When to call it a day?

[mickle]

"The health benefits of cycling outweigh the dangers by a factor of 20 to 1" We've been told this nugget for so many decades, over a period of time when cyclist KSIs in the UK have fallen substantially, that it's probably closer to 30 to 1 now.

The heath benefits of cycling are so profound that every minute you spend riding a bike is added to your life expectancy. Cycling, in spite if the real and perceived dangers, is less dangerous than sitting on the sofa watching EastEnders.

And I think there's something to be said for just getting out there on your local roads, being a skilled, confident, competent and assertive cyclist for all to see. The more they see us, the more they'll expect us to be in the road. And especially women who might just inspire other women to get out there and do it.

 

[Jameshow]

Freind of a friend came off in the dales yesterday. Serious injuries.
Your as much risk to yourself as much as other are to you....

 

[Venod]

After the last serious accident in August last year, resulting in fractured skull and 4 days in hospital I did consider calling it a day, after a winter of turbo riding and improved fitness and the weather improving I realised I was missing the outdoor riding, so I am back out there, the wife isn't completely happy but she understands my decision, after 53 years she knows me.

 

[teeonethousand]

Freind of a friend came off in the dales yesterday. Serious injuries.
Your as much risk to yourself as much as other are to you....

Agreed. I fell off on a paved roundabout on our recent trip to Edinburgh..entirely my own fault and got away with a bruised and cut/scraped knee. Lots of blood but no lasting damage.
I took away 3 lessons:
1) Don't forget to look where your going as you try to 360 everything else.
2) My old bones stood up to the fall off ...I find that encouraging
3) The last thing that happened as I was sprawled on the roundabout was my helmet dunked on the floor ..personally I will always wear a good helmet.

Onwards and upwards 😁

 

[wakemalcolm]

..personally I will always wear a good helmet.

Hopefully now you're wearing a new helmet.

 

[ColinJ]

After the last serious accident in August last year, resulting in fractured skull and 4 days in hospital I did consider calling it a day, after a winter of turbo riding and improved fitness and the weather improving I realised I was missing the outdoor riding, so I am back out there, the wife isn't completely happy but she understands my decision, after 53 years she knows me.

I am so glad that you changed your mind. Hopefully, we will bump into each other , er, get to ride together out on the road again some time!

 

[All uphill]

Where did you get that number from? I have read that there are 1.5 million cycle journeys a day in London alone.

If there were the likelihood of one death every 12000 miles then I would definitely give up cycling.

Yes, the figures are a bit confusing.

Transport for London reports 1.5 million cycle journeys in London in 2025.

Cycling UK reports 3.5 billion miles cycled across the UK in 2024.

AI told me 1.5 million journeys across the UK

 

[Pblakeney]

Yes, the figures are a bit confusing.

Transport for London reports 1.5 million cycle journeys in London in 2025.

Cycling UK reports 3.5 billion miles cycled across the UK in 2024.

AI told me 1.5 million journeys across the UK

AI thinks London is the UK.
Americans often make that mistake.

 

[TheDoctor]

I've had one serious crash ever - broken collarbone, bike totalled. It didn't put me off. Cycling keeps me alive, far more so than the risk of it killing me.

 

[N0bodyOfTheGoat]

I've only had one serious crash on my bike, which was completely of my own making at a time when I was only cycle commuting and popping to the local shops on my bike, days after turning 40. Several years later, I began recreational/fitness cycling.

However, I'm very cautious about what time I'll either head off into the rural lanes, or be returning home. The roads within ~3 miles of home on the eastern edge of Southampton can be very hostile to ride at the "wrong" time, during rush hours and school run hours.

As much as I'd much rather have my fitness of four years ago, having my ebike for the last year is making me use shared pathways far more, because I'm far more likely to be riding near the ~15.5mph motor cutoff these days rather than 18mph+ (which isn't advised for shared pathway cycling and the inconvience of stopping to tranverse side roads becomes a drag).

 

[Andy in Germany]

I've had one serious crash ever - broken collarbone, bike totalled. It didn't put me off. Cycling keeps me alive, far more so than the risk of it killing me.

Also a good point: cycling is the most effective way to reduce my asthma: after about half an hour of riding I can breathe more clearly than any medication seems to achieve, so I think the benefits outweigh the risks.

 

[kingrollo]

After a health scare last year - my intention is to take it to the grave. You can't control when you live and die .

I remember some years back a top rally driver was killed sitting in his car outside a fish and chip shop - how can you factor that in ?

 

[All uphill]

I'd love to know more about the statistics of injuries acquired while riding a bike.

The balance of risk between urban, suburban and rural. Do more or fewer collisions happen to solitary cyclists or cyclists in a group?
Are new cyclists more vulnerable than experienced? Do more people sustain injuries while utility cycling or when pursuing personal vests?

I don't know much, but I know enough to know that the obvious answers are probably wrong.

 

[wakemalcolm]

I remember some years back a top rally driver was killed sitting in his car outside a fish and chip shop - how can you factor that in ?

Should have been sitting on the roof like a winner, spraying his fizzy pop over the gathered queue.

That's a sad tale: who was it?

 

[Punkawallah]

After a health scare last year - my intention is to take it to the grave. You can't control when you live and die .

I remember some years back a top rally driver was killed sitting in his car outside a fish and chip shop - how can you factor that in ?

He must have been unlucky - most accidents happen in the home.