Embarrassing Accidents

[magnatom]

Simon - you seem to crash a worrying number of times. I think my only really embarassing off has been when I was first riding clipless - but we've all had those.

Oh no we haven't. :?:


I'm going to regret saying that, aren't I.....

 

[Saddle bum]

Riding a London to Brighton charity thingy Saturday. My 'bar mounter GPS fell and was clobbered by a car. £120 up my Jersey, unless I can get in back on my insurance. Nuts!!!! Really p****d off.

 

[Twenty Inch]

Cycling home on a drizzly day along South Bank. Got to the OXO tower walkway - no cycling, but no peds, so trickled on down the wet path. Turning left, I misjudged the angle and the bike slid away to the right. I hadn't hit the ground before some slop-brained, mealy-mouthed, lard-bellied prole said "Shouldn't be cycling along here anyway." I came close to throwing him into the river.

 

[Joe24]

Not been clipless long. Was up behind a bus and i thought it was going to go when we got to the mini-RAB. I clipped back in and was ready to go. It stopped, so did, couldnt unclip and over i went.
Wasnt too bad, the fit paper girl didnt see me. I never got her name or anything, i should of asked her one time

 

[bobg]

Bought a new (old) bike last week and today was the first chance I'd had to take it for a spin, Zoomed back after a exhilarating hour, swung up the drive, twisted my foot to unclip and remembered about a nano -second too late that I hadnt changed the toeclips and I'd jacked them up tight .... bounced off the garage door and slid into the flowerbed. Neighbours gave me a round of applause . I honestly cant remember the last time I've fallen off...

 

[AndyB]

I too have footage!

Taking a roundabout rather too quickly on a very cold, foggy morning. Leaning right into the bend and the back wheel found a patch of ice/diesel/grit and slid out from underneath me. Hit the road hard with my right hip and skidded right across into the opposite junction stopping at the feet of a very helpful pedestrian.

Bike was fine, a scuffed pedal and shoe.
Shredded the lycra longs and it wasn't until it got to work that I noticed the blood oozing from the 50p sized patch of road rash that had been ground into my knee.

View: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=TqTDHQVdyZc


pic: http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n18/andyb0000/roadrash.jpg

Got some amazing dressings from Boots that had a sort of plastic coating that prevented the wound from scabbing up and scarring.
It all grew back anyhow. ;o)

I still get flashbacks every time I take that bend!

 

[CJ87]

I too have footage!

Taking a roundabout rather too quickly on a very cold, foggy morning. Leaning right into the bend and the back wheel found a patch of ice/diesel/grit and slid out from underneath me. Hit the road hard with my right hip and skidded right across into the opposite junction stopping at the feet of a very helpful pedestrian.

Bike was fine, a scuffed pedal and shoe.
Shredded the lycra longs and it wasn't until it got to work that I noticed the blood oozing from the 50p sized patch of road rash that had been ground into my knee.

View: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=TqTDHQVdyZc


pic: http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n18/andyb0000/roadrash.jpg

Got some amazing dressings from Boots that had a sort of plastic coating that prevented the wound from scabbing up and scarring.
It all grew back anyhow. ;o)

I still get flashbacks every time I take that bend!

Andy just watched your video, couldn't believe that bloke who was like 'thats what happens when you take a corner at 40mph', what an idiot!

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Dropped my front wheel into the tram tracks at Bilston a few years back. Straight over the bars, in front of a queue of traffic, head first into a pedestrian fence. That was embarrassing,

 

[tdr1nka]

I cycled straight into the back of a stationary bus on Oxford St.
It was a hot summer day and I might just have had my head turned by an incredibly attractive woman.

 

[Keith Oates]

They are all embarrassing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Mr Celine]

Having attached a permanently mounted child seat to the back of my bike, taken it for a test ride etc Mrs Celine asked me to go to the shop and get a pint of milk. The corner shop in question had a paved area in front with a couple of park benches where old folks sit when it's sunny (which it was) and where the skateboarders hang out.
I arrived at the shop and swung my leg over before the bike had stopped, having completely forgotten about the child seat. For a brief moment time stood still as I achieved perfect balance, my left foot on the pedal and my right caught behind me on the child seat, but inevitably gravity then took over.

At least the skateboarders gave me a round of applause.

 

[Arch]

Out on a group ride, but a fair way behind the group, stopped at the side of rural road to take my coat off.

Roll up to verge, put left foot out to rest on verge, which was higher than the tarmac of the road. Except it was actually long grass I could see, and the actual ground was lower then the tarmac. So instead of my foot hitting solid ground as I expected, I just carried on going sideways. Fell onto verge (which sloped slightly away from road) with such momentum that I rolled right over. Sadly, I rolled right over into the ditch under the hedge. Result: me lying upside down, wedged in ditch, still 'on' the bike (literally, feet on the pedals, hands on the handlebars), but it sticking up out of the ditch, one wheel still spinning...

I was very glad that there was someone even slower behind me to come up and pull me out. For a moment or two, I was wedged and completely immobile. I sort of wish someone had caught it on film, it must have looked hilarious, and probably the most gymnastic thing I've ever done. I was picking bits of damp vegetation ought of my hair for the rest of the day...

 

[Chappy]

Just left work and was casually driving down a quite road when I noticed my computer was playing up.

So i'm trying to sort it one handed while looking up now and again when a van reversed out of a drive when I was looking down and I hit the driver door at about 1 mile an hour.

First thing that the bloke driving saw of me was me sliding down his window. Scared the cr*p out of him

 

[Night Train]

Roll up to verge, put left foot out to rest on verge, which was higher than the tarmac of the road. Except it was actually long grass I could see, and the actual ground was lower then the tarmac. So instead of my foot hitting solid ground as I expected, I just carried on going sideways. Fell onto verge (which sloped slightly away from road) with such momentum that I rolled right over. Sadly, I rolled right over into the ditch under the hedge. Result: me lying upside down, wedged in ditch, still 'on' the bike (literally, feet on the pedals, hands on the handlebars), but it sticking up out of the ditch, one wheel still spinning......

I've done that in a Land Rover.
Pulled up onto the grassy verge of the road only to find it was an ditch with the grass cut level with the road. The Land Rover laid down very gently and waved its wheels in the air for a moment. Still managed to reverse back out though as there was enough support in the long grass to maintain some traction.

On the same day a friend in another Land Rover was doing a three point turn on a narrow road and though he'd use the grass verge to extend the width of the road a bit. Reversed on to the grass and found it to also be a ditch. He ended up with his Land Rover stood upright on its back door.

When I first went clipless I was riding back from rehersals and I thought I had dropped something. I braked hard and forgot I was clipped in. In the moment of panic as I tried to unclip I squeezed a bit harder on the brakes and did a stoppie just as both feet unclipped. As the bike landed back on its rear wheel I landed on the top tube!
After all that I hadn't dropped anything after all.

 

[User482]

I remember when I first got my SPDs very well...

I took the bike out of the LBS for a spin, pulled back up outside the shop, failed to unclip, and promptly fell into the shop window. The saturday customers were treated to the sight of my head slowly descending down the shop window and onto the floor.