Originally Posted by
mdilthey
I know, almost a silly question; You get hurt!
I'm looking for accounts of people who have been hit on tour. If I'm on the shoulder, and someone gets too close, and their mirror or the side of their car nicks my pannier or my pedal, am I going to just go down immediately face first? Am I more likely to ricochet off but remain upright?
Is there realistically anything I can do in the seconds before getting hit to reduce injury or bicycle damage, and relatedly, should I take my backup bike and practice jumping off of it while riding?
Friend of mine got nicked by a car a few months ago. He thinks the car was trying to scare him, but misjudged, and the car's mirror just clipped his outside handlebar. Car was doing about 80kph, he was doing about 20kph. Luckily it didn't knock him off - just scared the hell out of him.
I think if you do get hit from behind, it's most likely to be your pannier, and you'll end up being swung sideways and the side of your body facing traffic will hit the ground first. Everyone's got their own technique for "falling well", but the general rule is, don't try to break the fall with your hand - land on your shoulder or elbow.