Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Momentary Lapse of Reason?

So, I'm just curious if anyone has accidentally run off the road along their road rides? It has happened to me a handful of times over the years ... where I'm not paying *enough* attention, I'm riding a little too close to the side of the road, my balance/perception gets compromised (sometimes by the road itself), and then I overcompensate. I think fatigue can play a role here, especially on long rides. Has this happened to other riders, or am I just :twitchy:?

In the past, it has been a non-issue - more embarrassing than anything else - I might head off into the dirt/grass and then quickly recover and veer back. Or maybe I'll come to a stop, take a breather, and then continue on. But the other day, it happened when I was concentrating on a school bus that was passing and crossing the yellow line into oncoming traffic, with another one coming up right behind it. When my attention came back to the road (a matter of like 1 second), I hit a concave portion of the road, and my balance slightly shifted. I could have saved myself from going off the edge of the road (which was a 1/2 foot drop into overgrown grass and dirt mounds), but I realized this could be very dangerous - if I over compensated, I could be out in the middle of the road with the soon-to-be-passing school bus. So I decided, in an instant, to hold on tight like a mountain bike, and ride this one out. I thought I was going down, but I managed to hold on till I came to a complete stop. Kinda rattled me. The 2nd bus driver didn't slow down.

BTW, the buses were doing 45-55mph. I was doing 18-20mph when I went off the road.

Yep, I started "floating" my lines around the time forty-itus started to come on. My sense of direction and balance have just kinda gotten dulled a little bit. The occasional "object behind" check can put me a foot or more off the line I was keeping. I don't worry about it much since I ride too slow to be in a group, but cars and buses are another story. Glad your ok..

About three times in 53000+ miles. One of these times, I got blown off the road by the wind. The other two times were lapses of attention in areas with essentially no traffic in a national park (fiddling with a camera in one case, looking at the sights in another case).

Going off-line because of a slight shift in balance suggests that you might want to get a bike that has less-twitchy steering. Going off-line because of checking what's behind (as Canopus mentions) seems like it could be partially solved with a rear view mirror (which minimizes need for repetitively twisting to look backward) combined with practice at maintaining a line (since you still need to spot-check before moving into the lane).

Going off-line because of checking what's behind (as Canopus mentions) seems like it could be partially solved with a rear view mirror (which minimizes need for repetitively twisting to look backward) combined with practice at maintaining a line (since you still need to spot-check before moving into the lane).

I use a rear-view mirror. I wouldn't be surprised if that had a small part in some disorientation during my little off-road adventure. I was watching the bus through the mirror, so I may have spent too much attention on the mirror. It wasn't because I was scared or anxious for myself, more so because I was concerned about oncoming traffic safety.

As pilots say, you should always fly the plane FIRST.

I'm glad I have kevlar tires ... surprised I didn't get a flat.

That's probably the best Pink Floyd album from the non Roger Waters era.

... and The Division Bell

Had the sensation of "waking up" on the bike, but luckily it went in a straight enough line when I zoned out for a split-second.. (on my first 600k)

I have not run off the road, but came close a few times when my mind wandered.

Woke up while driving on the interstate one day. Had taken a Lunesta the night before.

I've never had this problem, if I get anywhere near tired I just stop in a comfy looking piece of roadside ditch and take a 15-20minute nap.

A number of years ago I was coming down Carson Pass at the end of the Markleyville Death Ride when I see this big cloud of dust in front of me. I stopped to see a lady trying to get up out of the dirt. She was watching the scenery and rode right off the road at 50mph! She hit that soft sand on the side of the road and went right over the handlebars and flattened a metal snowplow marker with her ribs. She must have been 110lbs soaking wet so you can imagine how hard she hit that post. She was able to get up after a few minutes and get back on her bike and ride back to the finish. I don't think she broke anything but she had a pretty nasty bruise and some minor road rash.

I caught my ride partner zoning out and "mothing" (drifting toward oncoming headlights) on our last 400k. In retrospect, I should have just let him take the 10 minute nap he was asking for.

Had the sensation of "waking up" on the bike, but luckily it went in a straight enough line when I zoned out for a split-second.. (on my first 600k)

I had the same feeling on a 600. The only thing that got me back on track was forcing myself to pedal harder/faster.

One of the interesting stories pf PBP that I read was a man who woke up in a ditch. He had no injury or memory of crashing, and got up and finished.

Had the sensation of "waking up" on the bike, but luckily it went in a straight enough line when I zoned out for a split-second.. (on my first 600k)

Yeah, I've had that a few times! I love it! This gradual awareness comes over me, something like... huh, my mind is a total blank, and I am riding a bike... I wonder where I am... it doesn't look familiar... what state do I live in now? well, I'm sure I will know where I am when the time comes to turn....

Yep, I started "floating" my lines around the time forty-itus started to come on. My sense of direction and balance have just kinda gotten dulled a little bit. The occasional "object behind" check can put me a foot or more off the line I was keeping. I don't worry about it much since I ride too slow to be in a group, but cars and buses are another story. Glad your ok..

I find this sort of overcompensation is less with frames that have more trail. Rather than the 50 mm or so my Trek 610 was built with, I've had rake reduced to get the trail up to 58 mm. It steers real nice now, but it doesn't handle a front bag very well.

In my junior racing days my club took our recovery days on the beach path. We called them "bikini rides". It wasn't terribly uncommon for one of us to do a "Jack Tripper", especially during a thong sighting. FWIW, there is an art to falling in sand without getting it in your drivetrain.