My first crash was 3 weeks ago in the first race of the year. On a 50mile course with no hills to speak of, no wind, and not much team cooperation... the everybody group stayed together for the whole race.
3 miles from the end, things were heating up and someone in the front 1/3rd of the pack went down (I have no idea what caused it) and as we were going ≈29 mph; the following 2/3rds of the group followed suit.
I just almost made it out but hit the last obstacle in the road and fell while going 25 or so.
Minor rash, bruises, finished the race. Bike needed a tune up, and my back needed a few days to get back to the proper alignment.

you cant be serious!

100% true. One of the more jackass things I've done on a bike. Now I ride with cars. Much safer.

Of course

I came to my friend's place to ride together. We were getting out of his development, he was in front waving his hands telling me directions and I was watching him. He rode over rain drain grill on his big mountain bike and I as a complete idiot just followed blindly. The grill was covering entire path with bars parallel to our direction. Of course my front wheel sank all way down and stuck. I was lucky we were going slowly and it was my old bike with clips so I was catapulted out of the saddle and did few rolls over my head without bike attached to me. With clippless pedals I would likely rotate around my stuck front wheel with entire bike and flop on my back. I was winded and got a bump on my elbow and that's it. Often one's body has an amazing ability to react without brain knowing what's going on but unfortunately not always :-(

First crash was losing traction in a corner when there was some sand on the path. Tires slid right out from under me.

I've always managed to get free of the bike wearing clipless. For that matter, I've usually been able to get clear wearing toe clips.

The road rash is usually the least painful part of the aftermath of a crash. If it isn't you weren't riding fast enough.

If you keep on riding this won't be the last time you go down because your tire gets grabbed or knocked around by something in the road that you didn't see, so get used to feeling stupid.

I'm still recovering from my last crash from hitting something six weeks ago.

Glad you didn't break any bones.
I hope your bike comes through this ok.

My first real crash was October 2005, I broke my arm and needed stitches in my chin. I healed, but you can still see the scars in the soft places. My bike still has scratches on the rear derailer and both shifters.

I wasn't saying I would never crash again. I was just saying that I would never crash there again for that same reason.

I don't feel as stupid anymore, thanks for the responses everyone!

Mountain bikers...

Sunday was my second in less than a year. On the way back after 40 miles and just 1 block away from the house. Went over small bump on the road and the bike just flipped. Landed on my back bike on top. Giro Helmet split open on the back. Except for a cut on the saddle not a single scratch on the bike.

I had a VERY similar fall in San Francisco a few months ago. I landed very hard on my side and slid, but luckily it was on the smooth pavement in between the tracks, so no road rush. Just a large bruise covering half of my body, but luckily my head, which hit the ground just as hard, was the only part of my body that didnt hurt. Wait, nevermind, this isn't the helmet thread....

If you react fast enough, you can hop out of streetcar tracks.

Not counting the one I had on a downhill into a viciously heaved sidewalk when I was 7, the next one was into a young woman aiming her bike into the road between two parked cars. I was coming downhill about 25 or so, and with only about a foot to spare, there was no way. Tacoed her wheel, and separated my shoulder (ouch, to say the least)- took almost a year before I could sleep on it. OK, so that maybe wasn't so stupid on my part (but it was on hers). The really stupid one was the classic "forgot to unclip when coming to a stop on a hill" trick. Of course, it was in front of about 20 other cyclists standing around, but they'd all been there before so they were cool. Even still, it was embarrassing as can be.

With four days left on a cross country trip, I was riding in a group of about 6 in New York, right on the boarder with CT. We were ridding on a busy road, when suddenly a floor heater fell our of the back of a truck slightly to the right of the yellow lines. Being NY, drivers were swerving to the right of the thing right was we were passing it. Of course, I was paying attention to the traffic instead of the six inch deep hole infront of me.


(me, staring at the severed fork)

Somehow, I suffered no injuries. When I went flying, I immediately rolled as soon as I hit the ground.

My first crash was 3 months into cycling,we were going down a bridge at some 25 mph and I guy behind me fell,we all kind of slowed down our speed to see if we could help him,I remember seeing him passing me but rolling like a ball on the ground,I took a look at him and when I looked in front of me a rider was basically standing on his bike and not moving at all,I tried to avoid him but no way and down I went!!! my coccyx was hurting for more than 5 months really bad,I think I broke it but I'm fine now,by the way the rider ended up in very bad shape.

Ah crashes. I crashed during a training race in 2001 when a racer came from the behind me and swerved into my position on the inside. He snapped 3 of my front spokes with his rear d and my front wheel tacoed...of course it locked in the fork when it tacoed and launched me and the bike up and over at somewhere around 30 mph. Shattered my collarbone in 5 places and had to get surgery for it 4 years later.

Then got hit by the Children's hospital shuttle during a tropical storm last summer. Had to wear a diaper of gauze after that one.

But was good enough to stay up this last weekend when I carelessly crossed wheels with someone in front of me. Of course they came over a bit and thumped my front. I twitched a bit, but held it up - won't make that mistake again.

Only 3 months after I first started riding I was about 2kms from home after my first over 30kms ride. It felt like a huge accomplishment at the time.

Anyway, I was riding through a car park to where the bike path continued and had to slow down and stop for a car moving around.

I was so tired I couldn't unclip in time and just fell over sideways for no reason at all.
Lots of people saw it happen....

Came away from it with a severely bruised ego and a lesson in what 'bonking' is.

My first crash was when I clipped the mirror of a taxi. Stupid.

I think I fell in the EXACT location as u!! haha. I was near BC ... riding downhill changing lanes to get back onto beacon street when I fell into the recessed tracks and down I went!!!!

First or most embarrassing?

There are just so many to choose from. Two non-racing ones come to mind. Years apart, but both on the same bike, ironically. It was an indestructible old Raleigh Super Record (Raleigh name...nothing to do with components) that I used to ride as an MTB back when the only MTB's you could get were from the Sharper Image catalog.

First crash: I was sprinting across an 4-lane intersection trying to beat a light, popped a front spoke, tacoed the wheel. Over the bars I went and landed in front of a bunch of cars about to roll out with the green. I hustled to the center island, dragging my bike, as the cars pulled out. Some kids I knew were in three of the cars. I never heard the end of it until I graduated.

Fast forward five years to the second crash: I'm in college, riding home from class. Same bike, now sporting 36-hole Shimano/Wolber wheels. As I approach my apartment building, a lovely girl is walking on the sidewalk. In an attempt to dazzle her, I roll up and across the driveway paperboy style and grab air off the burm of the curb. I look down at her from easily seven feet in the air. Her eyes are wide with awe. I look down at my landing strip, and notice an eight inch gap between the grass I'm about to land on and the sidewalk.

Next thing I know I'm on my back, and the girl is trying not to giggle as she's asking if I'm okay. Luckily the only thing hurt was my ego, a scar I carry to this day.

GB

My first (and so far only) crash on a bicycle as an adult happened last summer. I rode up to a red light in traffic, couldn't unsnap from my pedal and just fell over. Spent a good couple of minutes trying to find my ego.

When I was a kid in Manila, my uncle told me if my brakes fail I should slow down the front tire with my foot. One day I tested it out... but my flip-flop flew right off of my foot and jammed the front wheel. Needless to say, I endoed.

My first spectacular crash however...

First crash was over 50 years ago on a farm road early in the morning with dew in the grass. Wet brakes....end of road...barbed wire fence...

I managed to do a half gainer with the bike after I hit the fence. There was no one with me so it took about 15 min to undoo the half gainer that had me, the bike and the fence all twisted around each other.......To this day, my gromet puckers whenever I see barbed wire.

Well, he did say it had lots of blind corners and bad sightlines.