Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - I joined the club of those "that have fallen".

What a day yesterday. I set off hoping to do a "metric century" (62 miles) heading north towardsds Bellingham. I finished up doing approx 43 miles "on one leg".

7 miles into the ride its cold, wet and the roads are slick. I slowly (8mph) approach a set of railway lines embedded into the road. One second Im riding the next Im on the floor - it was like lightening. I had zero opportunity to save myself and I went down HARD. Then Im on the floor, in the middle of the road, trying to unclip while lay on my side. What a mess. Two drivers stopped and asked if i was OK - one lady asked, drove away, u-turned and came back to ask again (very nice of her). I was hurt and couldnt walk without a heavy limp but like a fool, didnt want anyone involved. Then I felt it, drips off my fingers. I look at the back of my arm and its COVERED in blood and its flowing. I limped to the side of the road and used handfuls of cold, wet grass pressed against the cut to stop the bleeding. After 10 mins it stopped. So then Im thinking, well I was looking forwards to the ride so lets just see if I can peddle. At first it was painful but as my leg warmed up it was manageable. As long as I kept moving I was OK but with mounting pain on hills.


I limped along to 43 miles and called it a day as it was getting very hilly. Im all cleaned up now but I have a huge road-rash scrape down my left thigh and a bruise the size of a football. My elbow has a nice gash as wel as my knee. Im just thankful I had good gloves and shorts on as they really saved me. My leg is fully locked right now but I doubt anythings broken as I wouldnt be able to stand on it.


Ive had a few mini-crashes from not unclipping yet but for me this was a big one. Im 48 and 280lbs and thats a lot of weight to have crashing down.

Did you take the tracks at a 90-degree angle?

Did you take the tracks at a 90-degree angle?

I did. Ive ridden across so many tracks that I thought I had it down to a science. I have no clue whether my wheel entered the track or if the front tire just slipped away when it hit the track. One second I was up and the next Im on the floor not knowing how I got there :)

Sometimes it happens regardless of your angle, especially if it's wet and slippery. Tough break. Hope your aches and pains dissipate quickly.

I'm going to break my own rule about giving advice.... a knee that locks is not good. That's not how they work. Have it checked out. Today if you can.

Sometimes it happens regardless of your angle, especially if it's wet and slippery. Tough break. Hope your aches and pains dissipate quickly.

Other than a right angle, what should you do when crossing tracks in the rain?

I'm going to break my own rule about giving advice.... a knee that locks is not good. That's not how they work. Have it checked out. Today if you can.

The knee seems to "set" if I sit down and dont move for 30mins+. If I can "get passed" the pain and get the leg moving the pain goes from sharp to dull and I can limp around. I limped into work this AM and Im making myself walk around the landing every 30 mins.

Unfortunatly, my health coverage wont fully cover anything beyond an "emergency" situation therefore, if I can move I stay away. Not ideal but a reality :) I was actually more concerned about my bike. I can heal "for free" :)

Other than a right angle, what should you do when crossing tracks in the rain?

From now on - Im dismounting and walking them ;)

The knee seems to "set" if I sit down and dont move for 30mins+. If I can "get passed" the pain and get the leg moving the pain goes from sharp to dull and I can limp around. I limped into work this AM and Im making myself walk around the landing every 30 mins.

Unfortunatly, my health coverage wont fully cover anything beyond an "emergency" situation therefore, if I can move I stay away. Not ideal but a reality :) I was actually more concerned about my bike. I can heal "for free" :)

It sounds like swelling, stiffness, and soreness then as opposed to bone-on-bone preventing the knee from bending, which is what locking of the knee is generally considered to be. If you were having the leg lock, that is worth an ER visit as you might have something broken or torn. (BTW, for me the road to knee replacement began with my right knee locking in March 2010. By the week before surgery, I was having the knee lock at least every other day.)

If your helmet made contact with the ground you may need a new one.

Other than a right angle, what should you do when crossing tracks in the rain?


From now on - Im dismounting and walking them ;)

^^^^What he said. Tracks are like ice when they're wet.

^^^^What he said. Tracks are like ice when they're wet.

+1. I broke a rib on wet tracks on a bike tour in 2008.

Magohn, Sorry to hear that happend and I hope that you heal well man.

It sounds like swelling, stiffness, and soreness then as opposed to bone-on-bone preventing the knee from bending, which is what locking of the knee is generally considered to be. If you were having the leg lock, that is worth an ER visit as you might have something broken or torn. (BTW, for me the road to knee replacement began with my right knee locking in March 2010. By the week before surgery, I was having the knee lock at least every other day.)

Thanks Neil - makes sense. Im giving it till tomorrow to decide on medical treatment as it doesnt feel bone-on-bone. There is swelling but the swelling surrounds a 2" cut to the knee that came as part of the package of falling. Im hoping its nothing more than body fluids rushing to the injured areas. As the injured areas are my knee and almost all of my upper thigh, the whole leg feels like its been in the wars. Also, my elbow is extremely sensitive where the cut is - could be the cut of perhaps more serious damage caused by the impact. Again, I will wait and see.

How I long for the old-days where Id regualrly fly from my Raleigh Chopper and just get up and walk away laughing ;)

Thanks all :)

Thanks Neil - makes sense. Im giving it till tomorrow to decide on medical treatment as it doesnt feel bone-on-bone. There is swelling but the swelling surrounds a 2" cut to the knee that came as part of the package of falling. Im hoping its nothing more than body fluids rushing to the injured areas. As the injured areas are my knee and almost all of my upper thigh, the whole leg feels like its been in the wars. Also, my elbow is extremely sensitive where the cut is - could be the cut of perhaps more serious damage caused by the impact. Again, I will wait and see.

How I long for the old-days where Id regualrly fly from my Raleigh Chopper and just get up and walk away laughing ;)

Please keep in mind I'm not a doctor (note for any medical or diatetic board members lurking here that want to sue me.) The old rule of thumb is that pain or discomfort in the muscles around the knee is OK, but IN the joint isn't. If its sore muscles, RICE.

The cautionary tale is BF poster Bautieri, who tore a meniscus after a fall on a charity ride. (He rode the final 20 miles on one leg and needed help dismounting at the end.) He tried to tough it out and later had to undergo surgery. Bau is a good guy, but he wins the Pigheadedness Award for not getting it treated right away.

Please keep in mind I'm not a doctor (note for any medical or diatetic board members lurking here that want to sue me.) The old rule of thumb is that pain or discomfort in the muscles around the knee is OK, but IN the joint isn't. If its sore muscles, RICE.

The cautionary tale is BF poster Bautieri, who tore a meniscus after a fall on a charity ride. (He rode the final 20 miles on one leg and needed help dismounting at the end.) He tried to tough it out and later had to undergo surgery. Bau is a good guy, but he wins the Pigheadedness Award for not getting it treated right away.



Understood :)
The pain feels very "sprained ankle"ish along the whole leg -so Im assuimng its swelling and shock to the leg. If Im no better tomorrow I will go see a doc but Im also sure nothings broken as Ive had broken bones and the lightest touch would be unbearable.

And I could sort of pedal with the leg - its if I rest it the real locking sets in and I have to painfully move it around to get up the movement to walk etc.

Railway lines now freak me out :)

Also, "Pug", good comment on the helmet. I never thought to check it for damage. Perhaps my initial dis-orientation in the road after the fall was due to a head tap. I will check the helmet when I get home.

Thanks all - if my post raises more awareness to riding over railway lines then I will be happy.

Glad you are not hurt worse! Are you taking anti-inflammatory pain meds to manage the pain and inflammation?

if my post raises more awareness to riding over railway lines then I will be happy.

Thanks for sharing your story. I am sorry that I learned a lesson at your expense. I have crossed train track many times. There are many in our area. Outside of getting out of my seat and shifting my weight, I never gave it much thought. You have certainly raise my awarenss and I will tell your story with other that I ride with.

I hope you heal quickly and it doesn't turn out to be more than a sprain.

Glad to hear you are ok, I joined the club this past winter. I've mentioned this in a couple other threads lately and feel like a broken record but I have to say that I think the best thing out there for road rash is DuoDerm. You can get it from Amazon, basically you put it one leave it for a week and you have new skin.

You can put all your weight ever the rear wheel and hold bars loosely but getting off and walking is best.

A nice hot soak in the tub would probably help a lot, if possible.

I keep an itty bitty first aid kit on my bike, it's just a couple of paper towels, a couple of bandaids and a tube of fake fingernail glue. The glue is for cuts that are bigger than a bandaid, or in a place where a bandaid won't stay well. As long as you can get the cut to stop bleeding and get it fairly clean (paper towels and water is usually enough on the road), you can put the glue on and hold the edges together until it dries. Don't touch the glue until it's dry, or you could glue your hand to the cut. It works like stitches until you can get it properly taken care of. Regular superglue will not work and is dangerous to skin, it has to be nail glue. Since I do not care for stitches or staples, I have used the glue in the past for large cuts and not had them sewn or stapled later...I'm not suggesting that for anyone and I'm not a medical professional, but for me it has worked well. I do have a current tetanus shot though.

Glad to hear you are OK ,

Just make sure you keep the cuts and the road rash clean . Getting infections even a minor one can cause lots of problems. I don't know if you have it in the US but spray bandage is great stuff for covering a patch of road rash once it has been cleaned. As others have said .. i am not a doctor, YMMV and don't complain to be if your leg falls off :)

http://www.elastoplast.com.au/products/product-types/spray-plaster


oh and it hurts like hell to put on ... enjoy :)

Thanks for all the well wishes. My "bad" leg is actually loosening up and I believe its going to be fine - thank goodness. Unfortunately, the rest of my body seems to be coming out in aches of sympathy ;). Both legs,arms shoulders and neck are now aching. Not surprising I guess as the whole body fell and then stopped suddenly at the same instance. As thats the worst fall Ive had in over 25 yrs I guess I have to expect some muscle protest.

Checked out my helmet - looks good. I also put my mini-first aid kit BACK IN MY SADDLE POUCH!!!! I have had a mini-first aid kit for years but of course left it on my workbench on Sunday.

Anyways, looks like I will live to ride again and thanks for the well-wishes.

Yikes !

Best wishes for a speedy and full recovery :thumb:

From now on - Im dismounting and walking them ;)

Heh. Probably the only thing you could have done differently is to have gone slower. I know when it is slick out I ease over these types of things.

How's the leg/elbow today?

Sorry to hear of your injury but thanks for the reminder that I do need to get off and walk across tracks. Hope you heal soon.

I posted a follow up question in the Advocacy and Safety forum, wanting more feedback and commentary on the idea that rr tracks are dangerous when wet. I appreciate being alerted to this but it boggles my mind that it would be a problem.

How's the leg/elbow today?

Much better! Thanks for asking.

My whole body is still very sore and stiff but definatily "healing". Very sore on the road-rash but it has dried up and Im keeping the ointment going. Im hoping to at least jump on the trainer tomorrow if the aches subside.

Black Walnut - For sure, Ive ridden across dozens of RR tracks but this fall was so fast I had no idea how I hit the floor. Im dismounting at RR tracksfrom now onwards.

Thanks all for the well-wishes.

I did. Ive ridden across so many tracks that I thought I had it down to a science. I have no clue whether my wheel entered the track or if the front tire just slipped away when it hit the track. One second I was up and the next Im on the floor not knowing how I got there :)

There are two distinct risks with rail-road tracks.

One is catching the wheel in a gap. That's what running at 90 degrees avoids. Note that it doesn't have to be exactly 90 degrees (it just can't be a shallow angle).

The other is the "slippery when wet" issue. Wet smooth metal is like ice. This is much harder to avoid issues with. Keep in mind that they could be wet due to condensation.

If you ride over wet tracks, you want to be perfectly upright. Any leaning might cause the wheel to slip sideways.

You might be able to reduce this risk by getting off of the seat as you go over the tracks.

Wet railroad tracks at an odd angle were the site of the worst wreck of my cycling life. It had just started raining, and in downtown Knoxville TN (if anyone is familiar with it) there is a section of RR tracks almost across from Neyland Stadium that runs across the road at like at 15deg angle - very strange. We were booking along at 25mph and came to the tracks, I slowed down to around 20 and swung out to hit them as close to 90 deg as I could, and my front wheel hit the first set of tracks and started to get away from me, and when it hit the second track it knocked the wheel into the gap and down I went. Dislocated shoulder, punctured rotator cuff, hip pointer and huge bruise, various cuts and bruises from my left shoulder all the way to my ankle. After a trip to the ER I spent the next couple of days in bed.

I still cringe when I come to those tracks, I don't walk across them anymore but I don't go across them very fast and definitely not clipped in anymore!

The funny part is, there is a restaurant right there, so that is where I waited for my wife to come and get me. The manager came out and had a first aid kit and card with the general manager of Norfolk-Southern RR's name and phone number and told me to call him - she sees at least 3 accidents on those sets of tracks every week. I could never get ahold of the guy though...

Ive had a few mini-crashes from not unclipping yet but for me this was a big one. Im 48 and 280lbs and thats a lot of weight to have crashing down.

There is little to no honor in falling because of ciipless pedals on the street.

There is only pain, injury and blood.

Not something I'd admit to or aspire to.

There is little to no honor in falling because of ciipless pedals on the street.

There is only pain, injury and blood.

Not something I'd admit to or aspire to.

That's right!

OP, you need to get a heavy steel bike and install an airbag on that thing! Stay under 10 mph and only ride on proper bike paths. Wear elbow pads and knee pads. Heck, wrap yourself up in bubble wrap - head to toe. You can even buy a BIGGER helmet to strap on TOP of the one you're wearing now! Or to further prevent unnecessary risk, just stay home and watch reruns of America's Funniest Home Videos.

Yep - that's what I'd do.