Originally Posted by Bobby Lex
1. Note how several of the front-runners glance back at the wreck. Never look back when you hear crashing behind you!
Absolutely! Whenever I hear the sound of metal hitting asphault, my reaction is to concentrate on what's ahead and beside me so I get around it. I HAVE seen riders look back at a crash and cause a second crash IN FRONT of the original one because they were swerving all over trying to see who/what/how.
I disagree about the safety thing, though. As riders learn more about traffic, stupid blunders are less likely. There's always the risk, and yes people get bolder as they get faster, but you're less likely to have a freak accident from someone who gets scared of the guy creeping out of his line in a corner, or something like that. Also, notice how the guys who fell exercised good falling reflexes (rolling) instead of throwing their hands out to get broken? Watching this video in slow motion was a great learning aid!