"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Are you ready to crash?

I figured this was a natural follow up to the 'Are you ready to race?' thread. In 150+ races in the 1990's I never actually crashed, but since then I've crashed enough on my own in the past couple of years (typically ice-related in the winter) that I'm ready. It's like getting tackled on artificial turf, without the turf. And it happens so fast that by the time you realize it's happening it's over. So I'm ready. And even if I'm not, so what?

I've crashed in races more times this season than most of you have raced. HTFU.

Falling on a soft bed of 150 pound waifs is one thing, getting doored at 20 mph effin' hurts.

I've crashed in races more times this season than most of you have raced. HTFU.

You must not be riding at the front. Pcad always rides at the front. Out of sheer terror.

I've been hit by a car every year for the past three years. I want a gold star or something.

tumbling classes/practice improved my crashing ability-- there's really a lot of time to think about things on the way down. My girlfriend used to be a competitive gymnast and has a tendency to do full endos and land standing up next to the bike. She dragged me to the tumbling gym ~weekly for about a year and it was a lot of fun and changed my attitude about being upside down.

When someone new shows up for our weekly geezer ride, we can tell by the scar tissue on their left elbow/knee how much pain they are going to inflict upon us.

When someone new shows up for our weekly geezer ride, we can tell by the scar tissue on their left elbow/knee how much pain they are going to inflict upon us.

Why left? You guys only turn left and only go down by sliding out?

My scars are pretty symmetric.

I'm more ready to crash than I am to race. I went through a spate of stupid crashes in '06. Always on the right side - apparently I suck at right turns.

I've been hit by a car every year for the past three years. I want a gold star or something.

For every car you hit, draw a gold star on the top tube.

tumbling classes/practice improved my crashing ability-- there's really a lot of time to think about things on the way down. My girlfriend used to be a competitive gymnast and has a tendency to do full endos and land standing up next to the bike. She dragged me to the tumbling gym ~weekly for about a year and it was a lot of fun and changed my attitude about being upside down.

I'd actually be interested in some classes like that - any references/sources/places to go out in SoCal, specifically Los Angeles?

Falling on a soft bed of 150 pound waifs is one thing, getting doored at 20 mph effin' hurts.


I'm more ready to crash than I am to race...

:lol:

oh teh no, pcad, think of the bike schwag!

-bullseye

i had a nice get off over a 55 foot table top riding motocross a few weeks ago but i'm still more scared to crash in a crit race than i am of riding moto. something about that asphalt and only having bib shorts, a jersey and a cycling helmet covering me up makes me a feel a little bit vulnerable.

I'd actually be interested in some classes like that - any references/sources/places to go out in SoCal, specifically Los Angeles?

we went to this place in Van Nuys: http://www.gousa.org/ (the home page loads really slow)

I haven't been there in a while, but they still have adult tumbling Mo/Tu/We/Thu 7 to 10 pm. Adult tumbling is kind of a trip-- it was usually a combination of ex-gymnasts and stunt people (with some overlap) doing what sometimes looks like strange combinations of things.

It helps a *lot* if you have someone who comes with you who actually knows what they're doing and can teach you things, since there aren't generally people there to help during non class times, though some of them do private instruction, too. I'd be sort of interested in going back if I could round up an "instructor" who's free or cheap (i.e. an ex gymnast who wants company to go turn flips).

It's loads of fun-- I really don't like to go lift weights and things, but the gymnastics stuff gives you a really good dynamic strength workout. It would probably be good for getting a little more sprinting snap back, since I do too much endurance stuff.

In socal they call Crit 5 CRASH 5. I have never been in a crash though. Knock on carbon fiber.

I've been hit by a car every year for the past three years. I want a gold star or something.

There has GOT to be an easier way to get a new bike every year.

There has GOT to be an easier way to get a new bike every year.

Nonetheless, that level of dedication to Schwag Acquisition is very impressive.

I've been hit by a car every year for the past three years. I want a gold star or something.

I've been hit by a car every month for the last three months.

Quite a bad patch there, but it seems to have passed. No doubt skin will be lost this season with all the hilly racing I'm doing (read: insane B-grade riders on 70+ km/h technical descents :eek:).

Crash!?

I've been prepared for the eventuality, but I always seem to get surprised when it happens:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v285/NoRacer/Misc/1122071026.jpg

I won't post this pic with [img] tags, because some people seem to get bent out of shape when they see someone with their shorts torn to shreds.

Btw, I've never crashed in a race. I was delayed by one that occurred in front of me, but avoided the pile-up. All of my crashes happened either on rec rides or while commuting to and from work.

I've been hit by a car every month for the last three months.


Did you get a new bike out of it?

I crashed at least once a year for about 10 years. At first they were all on training rides as I did things like learn to corner:
http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.com/2007/06/how-to-learning-to-corner-when-youre.html

or just try and visit my girlfriend:
http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.com/2007/04/most-spectactular-crash-ever.html

or whatever.

After a bunch of years crashing on training rides, I found myself in the thick of things during crits, i.e. I was strong enough to be up front in the final bits of a race and I was a good enough bike handler that I felt okay being up there. I can't recall actually causing a crash (except my last one when I inadvertently unclipped sprinting out of a turn - but the only guy that crashed was me). Typically it was someone sliding into my wheels and taking me out, or being pushed off the outside of a corner. I did have a lot of saves - bunny hopping onto a grassy median, stretching a bunch of "police line do not cross" tape, and then jumping back in, or one where a guy slammed me from the inside (numerous times), or bunny hopping off the road to get away from an ongoing stackup.

I took Judo for a short time (year or two). As part of our exercises we'd start sprinting, jump over other kids in the class standing upright with their heads bent down (i.e. 4 or 5 feet tall), and then do a tumbling landing, our hands hitting first. Scariest thing the first time I did it, coming down on your hands from 5 feet in the air, but it got to be where I couldn't wait for my turn to sprint at the guys standing there and leap over them. We started just doing slow-mo tumbles over nothing but it quickly progressed to leaping over 4 or 5 guys.

I have no "with Judo" and "without Judo" stats for myself but I believe that this tumbling type training really helped me deal with the bike falls.

cdr

*note* - isn't 55 feet like 5+ stories? Good lord.

Did you get a new bike out of it?

New frame, new forks, new front wheel, and new cranks.

Suffice to say my bike went from 8.5 to 7.1 kg in the space of about 6 hours ;)

I've crashed in races more times this season than most of you have raced. HTFU.

Just out of curiosity, if you are still a cat 5 (user title) how many crashes could you have had while racing? In order to have crashed in races more than most of us have raced you must crash numerous times in each of your cat five races, unless of course you are a lifetime cat 5'er. If you crash that often you might want to consider another sport.

Never crashed on the road, but I've had my fair share of craziness on the mountain bike. Does that do anything to prepare you? (Probably not).

Just out of curiosity, if you are still a cat 5 (user title) how many crashes could you have had while racing? In order to have crashed in races more than most of us have raced you must crash numerous times in each of your cat five races, unless of course you are a lifetime cat 5'er. If you crash that often you might want to consider another sport.

I was talking about this year. I've crashed once, and since racing doesn't start this early ALL over the country, so....maybe a stretch, but I was amused enough with the response to post it.


I won't post this pic with [img] tags, because some people seem to get bent out of shape when they see someone with their shorts torn to shreds.

I think you're talking about me here. You do seem to be in love with that pic of a hole in your shorts, though. The problem with posting a picture of your carnage is that whatever it is, someone has always had it much worst and DIDN'T post it. If you want some pics of why I wear gloves when I ride, I'll pm them to you. Also the wreck up there ^^ involved actually shredding my shorts to the point where i was a little concerned with my "bits" hanging out. We all know what a skinned knee looks like, and i'm guessing there was more rash/bruising on your ass, but c'mon.

You notice most don't post those pics, even thought they have them. Why don't you start a thread "Post yourself after a wreck" with the caveat that there will be no "Fred" name-calling in that particular thread -- you may end up with some NC-17 stuff, for real.

I don't think I'm ever ready to crash. It's just in the back of my head as something that happens, but line up anyways. If I thought about it too much, I would never be able to race again or even just ride for that matter...

That being said, I went down a couple of times last season. I didn't know what happened in the first one, but I found myself sitting in a pile of riders and bikes. The other was in slow motion so I was able to land gently on a pudgy rider :p. Neither resulted in anything worse then some torn shorts, road rash and scratched up shifters and pedals. Out of 30 starts during the road season, I didn't think going down twice is bad at all.

Now 'cross on the other hand...stitches on a leg one time, broken helmet the other...crappy season...

I've crashed in races more times this season than most of you have raced. HTFU.

Please post a photo. Just in case i ever make to race in cali, I'll know who to steer clear of in the pack. :p

Just kidding...

Seriously though i know guys like you who have the worst luck when it comes to staying upright in a race.

I have had 3 race crashes in 100+ starts. Only one was my fault when i rolled a tubular off a rim. Pretty rashed up after that one. Worst crash involved a me smashing a Spinergy Rev-X and then almost having my balls cut off from a broken blade. I had cuts on my inner thigh just inches from my fellas as well as some rash.

although most of my crashes have been on my DH bike, i have to say, those sand spots in early spring kill if you go down on them..

Some trainers teach the riders how to fall in a crash, and practice it on the grass. It's like a tumbling fall and roll in some cases. It does not always work of course, but it's good to know. It's always good to stack the odds in your own favor just in case.

I think the book "Bicycle Road Racing" by Eddie B. tells and has some sketches about this. I think any racer, or even non racers should read this book. I do the bike specific stretching.

Some of the book is very outdated, some of it is very good. It's in many librarys too.

It also talks about the "dominant left", how most falls are on the left side.