Barista

Well, about five weeks ago -- I decided to take up bicycling. Again. I used to bicycle regularly but that was over 18 years ago. Since then, I've spent most of my time sitting at a desk -- or taking care of kids.
The bottom line is that I bought a bicycle at my wife's urging and started riding and decided to try my hand at a 62-mile (metric century) charity ride. It was described as suitable for the beginning rider so I figured I was all set. Unfortunately, the course was not quite as flat and easy as I thought.

To make a long story short, I rocketed down one of the larger hills and was surprised by a sharp left turn. In the turn, I hit loose gravel and my bike shot out from underneath me. I smacked into the pavement pretty hard resulting in a broken and dislocated shoulder and collarbone -- along with severe bruising of my ribs and pelvis. The shoulder was broken into four pieces and I had to have emergency surgery to put everything back together. It will now be 4-6 weeks before I can drive and I'll need about 6 months of rehab.

I'm not just wanting to vent -- I just wanted to pass along the tip that nothing replaces experience. Even though I put over 300 miles on my bike prior to the ride, it was all on a (relatively) flat 5-mile oval. It helped build my cardio a little but did nothing to improve the kinds of reflexes and instincts that only come from lots of time in the saddle.

While it looks like I'll have to try taking up bicycling next year, I now know to spend more time building up skills to prepare myself for the nuances of road riding. I hope others can learn from my pain.

I do have one question, though. During the downhill, I tried to slow down before the turn I noticed my brakes were quite weak/ineffective. Would it be beneficial to replace the stock Cannondale-brand brake calipers with something like Ultegra to get a stiffer action? Or, would that just have caused me to endo or crash quicker?

Just pondering the whole matter.

voltman

Pads first probably.

pooksypickles

Sorry to hear of your crash. I was hit on my charity ride so I know what your saying...Keep your head up your wounds will heal!!!

voltman

Doh. By who?

chroot

A metric century is a rite of passage for cyclists. They're absolutely not for true beginners, though "beginner" is a relative term. It can take months to build up bike handling skills to the point where the rider can manage watching for traffic, taking turns, positioning oneself properly on the bike, etc. all at once. All the added stress from riding in a group can push people over the edge.

I'm sorry to hear about your accident, but am impressed that you're already planning to get back on the saddle in the future. Best of luck to you in your training.

- Warren

fixedfiend

I learned alot of my bike handling skills riding a brakeless track bike in NYC streets.
Then again, that's how I seperated the AC ligament in my shoulder, grade 3.

johnny99

Charity rides can be complicated. You want to keep up with the group, but the others around you may be much fitter, more experienced, and/or familiar with the roads. To stay safe, you need to ride without your abilities. If you're friendly and reasonably fit, other riders will often help you out with the route if you ask nicely and demonstrate that you have reasonable fitness and handling skills. Riding with friends that you trust is another way to go.

ivan_yulaev

I would say, the only mistake you made was not being cautious enough about decending a hill you were unfarmiliar with...

KevinF

Sorry to hear about your crash. That was a rude introduction to the world of road riding, but it sounds like you're built from some strong stuff and you're not about to let a crash deter you from riding again.

I think the only mistake you made was not using enough caution on an unfamilair descent. High speed downhill turns frighten even some very experienced riders; throw in some gravel and there aren't many people who really feel very comfortable.