- News
- Reviews
- Bikes
- Accessories
- Accessories - misc
- Computer mounts
- Bags
- Bar ends
- Bike bags & cases
- Bottle cages
- Bottles
- Cameras
- Car racks
- Child seats
- Computers
- Glasses
- GPS units
- Helmets
- Lights - front
- Lights - rear
- Lights - sets
- Locks
- Mirrors
- Mudguards
- Racks
- Pumps & CO2 inflators
- Puncture kits
- Reflectives
- Smart watches
- Stands and racks
- Trailers
- Clothing
- Components
- Bar tape & grips
- Bottom brackets
- Brake & gear cables
- Brake & STI levers
- Brake pads & spares
- Brakes
- Cassettes & freewheels
- Chains
- Chainsets & chainrings
- Derailleurs - front
- Derailleurs - rear
- Forks
- Gear levers & shifters
- Groupsets
- Handlebars & extensions
- Headsets
- Hubs
- Inner tubes
- Pedals
- Quick releases & skewers
- Saddles
- Seatposts
- Stems
- Wheels
- Tyres
- Health, fitness and nutrition
- Tools and workshop
- Miscellaneous
- Buyers Guides
- Features
- Forum
- Recommends
- Podcast
OPINION
School of hard knocks
Tue, Dec 31, 2013 00:04
59
The last thing I’m sure I remember is watching my mate Simon’s front wheel snap out from under him on the black ice. There’s the teasing suggestion of a memory of my own wheel following suit but that might just be me projecting. I certainly can’t recall any detail.
The next memory is of standing around swapping blokey banter with Simon and two other cyclists, one of whom was a friend – another Simon, confusingly enough – who had miraculously appeared out of nowhere, the other a stranger who had clearly gone over a moment before us.
It didn’t strike me as odd at the time that there was a hole in my memory…that I’d jumped from one moment of clarity to the next without noticing anything amiss. I was distracted by the look of confusion and pain on the stranger’s face and the trembles in his body as he hobbled around in a daze.
I wasn’t sure what to make of the fact that I’d completely forgotten about the driver who had offered to help me untangle myself from my bike, or that my helmet now had a massive crack where it covered my left temple.
Between Rule 5 quips and curiously formal introductions, we decided it might be wise to call the stricken rider’s wife. As soon as she was on her way we decided it might be best to call an ambulance too, as the level of the rider’s discomfort became clear.
A farmer appeared with a cup of sweet tea, which our injured friend (whose name was Jonnie, we had by now discovered) started gulping gratefully – until the emergency services operator on the other end of the phone sternly ordered him to stop, at which point the rest of us shared it.
By the time the ambulance arrived, ten minutes or so later, Jonnie had seized up completely and couldn’t really move at all without considerable pain. He was given numerous blasts of entonox but still whimpered and cried out when he was lifted from chair to stretcher.
The Rule 5 jokes continued, but very quietly now as we watched a pale, shaking Jonnie being lifted into the ambulance, where he was then injected with morphine for the ride back to Brighton with his suspected fractured hip.
The remaining three of us decided to cut short our rides and head back via the coast road – a loop of about ten miles. We rode it quickly and quietly, still individually processing what had just happened.
The aches and pains grew and multiplied in the hours that followed. Now, 36 hours on, I’m hard pushed to find any part of my body that doesn’t hurt at least a bit. The most obvious is a vivid bruise and graze on my left hip; the most worrying is an odd pain right in the heart of my left shoulder.
We’d set out in good weather: sunny and clear with hardly any wind and temperatures around 4 or 5 degrees. Once we’d come over the Downs the temperature dropped a degree or two, as it does, but it didn’t feel cold enough for ice. But those back lanes barely get any sun and the same hedgerows that block the heat make it hard to read the surface sometimes. I’m not sure what we could have done about it even if we’d had a clear view of the road surface, though.
In fact I’m not sure about a lot of what happened. There’s a surreal edge to the whole experience that I can only attribute to shock and that bash on the head.
One thing I am sure about though: I will most definitely be replacing that helmet before I go out again.
Lifelong lover of most things cycling-related, from Moulton Mini adventures in the 70s to London bike messengering in the 80s, commuting in the 90s, mountain biking in the noughties and road cycling throughout. Editor of Simpson Magazine (www.simpsonmagazine.cc).
More Opinion
Latest Comments
- ubercurmudgeon 1 sec ago
I've had a couple of their bikes, and still got one. It'd be shame if it went under....
- KDee 21 min 2 sec ago
Have you seen the news about the new EU rule requiring each new home to have storage for 2 bikes? Think GCN reported it yesterday....
- chrisonabike 28 min 8 sec ago
A good point - cyclists are somewhere between pedestrians and motorcyclists (a few - electric motorcycles mainly, which are not legal) in terms of...
- David9694 53 min 14 sec ago
Retired policeman from Swanley fined after forgetting to display blue badge at free Bluewater car park...
- Rendel Harris 2 hours 41 min ago
Welcome - probably didn't show as they tagged it "not near miss of the day"?
- David9694 10 hours 1 min ago
Cambridgeshire boy, 13, crashes Audi into garden wall after taking it from home...
- Dogless 12 hours 4 min ago
You're defending bombing hospitals and refugee camps and starving children.
- mattw 14 hours 44 min ago
Used car salesman is a complete attention-seeking plank....
- tubasti 15 hours 1 min ago
I don't know if they're any better, but they's certainly become more boring.
- FionaJJ 15 hours 27 min ago
At risk of being cynical, and stereotyping the police, it's so they don't have to leave the comfort of their panda cars and pursue on foot when...
Add new comment
59 comments
Someone should compile a list of what tyres / pressure everyone was running at the time of their spill - see if any trends emerge!
I've been lucky so far this winter, survived one scare when the rider next to me went down, hit my front wheel but miraculously I stayed upright. Hope everyone heals fast.
I feel your pain.
Its not just Black Ice that is a hazard, although by its nature it is quite scary since you obviously can't see it, but around the back lanes of Kent (I'm sure its not exclusive to Kent), we also have muddy roads where local farmers drag the mud from their fields onto the roads. Two of us went down just before Xmas at the same time on the same spot.
Hope you heal up quickly.
Dex.
No ice up here. But contending with some b&@%*$d winds has been interesting to say the least. One particular stretch had me walking due to the crosswind. Fortunately I'm on the steel fixed right now so a bit more weight involved.
Stay safe everyone whatever the elements are
Update: Jonny's been in touch. He's had an op already and starts physio any time now. Hopes to be back on the bike in four months. Be careful out there!
The good thing about falling on ice is you slid!
Came off a month ago, bruised hip, dislocated carpels, whiplash and a factured helmet.
Rapha 3/4s, teamed with Torm top (subversive!) undamaged, not even scuffed.
sticking with the mountain bike until the sludge goes from the roads/risk of ice diminishes.
I hit some sheet ice on a hill and was still able to control the bike last weekend as a result of those big fat tyres. I am hoping greater friction/heavier bike will hold me in good stead in the spring.
I have to say sliding around muddy trails is great fun especially when compared to descending in terror on skinny tyres.
I hope all those injured heal well in time for 2014's riding
I'm staying in on the turbo.
Managed to stay upright for 65km of freezing roads on Sunday only to slide off in the rain at a roundabout this morning. Bike looks OK, but shoulder, hip, thigh and knee all starting to seize up.
Nice cut in the waterproofs and on my leg where my work pass and holder was in my pocket. Doh!
Me too. Last Sunday. A41 (very quiet fortunately) into Wolverhampton from West Bromwich. The part of the road where the Midland Metro actually runs as a street tram. Yes, you've guessed. I've crossed the tracks many times before at a good angle to eliminate the risk of slides. But, as the road on the other side (by the kerb) looked a bit frosty I was thinking of avoiding to tight a turn to straighten up after crossing the tracks. So I didn't get the angle right, front wheel touches the steel rail and down I go. Quite slow speed at the time but I'm sure I gave car drivers at the junction a bit of entertainment. A few grazes nothing more.
I've good time, add the extra mile & a 1/2 onto the route to work two Wednesdays ago, hmm the road looks a bit slipper than i would like - half way through gentle sweeping left easy easy - hmm suddenly my 6 month previous switch out from SS to full fixie doesn't seem as smart, cant get outside left down for counter balance - ah, oh so that's what tarmac looks likes from ground level... check bike, move on - in work 7 mins later and the hip is already swelling & bruise rising beautifully. Next morning - weird?? my ribs hurt (alot), my shoulder hurts wonder why? 3 mornings later yes sir please put your hands up here while we take the chest x-ray, oh lovely look at that rib there!! (jesus when did sneezing hurt so much..) and the lesson? - the most painful bit - when your sub subconscious actually actually (yes 2 actually's) says in the dark bedroom so as not to wake the good lady - i really don't think you should wear your not even 10 day old mad money Castelli pocket liner this morning put the old faithful night vision on instead it's dark out there now - did i listen, of course not!!! skin isn't the only thing that can get road rash - grrrr ahhh raging...
Feeling the hurt!!! Managed so far to come off on ice every year for the last 5 years, never learn my lessons.
We turned off the main road into a side road, spotted loads of black ice on the corner which we managed to roll through, went 200 yards further and decide the road had not been gritted (unlike the 50k of road we have already ridden), so a decision was made to turn around... fatal, we hit the same black ice we just rode over and bang, before I knew it I was sliding down the road with the bike in the air and me on my arse.... stupid stupid stupid... why didn't we walk on the pavement !!!! DOH lesson learnt.
My hipand elbow took the brunt, the bike completely undamaged as it never hit the ground, somehow I managed to lose the rear and so I just slid under the bike and remained clipped in. Trip to hospital as my elbow was bigger than my thigh, very lucky, no breaks, but boy did I have a bruise, went from my shoulder to my wrist all the way around.
I feel a bit of wimp for even mentioning it now...someone in my club came off four times on the morning of my spill (to be fair though, he was probably pissed).
yeah, and me. although mine was more a comedy fall than a serious one. the bruise is in the same place though...
and me .... luckily I'd decided on the dhb bib longs rather
than the Assos !!!!!
High quality material will pass a scrape right through to your flesh and remain completely unmarked... as I discovered one day just shorts though, also bird shit and rain under bridges can be quite slippy too. I always seem to absorb the energy of a fall with my hanger, only £17.99 a go.
No helmet debate, makes a nice change.
As far as I'm concerned, there is no debate any more.
Gosh really? A helmet is the answer, eh? How about riding a bit slower, according to the conditions, or not riding at all and/or using another form of transport if necessary? How about making it your express intention to avoid unnecessary risk, and thus avoid injury completely, rather than taking risks and hoping your protective gear will help when the 'inevitable' happens?
A chap called Mark Sisson wrote an excellent book called "The Primal Blueprint", published in 2009, which encourages the reader to adapt their life as closely as possible to the principles of their stone-age ancestors (whose physiology they inherited) and most particularly their diet before farming was invented. I'd highly recommend it.
There are 10 'Primal Blueprint Laws' of which #9 is "Avoid Stupid Mistakes". Obviously this was essential because there were no hospitals and if a man injured himself he might not be able to either feed or defend his family for weeks or months ... if ever.
All this macho talk of 'look at my road rash' and 'guess how long I was unconscious for' is utter bollocks as far as I'm concerned. All those injuries were due to AVOIDABLE stupid mistakes and you really shouldn't be proud of them or expect sympathy.
When our polar explorers go off and lose a few digits due to frost-bite it is regarded as a badge of honour in the UK. To the residents of Alaska or Greenland it most certainly isn't. In those communities frost-bite is the mark of foolishness, reckless stupidity and a source of embarrassment to the recipient.
To ride a bike safely you don't need helmets or share pictures of road-rash and assume the inevitability of 'accidents'. You just need to ride (or even walk alongside your bike) according to the conditions. It's really *not* that difficult to do.
An excuse like "I wasn't expecting ice" is about as valid as a motorist's SMIDSY as he takes out a cyclist.
etc...
One thing I’ve never particularly liked about the internet is the distance it puts between people having a conversation because that distance seems to give some people the impression that it’s acceptable to address perfect strangers as though they’re idiots, assert that they’re talking ‘utter bollocks’ and make all sorts of assumptions about their motives for saying something.
I really don’t want to sink to your level of discourse but I have a few points to make in response. First of all, if you think all cycling mishaps are avoidable then you’re deluded. Many of them are, for sure, perhaps even most, but certainly not all.
I would argue that it was perfectly reasonable to go for a bike ride on the day we came off. The sun was out; the temperature was comfortably above freezing; visibility was good. Three experienced cyclists went over on the same small stretch of road within a minute or two. When we came off I would estimate we were doing 10mph because we were approaching a narrow bridge beyond which we couldn’t see if the road was clear. That’s the first time I’ve come off my bike in years. The only indication that there might have been ice on the road was a bit of residual frost. How many times do you see that and ride safely past it? After we’d come off it was still impossible to spot any sign of ice on the road, yet the surface was incredibly slippery. But then that’s black ice for you.
The second point - and you’re just going to have to take my word for this one because you don’t know me from Adam, remember? - is that I am most definitely not the macho type. Also, I have two young kids and I’m self-employed. I can’t afford to take stupid risks and I’m not brave enough to do so in any case.
My intention with this blog post was to write a cautionary tale for others - and in fact to show that things like this can just come out of nowhere and happen to anyone, contrary to what you seem to believe. I’ll admit I might have been angling for a bit of sympathy but I was also willing to accept some good natured ribbing (and I’ve had plenty of that, believe me). What I’m not willing to accept is a bunch of lazy assumptions wrapped up in a specious argument, rudely presented as fact.
The final point I’d like to make is that I’m not suggesting a helmet is ‘the answer’. All I’m saying is that, given these things can come out of nowhere and bite you on the arse, it makes sense to me to wear a helmet. I don’t know how much more damage I would have done to myself without mine but I do know it took a knock that was hard enough to split it and I’m quite happy that split was in my helmet and not in my skull.
I won’t be reading the book you recommend because you’ve irritated me. My loss I guess.
Sanctimonious and wrong.
I came off in December on the one piece of black ice between home and work doing about 7 mph. The only reason ice was there was because it had been recently resurfaced and the council decided to use the world's most dangerous road dressing.
As for the book you reference, I am afraid it is laughable. I agree you should avoid stupid mistakes, but do you know what the life expectancy for stone age hunter gatherers is?
The book is actually quite good. Lerrup, its point is not to replicate exactly the lifestyle of stone age hunter gatherers (modern medicine is a nice thing, for example, as are creature comforts) so much as it is taking from it the good bits and pieces that are beneficial compared to the bad bits and pieces our modern lifestyle entails - eat fresh food and be active, as opposed to subsist on highly processed foods and little to no exercise.
I would think most of us are already following that approach very closely without ever having heard of the concept.
Totally wrong. The presence of 'black ice' requires two things ... freezing temperatures and water. If either of those things are not present then it will not occur. Period. The council's choice of road dressing is pretty much irrelevant.
There are *lots* of cues to the experienced cyclist (or motorist or pedestrian) as to when icy conditions may occur. Freezing temperatures either in the days *before* the ride or during is always a good clue. Then you need the presence of water. Where does water happen on the road? Well, most commonly (for the purposes of detecting 'black ice'), it'll be due to run-off from fields on country roads, usually in dips and at the bottom of hills, fords, streams, minor subsidence of otherwise level road surfaces, poor drainage, etc, etc. Unusually low temperatures often occur (relative to the surrounding area) in heavily shaded areas (tall trees, etc) and again in dips and at the bottom of hills. A bit of 'Arctic mist', which can be seen from some distance, is another good cue that dodgy conditions lie ahead. There are literally *hundreds* of little clues, both visual and physical, that you need to tune into in order to understand the conditions of the road ahead.
Matthew Syed, in his book 'Bounce' explains the concept of these 'cues' much better than me. He describes how he was at a tennis media event where Richard Krajicek was lobbing balls over the net to various journalists, just for fun. Syed then asked Krajicek to serve at him at full power __ just to see what it was like. Krajicek was reluctant but eventually agreed. WHACK!!! Syed heard the ball fizz past his ear at just about the point that he became aware that Krajicek's serving arm was actually moving. Syed was a former world-class table tennis player who was particularly renowned for his quick reactions and yet he hadn't even seen the ball in the air. He concluded that the only possible way that anyone could even hope to return such a serve was if they had huge experience (usually requiring about 10K hours of practice to become world-class in a given field) and was able to deduce from the movement of the opponent the speed and direction of the ball ... before it actually happened.
I reckon it's the same with cycling. You need to be able to interpret the conditions ahead from the 'cues' you have all around you. If you don't have that level of experience then fucking well slow down until you do. You don't need body-armour to cycle safely, you just need common sense.
A helmet is not 'body armour.' Your tennis analogy is risible; the gentleman that came off at 7mph is not a pro cyclist and not trying to descend at 70mph. He is not claiming to be Peter Sagan nor should you have to be to go for a ride.
You have not addressed the point made multiple times above that conditions are never ideal.
You are being sanctimonious as you seem to thing you can 'read the signs' but condescend to tell other not to ride if they cannot read these signs of which you can see *hundreds.* I hope you reflect on your expertise the next time you have an off.
Whatever. The last time I had an "an off" was about 36 years ago when I was probably 13. I learnt from it and the many, many episodes before it. Maybe it was all those paper rounds in Birmingham in all weathers that did it (I was the guy that the the shop owner knew would *always* turn up).
Anyway, you can either believe that you have control of your own destiny and of your bike ... or you can weep at your misfortune when things "just happen". I know which I believe.
As I say sanctimonious and wrong, and as I have over 10k hours of cycling experience and having been doing it for 40 years I think I pass your test. I was also going 7mph so am not sure what speed you expect me to do.
You see your list of things to watch out for didn't count in this case; it was near the top of a slope, it wasn't in a dip, there was no fog, etc.
The ice in question was undoubtedly caused by the resurfaced patch as the untouched road a metre away was not iced up. There may well be a hollow patch under the new surface such as a foul water drain which would have caused it to be colder but this was apparent from the surface.
The helmet helped in this case, I agree it wouldn't do much against a bus, but a 2 metre drop is what they are designed for.
I think you have been reading too many of those books that explain to you what you already know, like 'blink' by Malcolm Gladwell. There was barely a bean in that book that was really edifying.
You probably need to stop reading and start riding more. Personally I think the things you talk about (prehistoric mans proclivity towards less risky strategies) is unknowable. There was no written history and the dangers faced by man are always very different. Risk is also subjective. So while you can harp on about it unless you know someone else's skill and experience your judgement counts for little.
I must admit I have predilection for 'higher' risk sports, scuba diving, cycling and skiing. But most of the risks that are knowable reduce the chances of incident. It's when you add things like off piste skiing, or diving in unknown waters or cycling at speed down unknown hills that you increase the real risks. But within limits you can control these things by putting in extra limiters, but accidents will always happen.
Compliment to Martin for being restrained in your reply, but well really Joe this has to be the most moronic argument against helmet wearing I have ever heard. You might have a point if you could show that helmets did not have an effect in traumatic crashes (with other vehicles) though this was exactly the sort of slow speed head impact they are designed for. You might even have a point if you said a helmet messed up your hair. If you are telling people to be risk-averse like a stone-age ancestor then you might as well never cycle again. Cyclist always involves going at speeds unsafe for head impacts regardless of the conditions.
Besides there is no shortage of Humans, no requirement to protect the existence of the tribe. I have studied the history of Britain and the 20th Century in particular for many years and I don't know if you noticed but Humans are not risk-averse as a species (perhaps you are not a Human?) You are right in the middle of a massive Political/Economic/Technological experiment. Millions of people fought and died for rival philosophies to get to your modern lifestyle.
Have you ever taken a flight, because that is a quantifiable risk just like cycling. If you have then you must be a hypocrite because other less risk-averse individuals pioneered flight for you, take the boat, or better yet don't go out your front door.
This being the internet I hope you really don't believe the guff you wrote.
Here is a reminder how awesome humans are: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqdG8_FxlEQ
How many people in that video are wearing helmets? Helmets are cool and they might just save your life.
Ride fast and wear a helmet kids.
Snap - I've got one of those! But I bet you don't have a new shiny piece of metal (hope it was new - you never know with these NHS cutbacks) holding your collarbone together to go with it. Came off my bike a few weeks ago - just got back on the turbo this weekend, 2 months before I'll be back out - hopefully the ice should have gone by then!
nice rendition, you left out the bit about you groaning like you were in ecstasy. you bruise well my friend, like a ripe peach
Pages