I haven't posted about this before, mostly because it's a little embarrassing to admit to having some troubles with a skill (using clipless pedal systems) where the general consensus seems to be that after a short learning curve, getting unclipped in emergency situations becomes second nature and not a problem. But with the cast on my left wrist coming off next week after the SECOND time of breaking it after not being able to unclip in an "emergency" (perceived, at least) and instinctively putting my hand out to break the fall, I'm going to see if I might get some tips on the best way to proceed. Being stubborn and proud, I'm reluctant to just give up and resign myself to riding flats for the rest of my riding career, but I have to weigh the consequences of breaking this wrist again--NOT a good idea according to the orthopedic surgeon who screwed it back together after the second break.

I'm an older (well, OLD, actually) rider and pretty new to cycling--just a couple of years limited experience. I started with a mountain bike and flat pedals. When I got into road biking, mainly as fun hobby and a fitness activity to complement hiking and working out, I rode on flat pedals most of the time. I found some Speedplay Light Action pedals on the local Craigslist at some point, and finally installed them about a year ago. I had a couple of minor mishaps at first, but generally I was able to manage "OK" and thought I was over the hump. Then, not too long after that, I had the first incident. I was biking to the gym and crossing an intersection when I saw an SUV making a right turn and saw that the driver did NOT see me. For a more skilled rider, it probably would have been no problem--just a quick stop and unclip maneuver. But I wasn't able to get out of the pedals quickly enough and fell, breaking the wrist--although not too badly. So I was off the bike for about 2-3 months after that. When I got back in the saddle I spent quite a bit of time riding around the neighborhood and practiced clipping in and out to a point where I thought I really had it down pretty well. I also bought some brand new cleats for the Speedplay pedals and tweaked them so they worked very well. So I was feeling pretty good about it all, until, again on a trip to the gym (this time returning home), I was approaching an intersection where I had the "WALK" light and the right of way. I was going pretty slow and being uber-cautious, as always at intersections, where I will normally just stop and wait if there is any doubt about making it across safely. This time there was a car waiting to make a right turn (legal on a red light here) and I noticed that, again, this driver did NOT see me coming to the intersection and was preparing to turn right. Panic, fall, arm out--smash. This time wrist broken more seriously and requiring surgery to put it back together.

So, I obviously don't have this skill down and I'm trying to come up with a strategy to develop it before doing something I'll really regret. I haven't talked to my bike coach yet, but will in the next couple of days and I'll see if anyone here comes up with some constructive advice also. I'm thinking that I'll put flat pedals on the bike to start with and then work on bike handling skills, particularly trying to get to a point where I can stably do trackstands--which seems like a basic skill that would help in this situation? Then...I dunno, practice, practice, practice--maybe somewhere where I can fall "safely"??? Another thought I had was maybe switching to something easier--but one of the reasons I got the Speedplays was they have the "Light Action" and lots of float.

Another thing, related, is the problem of reflexively putting out my hand if/when there is an impending fall--whether or not related to clipping out. I've read and been told that it's good practice to never do this due to the wrist-breaking problem AND getting one's arm run over in a collision. "Keep your hands on the bars" is what I've heard. That, of course, heightens the risk of breaking a collarbone, and is another "easier said than done" kind of thing.

I'm not particularly interested in getting into some the heated discussions about clipless vs. flat pedals. I'd much prefer to use the clipless pedals as I do like the way they function MOST of the time. And I've had some uncomfortable experiences on flats with my feet just bouncing off the pedals entirely when hitting a bump at speed. So I'm mainly looking for approaches to getting back to clipless SAFELY.

TIA.

STP