Idiot cyclist hits bollard and cuts chin

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robjh

Legendary Member
That idiot was me, last night. I was on a familiar road not far from work, where there is a traffic-calming feature consisting of kerb build-outs on either side to narrow the carriageway and force car drivers to take turns. There are narrow but generally usable mini-cycle paths on the left of the build-outs. As here :
Bag bollards.JPG

I normally take the roadway, but if there are queuing cars I may use the cycle path. Last night, as I was approaching, a car came round the corner to approach the feature from the opposite direction, and I decided (or was deciding) to go down the cycle path.

Anyway, I must have vacillated a moment too long before engaging the turn, and suddenly realised I was heading straight for the middle of the kerb and the first ‘bollard’ on the left. The bike hit the bollard – luckily the flimsy plastic bendy sort – and I ended up sprawled on my front in the cycle path and felt a bump as my chin hit the ground.

I was quite OK except for* minor grazing on the knees and half an inch of skin scraped off the underside of my chin, which continued to bleed gently for the rest of my ride. Two drivers stopped to see if I was alright, and I thanked them but assured them I was. The main damage was that I felt so stupid for making such an elementary misjudgement.

No sympathy sought – it was my own stupid fault.

Has anyone else done anything stupid on a bike that they’d like to own up to amongst friends?

(*edit – and a bruised thigh that I can feel this morning)
 
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Globalti

Legendary Member
Yes, riding along in rain with my head down and suddenly found myself lying on the boot of a parked car. Got off and rode away before the owner came out.
 
The 3 times I have come off have all been my fault.

1. Carrying bag over shoulder and cycling one handed whilst braking on leaves
2. Hit change of road surface to cobbles at too shallow an angle and slowly fell off
3. Not paying attention to approaching sharp bend on gravel road at speed and badly judged it - this one ended up in A&E.
 

BigAl68

Über Member
Location
Bath
Yes me to. Riding across a car park when I see two cyclists looking at one of their bikes. I ask is everything OK, they say yes and then I ride straight into a curb which I know is there but hit and end up in a pile on the floor.
 

Banjo

Fuelled with Jelly Babies
Location
South Wales
The big question (and I am surprised its not been asked yet) Is the bike ok ??
 

martint235

Dog on a bike
Location
Welling
Yes me to. Riding across a car park when I see two cyclists looking at one of their bikes. I ask is everything OK, they say yes and then I ride straight into a curb which I know is there but hit and end up in a pile on the floor.
Ah, where is Davy Walnuts when you need him. On a night ride to Bognor, we'd stopped at Pease Pottage services. Davy left the services last and seeing the rest of us on the other side of the car park promptly attempted to ride in a straight line towards us not realising there were kerbs in the way. With his rucksack under him, he looked like a mutant turtle. How we laughed!!!!
 
Yes, riding along in rain with my head down and suddenly found myself lying on the boot of a parked car. Got off and rode away before the owner came out.

The people of Bury must hate cyclists, I did the same thing! I went down a hill in the rain, head down straight into the back of a van that was parked in a cycle lane. I went through the window. The police must have thought he was on dodgy ground for making a claim as I never heard anything (I have third party insurance that would have covered it anyway)
 

Globalti

Legendary Member
This wasn't in Bury, this was in the sleepy Oxfordshire village where I grew up. I must have been about 14.
 
OP
OP
robjh

robjh

Legendary Member
Yes, riding along in rain with my head down and suddenly found myself lying on the boot of a parked car. Got off and rode away before the owner came out.

The people of Bury must hate cyclists, I did the same thing! I went down a hill in the rain, head down straight into the back of a van that was parked in a cycle lane. I went through the window. The police must have thought he was on dodgy ground for making a claim as I never heard anything (I have third party insurance that would have covered it anyway)

One of my clubride buddies hit a parked car on his commute, on my road. Fortunately the neighbours have not been out looking for cyclists' blood. Oh wait a moment..(goes out to check the noises from the street)
 
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