If you don't feel safe while doing it then maybe you should choose something else, but my opinion is that if you know that you're controlling all that you can to minimize the risk you should be able to enjoy riding a bike.

I'm so sorry to hear about your accident! I would hate to give up what I love because of someone's stupidity , carelessness.. If you want to do it go for it. You can only control your actions. There's always gonna be risk at anything!! Good luck!!

Eight years ago last month, I went through the windshield of a Ford Ranger that was turning left at nearly 40mph. Unconscious for 2min. Ambulance ride. Overnight in hospital. Four broken ribs, fractured Scapula, 28 sutures in my elbow, scars everywhere. PTSD.

I was back on my bike in 10 days. GET BACK ON YOURS! TOMORROW!!! This is an activity that you loved. You will love it again.

Stay safe. Stay smart. Keep your eyes & ears open. Start by going around the block. RIDE!

Love ya!

I was hit a few years back but not as serious. I refused to give up something I loved to do and also not be stuck in my vehicle commuting. First time back on the bike, got to my first descent and panicked. Told myself now or never. Haven't looked back. If anything it I can read and anticipate drivers' actions better. I think it will help you develop better instinct with a strong sense of where the problem roads and intersections are. Best of luck with whatever you decide.

Hit by truck while running in 2007. Multiple surgeries, 100 visits to Endurance Rehab in Scottsdale and ~ 3 years later I was back running and cycling but at a much reduced level of ability. Still have panic reaction to white pickup trucks at stop signs. I have given up technical mtn biking, very careful whether riding in groups or alone, running on roads with any amount of traffic. I really do not want another prolonged work absence, caregiving imposition on my partner, loss of my ability and the difficulty of recovery. Ride when and if you are ready. It's smart to take it in small doses, take care of yourself, go at your own pace, feel some fear and change your riding habits. If you like cycling you will come back, don't be afraid to take a while and don't feel as though you have to do a monster ride or compete anytime soon.

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don't just do something..... sit there

Get back to it.... You can get similar or worse injuries from a simple trip and fall....
Do everything you can to be safe and find your joy again...

Only you have the answer. I was hit by a car that turned into my path 5 weeks ago today. Broken ribs, broken bones in my right hand, tons of road rash and some serious depression/ptsd-ish symptoms. I feel like my eyes were opened to how dangerous the roads have become for us. Drivers are more distracted than ever, and the only hope I see for that to correct itself is with the advent of self driving cars. Seeing as they won't be the norm on US roads for quit a while, I have no interest whatsoever in getting back out there and risking my health and my life. I already practiced safe cycling, taking every reasonable precaution to avoid injury, but I couldn't control one driver who was either distracted or thought he could "beat" me and make a turn he shouldn't have attempted.


I love cycling. I've been at it for 35 years. It's no longer worth the risk for me. Maybe you're comfortable with the odds. I wish you luck. You'll need it.

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Dale Stephanos (Formerly PappaD)

It's been almost 9 weeks (it'll be 9 weeks to the minute in 12 hours as I write this) since I crashed during training for Rev3 Cedar Point. Fractured T5-T6, concussion, whiplash, road rash on my face, lots of soft-tissue stuff to my shoulder. Trip in the ambulance, was sent home without much of anything which got my hopes up until I saw my spine ortho a couple of days later, when I was then braced (the ER didn't find the fracture at T6; I was braced due to the concurrent fractures and their inherent instability). I thought I was OK mentally until the day I got my brace; we drove home, and I couldn't lift myself up from the reclined position in the car nor open the door. I don't think I've ever seen that look of panic on my wife's face before, and I don't care to ever again.

I highly recommend seeing a trauma therapist afterwards. I saw one approximately two weeks after my crash because I was dealing with some severe panic/anxiety attacks, particularly while I was wearing my brace.

I'm still running into issues; swam for the first time on Wednesday and was OK until someone hopped into the lane with me; now I wasn't in control of my back again (still have another week before my back is full-go for PT) and I was terrified. I also had a full scale panic attack even thinking about getting back on board the bike. Heading back to the therapist on Monday to hopefully continue to ease some of that.

Additionally, I'm also dealing with post-concussion syndrome issues, which in particular has been troubling with short-term memory issues.

I hope to swim, bike, run, ski, etc. again soon. I'm working towards it in PT, and those things excite me. But the anxiety is still definitely a hurdle yet to overcome.

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Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter

I was hit in June 2013 by a driver who was coming from a side street - she stopped at the stop sign, never saw me, and pulled out right in front of me. I was counting my blessings that it wasn't worse, but I did 6 months of PT for my neck and shoulder, 6 months of vestibular/neuro rehab for a concussion/post-concussion syndrome, and then another couple of months for my neck and shoulder. I was discharged because I was no longer making significant enough progress, but I have a good support system and continue to take baby steps toward a full recovery. I can still only ride ~20 miles without head or neck pain, but at this point I still want to get back to long-course Tri's, first because I love it, and second because I want to prove that I'm not going to let fear win. I had so much self-doubt and no self-confidence when I entered the sport 8-9 years ago, and I've worked so hard and fallen totally in love with my Tri life - training, racing, socializing, everything. I've debated over whether my stubborn streak is stupid, but I'm not ready to give up the sport I love.

I've had a couple of days when I just couldn't go out and ride - not full-blown panic attacks, but just a strong fear. I didn't beat myself up about it, but I'm not going to let it become a habit. That stubborn streak is what got me through IMTX twice and is what is driving me now. My neuropsychologist sent me to a psychologist to get help with my headaches and also to discuss "retiring" from cycling, so I've had the chance to work out a lot of my issues and make my decision. I have a new wardrobe of fluorescent or obnoxiously bright tops, I wear a Noxgear illuminated vest unless it's 100% sunny out, and I have bright lights in flashing mode on the front and back of my bike no matter what time of day it is. Of course, I was wearing a bright white/pink top and it was broad daylight when I was hit, but I think the blinking variety of lights are a lot more eye-catching, even if I do look a little goofy. I also increased my uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage on my car insurance and put more thought into my medical insurance options. I still try to find a balance between being cautious and being paranoid, but maybe a touch of paranoia isn't a bad thing!

I have friends who do all of their training on their trainers, and while I respect their decisions 100%, one of the things I love most about training is being outside. At some point I may change my mind about it being worth the risks, but not yet.

Best of luck,
Diane

You'll get over it. And when you get back out there, you'll have more finely-tuned antennae ... You'll have a heightened awareness of potentially dangerous situations.

Get well and get out there!

P.S. Pick your routes carefully. Don't push your luck.

If you got in a car wreck with another car and got injured would you think about giving up driving a car again ?

You are right only you can answer thus one.

Ride because you can! Congrats on bearing this but you have to keep on fighting

i LOVE riding. but i also love life and all the other things that i do. for that reason i ride 80% of rides indoors on the trainer. i only ride outside when i'm with at least 1 other person (and that's pretty rare too) or with a group of riders. i know it doesn't eliminate my chances of being hit, but it reduces it drastically imo.

good luck!

john

No, it's not foolish. But, it would be foolish if you didn't look at the situation and think about ways you can ride more safely. For example, even with the right of way, I always try to avoid a situation where if a car doesn't yield the right of way it will end badly for me...so for example if there is an intersection where the other way has the yield, I treat it as if I have a yield as well.

Also, there are definitely roads where the odds of a crash occurring are higher. Parked cars, lots of side streets, narrow shoulders, lots of pedestrians, etc. These are definitely things I consider when picking a route.

Everyone's situation is very different. A head injury can be particularly scary, you can't just say get back on. Amazed how many have had serious crashes who responded so quickly - and the injuries we are getting are pretty nasty and not just collarbones and road rash.

Stay safe.

I crashed at savageman 3 weeks ago. Lots of facial fractures. several spinal fractures. Jaw still wired shut is the worst part. I think I got lucky because everything I broke will heal. But thinking about how much worse it could have been is scary. I am mentally fine but my wife is still shaken up. She thinks of the what-ifs that could have happened. How do you explain to you kids that dad is not coming home.

I would really like to get back on the bike but this is probably my cue to go back to just running for a while. I am getting the rods in my back removed in 6 months so between my current recovery and the future surgery recovery I will be essentially be out of commission for all of next season. I was probably going to quit after 2015 anyway. Too much time commitment to train at the level I want to be at.

I will probably come back to the sport later in life when the kids are out of the house. M50-54 in 2026 watch out!

If it's something you really enjoy, it'd be a shame to have such an experience keep you from that.

Maybe you can try transitioning to parks or more closed courses and then on to open roads again as you get more comfortable?

As you say, only you can answer that question. I faced a similar situation in 2011. Had a bad crash on Mother's Day, resulting in a broken right collarbone, six broken ribs, a punctured lung and a brain bleed/concussion (and a very upset wife). Spent four days in the trauma unit, but was back on the bike on the trainer in about 10 days (with an oxygen tank to help with breathing), and riding outside in two months. In late August, had another crash in which I re-broke my right collarbone, broke three ribs, received another concussion and had the pleasure of spending an additional three days in the same trauma unit. All of my doctors, my wife and daughter told me I was crazy to get back on a bike and that I should go back to golf rather than continuing with cycling/triathlon. They were particularly concerned with possible long-term effects from the concussions. So far, no lingering effects from the injuries and no accidents since then, and just finished a six-race triathlon season at age 57. If I had significant post concussion symptoms like you, I might have made a different decision in terms of continuing to ride. Being off work for six months is serious stuff. Would definitely consult with your neurologist (and family) on this one.

As others, only you can make the decision. I've never been hit (touch wood) but am well aware of the risks and have had plenty close shaves with idiots, and you do then weigh up the risk. For me, I worry that it is selfish of me to do something potentially dangerous when I have two young kids. I've thought about this a lot the last couple of years after we lost somebody from our club, and since becoming a Dad.

What I do; train mostly on the turbo, all my midweek stuff at least. When I ride at the weekend I head out early doors Sunday morning when there aren't many cars on the road, and go out into the countryside which I am lucky to have plenty of nearby in Yorkshire, UK. Another option for you, and what I am thinking about, is to try and ride MTB more often. If you have access to trail you can ride outdoors without any drivers to worry about. Also given thought to hitting the track, I'm lucky as am not far from the Manchester Velodrome.

Then hopefully your races are traffic controlled.

I do my bike training on a trainer. I read so many of these stories that I could easily see not riding outside other than races in the future. It might not be as "fun", but sure makes the wife happy!!

I know when I was hit by a car at Vineman and broke the collar bone, concussion, etc., it took me a while to feel comfortable riding outside.

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Hit by a car and was off 4 months last year. I passed a cyclist while a car was also passing.
At start I was afraid to go back on the road. I started gradually until I took bad confidence, but you never get back to 100% confidence like before (maybe I was overconfident and taking too much risks). My point of view is; what doesn't kill you make you stronger. If you still like cycling, don't stop because of fear. Cycling as a lot of risks, hopefully with more new cyclist it will become safer. You can limit the outdoor rides until you have more confidence, indoor training helped a little
Good luck!

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Free Indoor Cycling Software - https://maximumtrainer.com

I hope you revaluated your insurance and disability coverages after the accident.

After I was hit I checked and not all insurance companies have equal coverages. For me I wanted the ability to sue my $1M umbrella if I was hit by an uninsured/underinsured motorist. Without being able to sue the umbrella the base auto liability is barely anything in terms of something serious. If you are the only breadwinner with 2 kids make sure you have plenty of coverage even if you are disabled and unable to work. For me my spouse works and we have no kids so I just needed not to be a financial burden if somebody turns me into a vegetable.

My accident was 7 years ago, however the first few rides of every season are nervous affairs. I hesitate before jumping back into the saddle questioning whether it is worth it, but each year I get back on the bike. I do find I am less willing to ride during crowded times and have rearranged my schedule to beat "rush hour" and no longer ride certain roads that I consider more dangerous.

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Swim - Bike - Run the rest is just clothing changes.

Agree with your perspective on the selfishness of riding. Fortunately I love riding on my rollers so I can do that. On MTB, the risk of concussion is still there (maybe even higher) no matter how good you are a spill on the trail is likely, where I live the trails are very gnarly/technical - especially compared to uk trails. Velodrome, no luck there. I was doing about 50% on the mtb and taking all precautions (typically head out at dawn).

Thankfully I had disability insurance. I bumped my uninsured/underinsured to 1m on my auto policy. Everyone should do that.