BoSoxYacht

I was hit by a truck, and his insurance paid.

TrojanHorse

Zoinks. Glad you are around to tell us about it.

velociraptor

The very fast old guys can have at it. I'll watch

rms13

Health insurance is probably a great idea for anyone that rides on roads but don't most clubs/race teams carry insurance to cover you? I thought that was a perk for clubs

merlinextraligh

I wouldn't count on that. Clubs typically carry liability insurance to cover their liability, which is not health insurance.

USA Cycling does provide health insurance to riders in sanctioned events ( or at least they did last time I checked) but its limtied coverage, secondary to your own policy and with a high deductible.

I wouldn't be relying on USA Cycling, my team, or the race promoter for health insurance.


Edit: For 2015 USA Cycling provides rider accident insurance for permitted events, with a $5,000 deductible, a $25,000 maximum benefit, and it only pays 70% of the reasonable and necessary expenses.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/USACWeb/for...tInsurance.pdf

That's not even going to cover a surgical reduction of a borken collar bone. And if you're in a position you don't have health insurance, the odds are pretty good that the $5,000 deductible is going to be a hardship.

Number400

Nearly every cat5 and cat4/5 race I did, there was a crash or multiple incidents or at least a point in the race where I had to take evasive action either riding off into a ditch or bailing across the double yellows. I once had a bike coming at me at eye level that I had to duck and nobody upright even slowed. I have seen some of the stupidest moves that you just cannot believe and even bar bashing and elbow throws between old guys with gray beards near the back of the pack!

I wised up and started the races first and stayed up there and it became more safe. Not totally safe but much, much better.

Get in there, get fast and get to the front but keep the stories in the back of your mind. Getting hurt may be cool to tough guys but when you are home laid up all summer and cannot race because of another riders errors or wild riding then it's a whole new ball game of unfun.

Llittle bumps and road rash and broken collarbones are not so bad in cycling and racing but some people do get hurt enough to change their lives and that is a risk you must really consider.

VeloCross

Thank you everyone for your replies. I love cycling so I won't be giving it up any time soon but maybe I'll start with tts and cross for now until I can hold my own in a mass start. It's mostly for exercise and relaxation but sometimes when I see someone pass me in really wanna chase them.

195cranky

To say that you won't race because you may crash is basically the same as saying...

I won't drive a car because I may have an accident
I won't fly in a plane because they crash
I won't ride a bus or train cause they crash
I won't cross the street cause I may get hit
I won't ask her out because she may say no
I won't ride that chairlift cause they fall off
I won't eat at a restaurant cause the food is bad
I won't ever have fun cause something may go wrong

You may regret what you have not done more than what you did. Just go do it. Have fun. Get faster. Work on skills. Get stronger. Join a team and join in on the fun. Go learn. Be a student of the sport. Ask questions. Watch and observe. Be guided by a mentor. But for sure do not ever go outside cause you can get hit by lightning.

velociraptor

Car accident != bike accident – Seatbelt, airbags and metal all around you.

Flying is statistically the safest way to travel.

Only poor people ride the bus.

Hold your mommy's hand.

I'm sorry for your insecurities.

You'll need a chairlift to go up the stairs if you have a bad accident on a bike.

Stop eating at Denny's.

You need help.

Rondar

idd she may

kbarch

I really like that response.

A couple of things I'd add: crashes are not allowed. Certainly there are circumstances where there's nothing you can do to prevent injury, but often enough it's a matter of self-fulfilling prophesy. You can think "OMG, I'm gonna crash!" and surely you will. But if you remember "no crashing allowed!" you'd be surprised at the situations from which you can recover.

But yes, a crash is far more likely to occur in a race than on a recreational ride. Although the course is generally made safer, that's to prevent damage to others from the hazardous activity of racing as much or more than it is to protect the racers; it's why one should only race in properly organized, sanctioned events.

merlinextraligh

QUOTE=195cranky;17562496]To say that you won't race because you may crash is basically the same as saying...

I won't drive a car because I may have an accident
[/QUOTE]

Better analogy would be I won't drive my car on a race track because I might have an accident.

The odds your going to crash in a bike race are dramatically higher than the odds you're going be in a car crash.

Based on completely unscientific observation, I'd say the odds your going to crash in a bike race are closer to the odds your going to crash your car on the track in a high performance driving education event, or a club race.

Many people find that level of risk to be acceptable, others don't.

Its a question of risk/return. How much do you value the benefits, and how much risk you're willing to accept.

roadwarrior

To the OP, crash "stories" are told 10 times worse than they really were.

Most beginner racers have little clue how to race in a pack. You ride the course, then in the race you have to take a line you did not practice, you get nervous, hit the brakes and presto you are on the deck...

I usually suggest to new racers to find a club where they can practice race with people more experienced to learn first.

And, yes, even pros crash. But if you get hurt you are an employee so you get taken care of.

KraneXL

Don't listen to crash stories.