CCrew

My fault... too fast for conditions I would say.

For some reason I decided to ride one of my road bikes today. I'll blame it on BDCheung making me feel like granny yesterday when I was on my 29'er and he dropped me like a rookie, that's it Misting rain, took a downhill with a left at the bottom, no issues but as I made the turn my tires crossed the yellow stripe and I instantly went down. Thing was like ice. Per my GPS track log I was poking at 22mph when I went down like a rock.

Road rash from hip to ankle, hit my head hard enough to break my helmet and knock myself out. Couple of really nice guys stopped just as I was coming to and doing a mental inventory of where I was and if I had all my pieces and helped me gather my bike and get on my feet.

Went to the ER, have a mild concussion and my left knee is a mess. Not to start a holy war here, but even the DR in the ER said that the helmet saved my noggin. Bike hasn't been totally checked out but the damage appears to be limited to shredding the bar tape off the bars on the left side.

I will say that I never realized that the freaking yellow line was that darned slippery when wet!

Be safe out there. Never saw this one coming.
-R

urban_assault

I'm glad to hear you are OK.

trekker pete

The painted lines are like ice when they get wet. I almost went down a few times on my motorcycle while crossing them. I particularly hate the wide crosswalk lines.

dwr1961

Hey CCrew,

Very glad you're semi-OK (it could have been much worse). Thanks for sharing a painful tale so that others can learn -Both to avoid painted lines in the wet, and to wear a helmet. Your experience may help someone else avoid a similar fate.

You were wise to go to the ER and get checked out. Hope your left brifter is not tweaked.

Get well quick.

GTALuigi

CCrew hope you get a safe recovery.
Take it easy until you are ready to ride again.

I find street LINES in general less dangerous than those CRACKs in between the roads, that are just wide enough for your tires to JAM in!.

the Lines slippery problem i always knew, cuz when i drive, my tires tend to slick a lot when ever i stop on top of them, and try to take out fast.

so when i bike, i always try to avoid being close to any of those painted lines, since they form a slick surface, specially when wet or humid.

uke

I didn't know the lines were this dangerous. Glad you're OK, and that you were wearing a helmet.

JoeyBike

Ain't it amazing how fast that stuff happens? Last week a wet trolley track took me down albeit 10 mph and a very slow "tiiiiiimmmmmmber" kinda fall. Rash on the hip and palm (through the glove). No head trauma. Somehow my rear wheel just went with the track. Took 5 whole seconds to go from Oh-oh to Splat.

Bummer you went down at speed. Glad you had the Styrene between your grape and the ground. If nothing else you won't have a big scab on your head with hair growing through it.

Heal fast!

Big_e

Glad to hear you're ok. Heal up.
Ernest

JimF22003

Ouch, my condolences! Where was this, if I might ask? I nearly lost it on those painted yellow divider lines on the sidewalk-like section of the 4-Mile-Run trail in Rosslyn. It wasn't even on a curve, and it wasn't raining. Dangerous stuff!

CCrew

Coming down the hill on the Custis Trail, just where it makes the left and cuts under I-66 before it joins the W&OD.

I'm sore this morning I'll tell ya

Thanks for the well-wishes everyone!

Dzrtrat

Glad to here you're alright...I'll bet you feel like hell today though..Thanks for posting it never occurred to me that the stripes could be slick.

lil brown bat

I knew about that road tape, but what can you do...between grates and plates and steel deck and trolley tracks and that stuff, seems like you can't ever completely avoid the frictionless surfaces. Sorry you got dinged up, heal up good and fast.

Ka_Jun

Lost consciousness? Uncool. Glad to hear you're back up. Heal fast.

sojourn

Dude!
Heal up quickly.
It's amazing to me how many "In the blink of an eye" moments there can be in cycling.......geeze!

bdcheung

CCrew,

that sucks man! I've been taking it real slow the past two days. Heal quickly!

CCrew

Yeah, I understand why. Good news today tho. Stopped by the LBS this morning to pick up a new helmet. One I had was a nice Trek helmet purchased in December. Seems as tho Trek will free replace any helmet involved in a crash for a year from date of purchase. Still picked up one, but it looks as though the one I crunched will be replaced free once sent back to them.

-R

neilfein

Take it easy, heal fast!

waltersc

WOW! , Glad to hear you are alright. I pray you heal soon. Safe riding

Nighteyez

Glad to hear you were wearing a helmet. They do come in handy. I know from experience. I fell about 10 days ago, and went to the ER, and was told the helmet saved me from a concussion. I know you will be sore for awhile, but hopefully you will heal quickly. That is cool that Trek will replace your helmet for free. I remember how slippery those painted lines can be. I try to go slow over them, and railroad tracks both can put a cyclist down pretty darn quick.

bdcheung

Why I hate working in the city:
- Tourists
- Painted crosswalks at every intersection
- Manhole covers aplenty
- Asphalt that desperately needs some stimulus love

rumrunn6

thanks for sharing - why post another titled: "WET ROAD LINES ARE SLIPPERY" this might help educate many many more

I feel so bad for you that sounds really really painful

Fast Cloud

Glad you're ok...+1 on the helmet. Grey matter on the pavement isn't cool. Heal up, quick.

Mitchxout

The tape is slicker than paint but i'm glad they don't spray anymore. I used to always have yellow dots in my fender wells from driving thru the wet stuff. The tar snakes can get you too, so watch out.

Bat22

Carry a squirt gun full of corn oil next time BD Cheung tries to pass you.
Rest easy, I'll do the thinking.

aMull

Good to hear, though you might want to try NOT riding too fast for the conditions, it will save you from falling in the first place. Riding skills > helmet. And yes always ride straight over painted lines when it's raining.