My racing days mantra - "don't let go of the handlebars until after I hit the road". When I followed that mantra, I almost always could ride home. Exceptions have been with cars and bike failures.

Most of my crashes have happened with toeclips, straps and slotted cleats. With quality straps pulled tight, pulling a foot out is not a good bet. I learned to put as much skin on the road as possible. The more lost, the shallower the wounds, the faster the heal and the fewest long term consequences.

And while we are talking about how to prepare for crashes; the easy one - shave your legs. Less road rash (no hairs pulling you skin off), cleaner wounds, faster recovery, a much more pleasant experience with tape and bandages and you get to hear those sweet words if you end up in ER "thank you for shaving so I don't have to".

Ben