Hello All,
The information following might be useful to some of us … (maybe all of us) … will the cyclist, runner, swimmer, who has never fallen please raise their hand?
Do you have any ‘secret sauce’ to share on how to fall?
… what parts or the advice out there are realistic and useful?
Topic words can include relax, tuck, luck, head, helmet, MIPS, bones, fracture, concussion, die, survive, … and others …
https://www.nytimes.com/...ay-to-fall.html?_r=0
Depends on what causes the fall. I snowboard. I know how to fall. But the one time I was hit while riding, it happened so fast one second I was riding, the next I was looking up at the sky with people standing over me. I didn’t break anything, but it was purely luck.
If you happen to fall in a way where maybe you hit something, have a moment where you are trying to correct and have time to think “I’m going down”, I would say don’t put your wrists down/out, protect your head, and roll as best as possible.
Yes, protect your head, go limp and roll.
??? practice, practice, practice
Start on a soft mat without any bike …
Next hot thing in tri community? Paratrooper training!
(Beet juice is out. Running with swagger never really took off. We need something new.)
Haven’t come off on my road bike or tri bike in a long time, but have regular crashes on my MTB, you don’t really have time to choose how and where you land, going over the bars once I flew a fair few metres so had time to get my hands out, I probably resembled superman for a brief second, but most other crashes you have zero choice on what body part is going to land first.
Our cycling coaches had us practice judo rolls (tuck the chin in and roll across one shoulder) so that it was a reflex reaction during crashes.
Next hot thing in tri community? Paratrooper training!
(Beet juice is out. Running with swagger never really took off. We need something new.)
Not sure a PLF is the best method to practice. That is for a vertical fall type landing.
Something more like a judo roll or any fall taught in just about any kind of martial art would be best.
(And keep your damn hands in!)
+1
I did judo as a kid for a few years and the only time i’ve gone over the bars I judo rolled and it turned out fine. no injuries to speak of save some bent handlebars. tucking the leading shoulder is important so you don’t land on your collarbone and smash it.
Yes, protect your head, go limp and roll.
Do as above and if this is a riding fall olease for the love of GOD don’t stick your hands out!
First nasty road rash on palms possibly nuckles as well and likely break a bone(s) if you roll with hands high near your shoulders then it can also save your collar bones!
Cycle falls usually happen themselves. If you get enough advance warning to prepare for a fall, that’s about the same time you have to prevent the fall.
If you’re hit by something, you have no choice. You will rag doll until you come to a complete stop.
If you’re in control and then lose control, you will rag doll until you come to a complete stop
I’ve had several road bike crashes as an adult. They have usually ended badly.
Crash 1. Buddy cut me off thanks to silly riding. Knocked unconscious, broke skull (even wearing a helmet) and pelvis (buddy landed of top of me), lotsa road rash and broken but rideable bike.
Crash 2. Car pulled out in front of me and I ‘endo’d’ into the front of the car. Knocked unconscious and broke 4 ribs, no road rash (winter) but broken bike
Crash 3. New bike, hadn’t loosened pedal so fell when trying to unclip at a stoplight. Hit a roadside bollard and broke 2 ribs. minor scratches on the bike.
Crash 4. rounded a roundabout and hit a patch of diesel in the rain. Unhurt but broke the carbon seat stay on the bike.
During those crashes, I had absolutely NO chance of falling gracefully. Down before I even knew there was an issue (except the endo, where according to the security video, I flapped my arms once 
Yes, protect your head, go limp and roll.
Do as above and if this is a riding fall olease for the love of GOD don’t stick your hands out!
First nasty road rash on palms possibly nuckles as well and likely break a bone(s) if you roll with hands high near your shoulders then it can also save your collar bones!
Ride with gloves and palm road rash is minimized. I have drilled that into my adult sons brain, but the one time he forgot (on the phone as he left the house), was the one time he was hit by a truck at 50kph. His palms came dangerously close to needing skin grafts. (as did the rest of his body!)
Wear gloves!
What always amazes me during my crashes is how long the second feels between losing it and hitting the ground, Hands in, judo type roll, tuck that chin as hard as you can. Once on the ground, assuming consciousness, protect from hazards. But if you don’t have this instinct from skiing/boarding/martial arts, I don’t know how to develop it without practice.
Cycle falls usually happen themselves. If you get enough advance warning to prepare for a fall, that’s about the same time you have to prevent the fall.
If you’re hit by something, you have no choice. You will rag doll until you come to a complete stop.
If you’re in control and then lose control, you will rag doll until you come to a complete stop
I’ve had several road bike crashes as an adult. They have usually ended badly.
Crash 1. Buddy cut me off thanks to silly riding. Knocked unconscious, broke skull (even wearing a helmet) and pelvis (buddy landed of top of me), lotsa road rash and broken but rideable bike.
Crash 2. Car pulled out in front of me and I ‘endo’d’ into the front of the car. Knocked unconscious and broke 4 ribs, no road rash (winter) but broken bike
Crash 3. New bike, hadn’t loosened pedal so fell when trying to unclip at a stoplight. Hit a roadside bollard and broke 2 ribs. minor scratches on the bike.
Crash 4. rounded a roundabout and hit a patch of diesel in the rain. Unhurt but broke the carbon seat stay on the bike.
During those crashes, I had absolutely NO chance of falling gracefully. Down before I even knew there was an issue (except the endo, where according to the security video, I flapped my arms once
I know it is too late at this point. For the future, and anyone else reading, always break in and test new pedals and cleats. Ride them on the trainer first, and clip and unclip a number of times to loosen things up and to make sure it all works.
Cycle falls usually happen themselves. If you get enough advance warning to prepare for a fall, that’s about the same time you have to prevent the fall.
If you’re hit by something, you have no choice. You will rag doll until you come to a complete stop.
If you’re in control and then lose control, you will rag doll until you come to a complete stop
I’ve had several road bike crashes as an adult. They have usually ended badly.
Crash 1. Buddy cut me off thanks to silly riding. Knocked unconscious, broke skull (even wearing a helmet) and pelvis (buddy landed of top of me), lotsa road rash and broken but rideable bike.
Crash 2. Car pulled out in front of me and I ‘endo’d’ into the front of the car. Knocked unconscious and broke 4 ribs, no road rash (winter) but broken bike
Crash 3. New bike, hadn’t loosened pedal so fell when trying to unclip at a stoplight. Hit a roadside bollard and broke 2 ribs. minor scratches on the bike.
Crash 4. rounded a roundabout and hit a patch of diesel in the rain. Unhurt but broke the carbon seat stay on the bike.
During those crashes, I had absolutely NO chance of falling gracefully. Down before I even knew there was an issue (except the endo, where according to the security video, I flapped my arms once
I know it is too late at this point. For the future, and anyone else reading, always break in and test new pedals and cleats. Ride them on the trainer first, and clip and unclip a number of times to loosen things up and to make sure it all works.
It was my first day on the new bike. When I rode in the morning, I noticed they were really tight. I fell on the way home. Before the fall, I was planning of loosening them when I got home.
Like the saying goes, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”
Do your best to not reach out to break the fall. Hold onto your bars, try to counter steer, save it, whatever. Holding your bars presents multiple points of impact, a natural curve on your body for rolling to dissipate the energy and helps to not break bones; specifically, a collar bone. Best of luck and keep the rubber side down.
I’ve crashed three times. Each time at about 20-22 miles per hour. Once over the bars and twice sliding onto my side. By the time I new what was happening I was already looking up at the sky in total disbelieve that I went down. I honestly don’t think there is any sort of practice you can do to prepare you for those instantaneous sort of accidents. But, if there is a few seconds and you see it coming, my recommendation would be to unclip first and separate yourself from the bike.
I’ve crashed hard 3 times. Once I got hit by a car, flew over the hood and had what seemed like a couple minutes to get the seat back and tray up and prepare for landing. I consciously tucked and rolled and had minimal injuries.
The other 2 times were the instantaneous kind of crash. I was literally on the ground before I had any time to react and in fact I barely perceived I was going down until I slammed into the road. Both times I landed with my hands still gripping the bars, and not out of some grand plan to avoid breaking my wrist or arm, it was that quick. Not all crashes are that fast but it is quite common to just end up on the road wondering what the hell just happened and with no time for any conscious actions before landing.
Great thread…I never really think about this kind of thing. I’ve fallen a few times, one time hard. During the hard fall, I tucked my shoulder in, rolled, and the worst that happened was sore muscles from the impact (to include neck muscles).
I think I may practice a few rolls/falls this winter and spring, before I get back out on the road.
How about when you don’t fly over the handle bars (slips due to pebbles/debris/oil)? It seems that your knee, hip, and shoulder take the brunt of those falls, with the knee taking the hardest hit.