Have you learned to fall?

[Flowrider]

At some point, we're going to wipe out, stack, crash, whatever you want to call it.

Over the years, I've hit the dirt many, many times through lack of ability, bad luck, etc.

Can you learn to hit the ground in such a way that you limit hurting yourself?

[Painkiller]

(09-09-2024, 12:31 AM)Flowrider Wrote:  At some point, we're going to wipe out, stack, crash, whatever you want to call it.

Over the years, I've hit the dirt many, many times through lack of ability, bad luck, etc.

Can you learn to hit the ground in such a way that you limit hurting yourself?

Master the art of tuck and roll my friend

[rydabent]

All my riding now is on my trikes. I dont worry too much, since I dont have too far to fall.

But I still wear my helmet.

[enkei]

(09-09-2024, 05:45 AM)Painkiller Wrote:  Master the art of tuck and roll my friend

This is sage advice.

In my teens, I went to stunt school to learn how to perform everything from bar brawls and free falls to being thrown out of a moving vehicle. The tuck and roll I learned there has stood me in good stead, and was polished further in Aikido classes.

To the extent that one afternoon, about 25 years ago, 3 or 4 of us cycled a few miles to celebrate a mate's impending marriage. Cycling back at night along the Thames in the dark and much worse for wear, we hit a patch of gravel and I went down. I can't recall why I went down, but that is immaterial.

However, despite my being terrifically drunk (and perhaps other) my tuck and roll was so majestic, that not only did I suffer not so much as a scratch, I even had the presence of mind and dexterity to hold the bike up as I fell and rolled, so the bike was fine, too.

I still have no idea how I managed that.

[Painkiller]

(09-09-2024, 06:36 PM)enkei Wrote:  

(09-09-2024, 05:45 AM)Painkiller Wrote:  Master the art of tuck and roll my friend

This is sage advice.

In my teens, I went to stunt school to learn how to perform everything from bar brawls and free falls to being thrown out of a moving vehicle. The tuck and roll I learned there has stood me in good stead, and was polished further in Aikido classes.

To the extent that one afternoon, about 25 years ago, 3 or 4 of us cycled a few miles to celebrate a mate's impending marriage. Cycling back at night along the Thames in the dark and much worse for wear, we hit a patch of gravel and I went down. I can't recall why I went down, but that is immaterial.

However, despite my being terrifically drunk (and perhaps other) my tuck and roll was so majestic, that not only did I suffer not so much as a scratch, I even had the presence of mind and dexterity to hold the bike up as I fell and rolled, so the bike was fine, too.

I still have no idea how I managed that.

Nice! Love it! I have many experiences like that myself. It just becomes automatic. Probably the most valuable protection I have ever needed are the 3/4 finger gloves with a padded palm, I would not care as much if I forgot my helmet but my gloves , got to have those!

[enkei]

(09-09-2024, 10:20 PM)Painkiller Wrote:  Nice! Love it! I have many experiences like that myself. It just becomes automatic. Probably the most valuable protection I have ever needed are the 3/4 finger gloves with a padded palm, I would not care as much if I forgot my helmet but my gloves , got to have those!

Yep. I'm a huge fan of those gloves.

[Flowrider]

Depending on the technical track I'm about to ride, I'll wear gloves, knee and elbow pads. Give me more confidence to hit A lines

[rydabent]

I dont have far to fall as I posted, but I do wear a helmet, and have a flag on my trike. If a car should hit me, and I sue, the first thing the drivers att is going to ask, was he wearing an helmet, and did he have a flag on that low trike. If you can answer yes to both questions, his lawyer will not be able to say I was partly to blame. Those two things will take the wind out of his sails.

[GirishH]

Great topic, @Flowrider.

I usually try to drop the bike and be able to walk away, not get stuck under the wiped-out bike. For that reason (or fear), despite their many advantages, I have avoided using clipped-in shoes.

I'm unsure how many pounds or kilograms I had on this bike, but I came out unscathed. Being a scaredy-cat, I ride pretty slowly as well. As a result, I burn through my brakes a lot, but I stay safe.

(09-09-2024, 12:31 AM)Flowrider Wrote:  At some point, we're going to wipe out, stack, crash, whatever you want to call it.

Over the years, I've hit the dirt many, many times through lack of ability, bad luck, etc.

Can you learn to hit the ground in such a way that you limit hurting yourself?

---

Wow, I wish I had gone to stunt school as well... :-( As a kid, I wiped out a few times on gravel and sand, and I still have the scars to prove it... :-(

Now, I ride slowly and am always ready to jump away to avoid getting stuck under the bike if I fall. I mostly wear long sleeves on my legs and arms, so my skin is usually protected in case of a fall or wipeout.

(09-09-2024, 06:36 PM)enkei Wrote:  

(09-09-2024, 05:45 AM)Painkiller Wrote:  Master the art of tuck and roll my friend

This is sage advice.

In my teens, I went to stunt school to learn how to perform everything from bar brawls and free falls to being thrown out of a moving vehicle. The tuck and roll I learned there has stood me in good stead, and was polished further in Aikido classes.

To the extent that one afternoon, about 25 years ago, 3 or 4 of us cycled a few miles to celebrate a mate's impending marriage. Cycling back at night along the Thames in the dark and much worse for wear, we hit a patch of gravel and I went down. I can't recall why I went down, but that is immaterial.

However, despite my being terrifically drunk (and perhaps other) my tuck and roll was so majestic, that not only did I suffer not so much as a scratch, I even had the presence of mind and dexterity to hold the bike up as I fell and rolled, so the bike was fine, too.

I still have no idea how I managed that.

[Genneal]

Try to relax as much as you can, avoid putting your hands out to break your fall (that's how you get wrist injuries), and aim to spread out the impact.

[Flowrider]

Good point about wearing cleats. I used to when I did a lot of roads. I feel that the pull-up on the up stroke helped, especially up hills. But don't now as I'm totally off road and on the dirt tracks only.

Don't wear cleats, I guess mainly for confidence as the fraction of a second delay releasing the foot helps me in the fall. This is probably more for my confidence.

Going to a stunt school would have been amazing!

I did judo, where they taught you how to land on the mat when thrown.

I use this method when I stack.

Basically, it's the relax technique you and don't brace yourself before hitting the ground.

It's incredible how calm you mind becomes as well.

[froze]

Master the art of tuck and roll my friend
[/quote]

Tuck and roll is the best advice. And don't tense up while crashing, go with the flow, in other words be like water.

[JeffAP]

At my age I would / will break almost every bone in my body.

I think I may buy some padded gloves, at least if I'm in a full body cast i can use my hands

[Zviedrs]

I can only agree - 3/4 finger-padded cycling gloves are really useful. Last summer, during a ride of over 200 km, I brushed against an old broken wire fence and cut my finger open. If not for the gloves, it could have been much worse. And that wasn’t even from a fall.

This photo was taken after a spring bike ride. I was reaching for my bottle when I hit a sneaky pothole and couldn’t keep the bike straight. I went down, messed up my jacket, and scratched the brake lever (and the rubber hood). It was actually my first time hitting the tarmac on a road bike after all these years - but I somehow knew how to fall properly, landing on my side/shoulder. My experience as a football goalkeeper probably helped. 😅 I wasn’t hurt physically, even though the crash speed was around 30–35 km/h. Sharp reflexes, experience falling (in sports) & seeing on TV how the pro cyclists fall ... I subconsciously knew what to do.

   

[Flowrider]

Wow! Good job wearing a jacket, imagine if that was your skin.

Another interesting point you make is how you roll, as if you're a goalkeeper. For me, that's spot-on advice: relax as much as possible and just roll.

A variation of just going with the flow is now just going with the roll.

[SPINMAN]

Steep downhill in the Montauk Hither Hills Park. Lost my front wheel traction on a switch back. Landed on my left arm for protection. Lay there for a couple of minutes for self assessment. I determined nothing was broken. By the time I made it back home, I could hardly breathe. My chest wall inflamed. Still nothing broken! Couldn't work for a week.

---

The embarrassing one was in the Dolomites. Uphill 10% climb. Stopped to take pictures. Clipped in to continue, but could not move the pedals. It was too steep and I just tipped over and banged my knee hard. Lucky to get home!

[Flowrider]

Whenever you're riding by yourself, do you text or let someone know where you're going and roughly how long you'll be riding?
And then let them know when you're back

[GirishH]

Gloves, helmets, full-sleeve shirts, and leggings have not only saved me from falls but also from scrapes and sunburn. I don’t use sunscreen since my whole body is covered—except for the fronts of my fingers, because I wear half-gloves.

   


I used to avoid wearing gloves, but I have realized how essential they are during falls. So, now I never skip them.

I’m slowly getting there, but I’ve at least learned to let go of my bike if I take a tumble—better to release it than go down with it. I reached this realization only during my recent Nepal trip.

Since I ride alone, my dad and a few friends have access to my Google location, which I recently learned works like an Apple AirTag, just without the tag. I also let them know when I’m heading out on a challenging ride or hike—and of course, once I’m safely out of the "woods"...

(10-22-2025, 03:59 PM)Flowrider Wrote:  Whenever you're riding by yourself, do you text or let someone know where you're going and roughly how long you'll be riding?
And then let them know when you're back

[Flowrider]

Well done. Safety is number one, and letting people know is crucial.

Adventuring is what it's about, and we do have to take unforeseen chances.

For me, letting people know and going out there actually adds fun to it

[Sidewinder]

Took a hard and unexpected fall after a distracted driver nearly drove her pickup truck into me... happened in the gravel lot of a self-storage place, go figure. The storage compound has two levels, with the front office near the road and the storage buildings on a terrace below, aye? Once you're through the front gate, the pavement turns to gravel and there is a 5 mph speed limit sign posted. I had taken my pedal bike up to my car to retrieve some tiedown ropes for the interior of the rental truck, and I was on my way back to my storage unit when the disaster occurred.

Perfect weather, I'm minding my own and doing everything right... until some idiot with her face glued to her cell phone (no eyes on the road whatsoever) drifted into my lane. Next thing I know, her pickup truck is heading right for me, and I hastily take evasive action! Dodged the truck, but I was already on the hill leading down to the lower terrace, and now I was over on the righthand side of the road, where the gravel was deeper.

With the bike picking up speed despite the gravel, I cut left to set up the bottom turn... the balloon tire washed out, and next thing I know, I'm flying headfirst down the grade. Actually, falling about 45* across and down the face of the road, and landing on sharp gravel which tore me the f#% up. None of this would've happened if the wanker had not nearly run me off the road, and ruined my planned turn to the left to access my storage unit.

In hindsight---which is always 20/20---I should've just rolled straight off the hill and skipped the turn, coming back or even going round the far end of the storage buildings, but there was no time for such consideration. Once I took evasive action, everything happened so fast that the wreck was over and done, and I was lying torn & bleeding in the gravel. Lemme give y'all a tip: I do NOT recommend body surfing in sharp gravel as a form of recreation... there's no joy in it, lol.

Now I'm laid up with a thumb fractured in 2 places... my home rehab project delayed by 1 month as I heal. Here are pics: