protective clothing

I came off on ice last weekend and broke my hip. I’ll be 6 weeks on crutches and then a walking stick for a month. My plans for next year are ruined. I’d taken all the regular precautions (wasn’t going fast, I’d put on winter tyres) but the ice just flipped me sideways.

It’s my first bad crash in 6 years and I don’t mind the bad luck so much but it’s left me feeling that the sport is just too dangerous to be do-able. I’m a freelance so I’ll have no earnings for the next three months either and I’m not sure I can justify a pasttime which carries such risk and a small mistake carries such a massive penalty.

If the purpose of winter riding is to just get in the base miles, perhaps I should think about wearing some body armour? Does anyone have any experience of this in road cycling? I know it would look utterly ridiculous, but the consequences of falling are so devastating and it’s not as if I’ll be setting an PBs over the winter anyway. I just want to ride. Safely. Please don’t make me go in the back bedroom on the trainer.

Looking at Wiggle, there’s lots of BMX/downhill armour for knees, elbows and spine, but not much that would cover my hips. Would it protect me from anything other than grazing anyway? And would anything go under road clothing or would I need baggies? (yuck)

Or should I just tolerate it as the (very high) price to pay?