On the last group ride I joined I tried hanging onto the wheel of the fast guys. I got dropped after about 5 miles, then I missed a turn or two and wound up having to thread my way through some messy road construction to find my way back on course. I did manage to chase back onto the slower bunch on the ride.

I haven't had too many clipless pedal falls. I guess all those years with toe straps and cleated bike shoes paid off. The last time I did I was pulling to a stop between two parked cars (mine and someone else's) and just wound up leaning on one of them.

I did crash on ice last winter. I had just threaded my way through a twisty little bottleneck on a MUP and the path was straightening out, so I was just spinning up to speed when I hit this patch of ice and crashed, falling over a guardrail onto the road next to the path. That'll teach me for using an unsalted MUP in the winter. I came out of it OK but my bike has a lovely ding on the top tube.

It's heartwarming to read all these confessions after all the reports from newbies that go like "hey everybody, I just got my first road bike and did my first century at an average of 21 mph, what can I do to go faster?" Ugh.

I think I've fallen over from clipless pedals a total of three times, only once in traffic, but that fall scuffed up the whole drivetrain on a brand new bike.

My power output is about the same as a hamster on a treadmill.

That's about it...

That's freakin funny.....

Just finished building my new bike, went for a ride at 10 PM around the neighborhood. Tried going no-hands, severe wobble, regained control too late to avoid hitting curb head-on, bailed instead of smashing brand new wheel set. Almost tore my new ACL three months after surgery.

I don't remember specific numbers, but:

- I've done the horizontal trackstand at red lights because I unclipped too late/leaned to my clipped-in side
- I've ended up sprawled in the middle of an intersection because my foot slipped trying to clip in
- I've been out-ridden by only one female cyclist that I remember. She was on a nice black/gold Bianchi and I couldn't catch up to her no matter how hard I tried. Didn't really hurt my pride or anything since I had just gotten my roadie and she looked like she had been riding for a good long time. There will always be somebody better than you out there.
- I stepped off a curb in Florence, Italy trying to catch a glimpse of a passing female cyclist trying to see what she was riding and rolled my ankle and almost got hit by a car
- back in my MTB days, I rode into a basketball pole because I was talking with my riding partner and wasn't paying attention ahead
- still back in my MTB days, I pulled an emergency stop Mr. Stem had a friendly encounter with the Boys.
- my first real memory of riding on two wheels when I was a kid was almost getting hit by a delivery truck as I was leaving the driveway.
- I fell backwards trying to ride up a loose dirt slope with on my commuter with slicks carrying a 30 pound backpack full of groceries

Here's a good one

My girlfriend just washed me while i sat helplessly in my bathtub cradling my arm.

talk about humbling...

I've broken my left thumb twice while downhill ski racing and ended up with my left hand in a "thumbs up" cast for six weeks each time. I had to wrap my arm in a garbage bag, hold it above the shower stream and try to clean myself each night for those six weeks using only one arm.

i know how that is. I've broken my left wrist twice and my right wrist once. never had to have help bathing with those though.

Yeah, I'd imagine it'd be a different story not being able to move your arm due to the collarbone. Oh well, free spongebaths from the girlfriend should make up for it.

Haha this thread is great! We've all had our moments, it seems.

Sure, I've fallen over from being clipped in but I honestly can't remember the last time it happened. However... I do have a related story of recent vintage.

I was rolling down the foot/bike ramp from the George Washington Bridge, and like always, I'm too scared to do the narrow hairpin turn clipped in (this after many years of Looks... but anyway). So I've unclipped as usual and start down the last (steep) bit of ramp to the sidewalk, clipping in as I go. Well, not quite -- I always look down the ramp to see if anybody is coming up so I can stay unclipped and get safely out the way.

What do I spy but a fine looking female cyclist. As my wife who now rides quite a bit knows, I find fewer things easier on the eyes. Unfortunately, this briefly distracts me as I'm trying to clip in and BANG! I nail the edge of the gate that is halfway down this ramp and endo at like 2mph.

Now, I was embarrassed because it was another fairly serious cyclist who witnessed it, but more so still because it was probably obvious why I crashed. Note that I don't mind being "passed by a girl" but you get the idea. Fortunately I wasn't badly injured at all (bruise here and there IIRC) and the only real damage to the bike was a sheared shifter cable (caught the gate with the shifter, apparently).

I finished putting together my new bike and got to take it out for a little test ride. Later that night I was out skateboarding like an idiot and broke my elbow. That was four weeks ago, the bike's been sitting around ever since. Now the doc says I might have to get screws put in my arm(it's not healing right) - another 4 to 6 weeks. Talk about humbling - I'm jealous of you all that just get to go out for a ride when you want to.

-Hills kill me. In the granny gear; they just kill me.
- I rode Skyline Drive in Virginia last weekend and more people than you can shake a stick at dropped me like a hot rock in a hot rock dropping contest. But I'm seeking out those hills, for one day I will beat them.
- 1982, with jacket in hand I took off on my Schwinn and made it about 2 blocks before the wind blew the jacket right into my spokes. Busted kneecap, full cast and crutches for weeks.
- 1983, blew up a perfectly good tube & tire filling up with a gas station air pump and the loud pop put the fear of God in me for at least 8 hours.

Came up to a Y in the trail on the MTB, and not being able to figure out whick way to go, did a low-speed forgot to unclip fall into a hole beside the trail. While going around a very pretty young lady on an uphill, had to swerve to miss her and drove the left handlebar into my left knee..nice cut. Far too many chainrings into calves to even mention...several didn't even notice until I was off the bike in the shower......

I've unclipped on the left and fell down (hard) on the right... twice.
I've been passed by a kid 10 years younger than me, wearing cargo pants, batting gloves, basketball shoes, and a jersey that was 2 sizes to big for him... on the same bike that I was riding.
I was passed by a guy who was 40 years older than me, riding a SWEET bike... twice on the same ride (Prospect Park loop)
I ALWAYS check out the bike before I check out the girl. (I'm with you, skinnyone)
I hit a car's front fender, slid over the hood on my back, and landed hard on my hip leaving some nasty road rash... and the car was idle.
I was drafting someone (who I didn't know). As he removed his hand from his handle bars, he turned his head and shot an ENORMOUS snot rocket... directley into my face.
I almost killed a dog by trying to ride in between a woman and said dog... not seeing the leash.

ahhh... it's nice to get all that off my chest.

repeat ANY of it and you all DIE!!!!

You could have left that one out. Pardon me while I puke!

No need my friend...

I puked enough for the both of us after that one.

-Fell first day with toe clips while recieving directions on the start of a charity ride.
-Decided to bike on a day when temps were over 100, the only thing I had drunk all day was coffee and I forget to bring any water. I "felt the burn" on the post ride piss...
-Broke my shifter from crashing into a big ditch at speed.
-Own the world record for crashing a road bike into a ditch.
-I still instinctively go to the tops of the bars for the brakes.
-I have forgot to flip those levers down after putting the wheels back on.
-Own the world record for off-road road bike usage.
-The max speed on my bike was not set by me.
-I own a cycling cap from a team I never have heard of.
-The only car I ever have passed was a mail truck delivering mail.
-I bought a racing bike when I wanted a touring or cyclocross bike so I could commute.

I use mis-matched toe clips
I've fallen over at an intersection twice
I've hit a trailer hitch (and I don't reccomend it)
My poor braking has caused me one accident and one near-death
I ride a '72 Schwinn in full Nashbar suit (the cheap stuff)
I think 25 pounds is light

The best part is, I don't care what you all think!

I sometimes ride a short training loop over here on Bay Farm Island, and I hit the same little pothole on every single lap. I know exactly where it is, and have hit it hundreds of times now. I plot and plan for this pothole for half of each lap, mentally preparing myself to deftly dodge it. I still hit it every single frigging time.

- Warren

I crashed in a ditch while trying to see if I lost my magnet because my computer wasnt reading anything.
Fell over 2 other times because I uncliped the wrong side foot from which my bike was leaning too.
Was looking behind me to see if there was a car and went off the pavement about 3 inches and had to ride in sharp gravel for about 30 feet before i could get back on the road.
Took a new ride with some friends and we ended up having to ride in peegravel for about 9 miles. And it was about an inch - 2 inches of gravel and 2 of the 3 of us lost control and fell over.

Thats all I can think of right now

You can do what I did. Get a can of yellow spray paint and paint a circle around the pothole. That way, when you hit it again (and again) you can tell yourself, "I should have seen it coming."

Oh, man. There's this series of four extremely badly patched potholes on my way to work, and I know where the curseworthy things are, and every morning, I think, "right, I just crossed Benton, I've got to watch out for those potholes by H&H Plumbing," and then what do I do? I hit the potholes. One day, I hit 'em wrong, and it actually flung one of my feet off of a pedal. Normally, I at least have the presence of mind to get my butt up off the seat and get my elbows bent so I don't end up being assaulted by various parts of my bike as I judder across that awful asphalt.

Ugh, yeah. I almost got taken out by a pothole the other day.

Big sucker that I didn't see because I was riding at night at about 27mph on a dark road under trees with a 1 watt headlamp.

Thing almost knocked me off the bike, it drove the seat into my sensitive areas, and I almost went off the road afterward.

Harder impact than ANYTHING I've hit while mountain biking (not counting things after I've fallen).

Everytime I go riding with a local team I get humbled. Did this today with a couple of people from the team: linky Got dropped on the hills, was hanging on for my life on the "flats". When I do solo rides I think I'm pushing myself. Then I do a team ride and remember what real pain feels like.

When I was a kid, a friend and I decided we'd start a bicycle circus. I figured my trick would be to ride standing up on my saddle, hands high over head. I got the bike going as fast as I could, and began attempting to stand on it. I wasn't wearing a shirt, by the way. Moments later I did a belly slam onto my street, which was paved with asphalt and loose cinders on the edges. They were picking cinders from under my skin from head to toe for quite some time.