Fell all the time as a kid, I thought if you werent falling off you werent trying hard enough. Broke my wrist once, mostly just scrapes, cuts and bruises.
Had been commuting in Adelaide for 4 years, never a fall, though I did break my helmet on the back window of a car that stopped suddenly in front of me. In Tasmania I went up a driveway a little fast, and the ridge caught my front tyre and down I went, on my left elbow. It hurt, but was in many ways a relief, I hadnt fallen for so long I was worried about falling.
About 3 months later, I stood up to accelerate, already doing about 40 kph, and the chain slipped. Broke a collarbone, the back corner off my helmet, and prolapsed a disc in my back. It hurt. All better now.
In China I was a bit drunk one night and fell on a slippery sidewalk in the rain on my left elbow. About 100 m down the street I was looking my bike over for damage when I ran into a guard rail, and got my right elbow. No more drink driving for me
About 3 months ago I came around the corner of the path into the teachers apartment block, a corner I take every day, but trucks had left a thin layer of clay on the road, and down I went, right elbow. Good thing elbows are made for falling on.
all due to bad roads in China, where I'd been touring.
I hear you. Rode 450 km on Chinese country roads last week, and I hear you. Some of the surfaces I rode over could hardly be called roads. A couple of close calls, but didnt go down.
I am not scared of falling, it happens, and is sure to happen again soon. If the damage gets better, I sort of enjoy the pain. Silly I know, but when gravel rash hurts, I wince, or even cry out, but there is still a smile, because I know I got it having fun.
z