A week and a half ago I crashed on the MD between The Wall and WHT. Flying down the hill just got too close to a rut. Knew I was going into it, but trying to avoid it would have meant a fall as well. So I went into it and tried to slow down as much I as I could before the inevitable crash. When the dust settled my helmet was cracked, my wheel and handlebars were no longer aligned, and my shoulder hurt like a MoFo. The boys straigthened my bars, I limped along to WHT, and headed down slowly to the car. After getting royally chewed out by my pops he told me it's just a rotator cuff strain. Thank God it's no broken hand! :lol: So then last Monday I'm enjoying Quail Hill with the girlz, sporting my new girlee helmet mind you. We're taking it slow on some loose switchbacks and all of a sudden I'm washed out into a bush on my head. Lamest fall ever. WTF! Am I losing it?? It's not unusual for me to crash, but all of a sudden I'm landing on my head a lot. I don't like landing on my head. Scrapes, bruises, whatever, no big deal......but a knock to the 'ol noggin is no bueno. I wonder if instinctively I'm trying to protect the hands. Anyone else go through crashing spells? Do I need to perform an exorcism on my bike or what????? I need to learn how to tuck and roll!! That or we need an STR crash course (literally).
Don't over-analyze it. Or it could be that your bike doesn't like you anymore, cuz you know it's never the riders fault.
Well-timed post as I was wondering the same. I too am in the middle of a crash spell. My first crash happened last week Sunday. I was coming down stagecoach, after climbing up from the Nix parking lot, and cut a corner a little short -- 29er wagon wheels climbed up the side of the trail -- was still riding it out when the rear wheel dropped down to the trail a foot below the ledge I was on. I thought "I got this" until the front wheel dropped down and washed out. Slammed my shoulder and head into the same ledge I was just riding. Instant headache, no cracked helmet, banged up shoulder and a huge gouge in one of my sunglass lenses. Have several bruises on my shoulder and the headache went away rather quickly. Rode Edison/Oakley/Dreaded/STT/Luge on Thursday with a couple guys -- never done Edison/Oakley -- we ran through the Berm Run which was a lot of fun then proceeded to the Rut Run (exactly as described). Unfortunately my front wheel caught a rut, luckily I landed on a loamy part off the side of the trail. When I hit, it felt like I cracked my sternum. Hurt like hell. Started feeling around my collar bone and nothing seemed wrong and could move my arm well enough, so off we rode. By the time we got the the flag, things were getting a little more painful -- the decent on STT to the flag was painful enough and I wasn't looking forward to the Luge on my HT with a 90 mm fork. We started out on the Luge, and if you've ridden it lately it's a little loose on top, well my XC tire washed out on me, I thought I had it "recovered" until my left foot came unclipped and I was precariously trying to ride it out. Things didn't look good and when I realized the saddle was positioned (carbon HT no dropper post) in front of a particular part of my anatomy that would be really painful if a collision occurred, I decided to bail. Collar bone is okay, but a sprain of the sternoclavicular joint -- ligaments that attach collar bone to the sternum. Almost a week removed it's fine without Motrin or anything. So yes, two falls in one ride -- three in two rides in a row. I hope, as Pho'dUp says, we're filling are quotas early. Good luck out there!
Last summer, June and July, FIVE crashes. In all, a badly sprained hip, pulled hamstring, bruises, cuts, one head landing that dazed me, tweeked ankle, knee, back and neck all in just the two months. I'm as healed as I ever will be, my hip, back and neck have had several past injuries and it's catching up with me. I'm just getting over the mental recovery. I went back a number of times to the crash sites and flowed through them, so I'm good. Most of the crashes were due to lack of focus and too much speed. It's just something to deal with that we'll all go through from time to time.
So one more left huh? This doesn't bode well for my next ride. Does it count if I just get on my bike and then flop over immediately to get it out of the way??
Two crashes for me this year so far also. First one up on the SART below Morton Peak on New Years Day. Bruised and hurting for a few days but no biggie. Second one happened up on Crafton Hills in Yucaipa. Going into a corner way too hot, front wheel washes tossing me down and grinding skin off my left hip and elbow. I love scouring the gravel and rocks out of my skin in the shower. How come that hurts worse than the fall does? Hope I have had my quota for 2013
Riding rigid HT as the other bike helped me to be more "coupled" to the earth and caused me to be more in tune with ever changing surface conditions, notice nuances of running different tires pressures and tire patterns, and overall forced me "scan" the terrain ahead to pick better lines quickly. As with any outdoor activities, be careful folks!
That goes without saying.....there be Yeti's on the Loop. I think I'll start riding behind The Great Pumpkin so when I fly off the bike I can bounce safely off of him unharmed.
Other day at san juan I had an off day. Sadly Im broke from my last bike purchase so a buddy bet me a dollar I could clear on portion. Desprate for money I attemoted it , fell down and jumoed up in pain. The fall wasnt that bad but my butt cheek hurt like nobodys buisness. I looked at the ground and what I saw was a sharb stup of an old tree , and to my dissapointment when I felt my beloved cheek it had been punctured. Three days later and I still cant put my wallet back there. Hotchkiss was there to confirm it
So you got "shafted" AND had to pay up a dollar. Nice! I was going down the Main Divide this past Saturday on the way to Motorway from Blackstar and slid out on a downhill section. I was going at a decent clip, but it was so loose that I knew any big directional changes would cause me to crash. I tried to finesse my way past a rut, but ended up going into the rut and slid my right side on the rubble. I hate rubble Scratched up my elbow, right thigh and bruised my hip. Luckily I was wearing G-Form knee pads I had bought the day before. I'm still kicking myself for not buying the elbow pads.
It seems that every time I crash, it's the result of my own stupidity: attempting to pull off some ridiculous feat while having no skill; flying balls out into a difficult section with no clue how I intend to ride it; being too stubborn to walk or go slow on something that is clearly over my head. While I would NEVER suggest that you suffer from the same affliction, perhaps if you used your head more for THINKING, you'd find yourself using it less frequently for SMASHING HELMETS. Riding safely is much more admirable than riding fast. Be well.
Well, if you never crash then you're riding like a girl.......or is it you ride like a girl that's why you crash?
