to hear of your dad's passing......

It's sore, but my physiotherapist was surprised how well I came through the 600K. 7 weeks has passed since the crash, so I guess it has started healing.

It was worse when I finished the 300K two weeks ago ... then I couldn't even move my arm at the end of the ride.

The biggest thing I ended up with was a nice looking knot on top of my shoulder. I haven't lost any movement in the shoulder and I didn't have surgery. They told me if I was to have surgery, to get rid of the knot, I would lose movement in the shoulder. They also told me someday down the road I could have the surgery to repair the knot. So far so good!

The biggest thing I ended up with was a nice looking knot on top of my shoulder. I haven't lost any movement in the shoulder and I didn't have surgery. They told me if I was to have surgery, to get rid of the knot, I would lose movement in the shoulder. They also told me someday down the road I could have the surgery to repair the knot. So far so good!

I've lost movement in my shoulder (I'm down to about half my normal range of motion) but I have no knot! I'm doing some stretching to increase my range of motion and it has increased a bit over the weeks. I've also adapted quite well to not moving my arm in certain directions.

I've lost movement in my shoulder (I'm down to about half my normal range of motion) but I have no knot! I'm doing some stretching to increase my range of motion and it has increased a bit over the weeks. I've also adapted quite well to not moving my arm in certain directions.

The knot I’m talking about is the collarbone where it meets the shoulder. The collarbone sits up a little higher than the shoulder, or should I say the shoulder sits a little lower than the collarbone. It took me awhile not to reach out and try to pick-up something like I used to but I pretty much do everything else I used to do. I haven’t had any problems with the shoulder and cycling. Saturday I’m doing the Eastern Sierra Double. http://planetultra.com/easternsierra/index.html

torn rotator cuff (non-cycling related accident - that was a sweater incident).

I'm sorry, I shouldn't laugh... but I've done the same thing, only not quite as bad - just sprained my shoulder and chipped a knuckle (hit the corner of the dresser) while flailing around attempting to free myself from the Evil Sweater Of Doom. I thought I was the only person who got bizarre injuries like that!

Cycling related - I mashed my own pedal into the side of my calf while mounting in a hurry and burst a vein. That was a lovely bruise. At least I won't need varicose vein treatments on that leg.

All I can say is "eat before you are hungry", "drink before you are thirsty".

Also, plan ahead. I learned a lot the time I was 80 miles out and out of water and
food and the place I stopped essentially had krispy kreme doughnuts and little else.

They should put warning labels on clothing!! You just never know!! :eek:




Of course, with me around, just about everything should have a warning label on it. I once sprained an ankle in a TV channel changing incident. I bashed in a knee on my coffee table while slipping on a garbage bag while falling off my trainer. And I've impaled myself on a picket fence. Just to name a scant few of the accidents I've had .... :eek:

If I worried about getting hurt, I'd never get up in the morning. But then, knowing me, I'd probably fall out of bed or something. :lol:

LIFE is fraught with dangers!

I slipped on a panel and broke my ankle, got hit by a car twice, both times I was crossing the street in front of my house, in broad daylight. I agree sometimes it is the little things that can cause an injury.

Well, yesterday I really did myself in while riding. About noon I decided to go do 100km. I had gotten up to late to go on the club ride so I went on my own.

The problem is that I have not been on any of the evening training rides for about two weeks, due to rain, and I was in another city (and province) last weekend. So, the only riding I have been doing for about two weeks is my commutte (only about 1.5km).

The first thing that happened, about 20k into the ride was a knot formed in my stomach (left of center, slightly above belt line) taht would not pass. I decided to ignore it. Then about 40k into the ride my leg stsrted cramping real bad (right leg, the shorter one, calf, outside) I figured that, seeing as I was only 10k short of my turn around, I would keep going (real dumb) I did stop at a shop and got some water (two 600ml bottles, so far I had consumed just under 600ml).

Then, on the way back I was just hurting. I tried to walk it out and I think that helped a little. at about 65 K I stopped for a beer hopping that it would help the muscle relax. I think sitting there and drinking it slowly helped, but not much. By about 75K I was moving again without too much pain but I was staying in low gears and not straining at all and I cought up with my riding club (I am not realy sure how managed to catch them, I felt like I was going dreadfully slow and was even contemplating the choice beteween sleeping outside or knocking on the door of a farm housing and sleeping on thier floor).

Once I met with the riding club the curative effect of competition kicked in and I was the second one back to the shop we ride from. At that point I was in serious pain. I then went to dinner and was not able to eat a bowl of rice. I knew I would get ill if I tried.

When I got up to go from my table to my bike (just over a meter) I was almost unable to walk and the shopkeeper wanted me to take a cab (I live .5 km away, I am not taking a cab). It was funny, she kept counting my bottles; two, which I had shared most of, and trying to figure out why I was staggering. I was able to pedal home but the five flights of stairs were hard and took quite a while.

Today is just a rest dsay, mostly just doing housework and siting and reading.

But yes, I hurt.

The problem is that I have not been on any of the evening training rides for about two weeks, due to rain, and I was in another city (and province) last weekend. So, the only riding I have been doing for about two weeks is my commutte (only about 1.5km).

The first thing that happened, about 20k into the ride was a knot formed in my stomach (left of center, slightly above belt line) taht would not pass. I decided to ignore it. Then about 40k into the ride my leg stsrted cramping real bad (right leg, the shorter one, calf, outside) I figured that, seeing as I was only 10k short of my turn around, I would keep going (real dumb) I did stop at a shop and got some water (two 600ml bottles, so far I had consumed just under 600ml).

Then, on the way back I was just hurting. I tried to walk it out and I think that helped a little. at about 65 K I stopped for a beer hopping that it would help the muscle relax. I think sitting there and drinking it slowly helped, but not much. By about 75K I was moving again without too much pain but I was staying in low gears and not straining at all and I cought up with my riding club (I am not realy sure how managed to catch them, I felt like I was going dreadfully slow and was even contemplating the choice beteween sleeping outside or knocking on the door of a farm housing and sleeping on thier floor).

Once I met with the riding club the curative effect of competition kicked in and I was the second one back to the shop we ride from. At that point I was in serious pain. I then went to dinner and was not able to eat a bowl of rice. I knew I would get ill if I tried.



Just think ... all that pain was likely completely preventable! :D First, the problem is NOT that you haven't been riding. I've gone a month between centuries with no riding at all during that month, and have been fine. But I see three things in your post ...

1) By 50 kms you had drunk less than 600 ml of liquid. It takes me 2.5 hours to ride 50 kms, maybe it takes you 2 hours, but still you should have consumed at least twice that amount. You were dehydrated. This is the biggest problem. When you are dehydrated, you cramp.

2) Then you drink beer? Alcohol is dehydrating.

3) And then, despite the fact that you started later than everyone, you finished second. In other words you pushed the pace out there.

If you had drunk more water, avoided the beer, and relaxed, you probably wouldn't be hurting so much right now.

A couple questions ... what did you have to eat during the ride? You don't mention any calorie intake besides the beer. How hot was it?

Just think ... all that pain was likely completely preventable! :D First, the problem is NOT that you haven't been riding. I've gone a month between centuries with no riding at all during that month, and have been fine. But I see three things in your post ...

If you had drunk more water, avoided the beer, and relaxed, you probably wouldn't be hurting so much right now.

A couple questions ... what did you have to eat during the ride? You don't mention any calorie intake besides the beer. How hot was it?
As long as I am serving as the poster child for what not to do...

I was a little hesitant to drain my water down because I run into some shops that will not sell to me (can't speak the language, no service). It turned out that I did not have that problem on this ride (they didn't even overcharge me). Even though my Chinese is poor, I was able to communicate with them.


... avoided beer? ...what kind of advise is that... (Yes I know, I should have brought a couple of aspirin tablets for just this eventuality)

Lunch before I left was a package of noodles with a couple of eggs scrambled in. On the road I purchased a package of crackers but didn't eat many of them, possibly a handful (or, as the package says, one serving). That is one advantage of riding with the group. On the all day rides they stop for lunch and take about two hours resting then.

On the issue of water, any good ways to not develop stomach cramps from drinking too much? (and no, I am not a paragon of fitness, I about 5'6" and about 87kilograms)

A lot of German randonneurs seem to live on beer during long rides. Maybe it is due for reinvention as a long-distance fuel like milk did, not so long ago.

The second was Bob Breedlove, who probably lost consciousness somehow during a descent and crossed into the path of a truck.


You might want to investigate that one further. Bob's family believes the 15 year old unlicensed driver who hit Bob was on Bob's side of the road, and after reading this (http://outside.away.com/outside/culture/200611/bob-breedlove-biking-death-1.html) and other articles, I tend to agree with them.