Man Down!

September 6, 2023

If you ride long enough, a bike crash is probably going to happen eventually. I always knew it was a matter of time. My first came from a freak accident, the second from a mistake I made myself. In both cases, I got lucky.

My first crash happened within my first year of riding. It was a total freak accident and not predictable. I was cruising along the path I ride almost every day. I was not going fast, about 10mph, when my fingerless left glove somehow caught the gear shift lever. I didn’t realize it had snagged until I went to move my hand and by then it was too late. It jerked the handlebars hard, swept the front wheel out from under me, and slammed me straight into the pavement.

I landed hard on my right side. My shoulder took most of the impact, and I hit my head hard enough to split my helmet. No concussion, thankfully. That is why I always wear one, and advocate for all cyclist to also do so. Seriously, ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET! I used the helmet’s crash replacement policy to swap it out the next day.

The crash resulted in big patch of road rash on my shoulder, some bruising along my ribs, and a lot of soreness, but no broken bones. I was back on a stationary bike the next day. I resumed riding a week later and all was good. 

It wasn’t too serious. No cars, no high speed, no loose gravel involved. I came away lucky. I was a little shaken up, but still in one piece and more aware than ever that even my simple maintenance rides deserve respect. That first bike crash taught me just how quickly an ordinary ride can go wrong, even when you’re not riding particularly fast.

While thinking about writing the post about my first crash, it happened again. Great timing, right?

My Second Bike Crash: A Moment of Distraction

I took my second fall over this (2025) extended July 4th weekend. I had the 3rd and 4th off and planned a full weekend of rides. I crashed on the 3rd on an otherwise fantastic ride. I was 20 miles in when I went down. This time, it wasn’t a freak accident. This one was entirely on me.

My drivetrain was making this annoying little noise, so I looked down to figure out what was going on. I stayed looking down just a bit too long. I was riding on a paved path with grass on the sides, and wooden fence on the edge. The pavement has a small lip down to the grass, which sits slightly lower. When I finally looked back up, I was drifting toward the edge and heading for the fence.

The front wheel dropped into the grass. I instinctively tried to pull the bike left to get back onto the path, but it caught the edge, and the wheel swept out from under me.

Thankfully, I saw it coming. I was able to slow down just enough and tuck and roll into the ground. No impact to the head, no road rash, no torn clothing. I even popped right back up immediately after the crash. The immediate damage report was a solid  bump above my elbow. My ribs took some of the hit, and while there was no bruising on the surface, it definitely hurt to bend, twist, or take deep breaths for the next week or so. Could’ve been a bruise or a hairline fracture, who knows, but it wasn’t worth a hospital visit. I made it the 5 miles home, iced up, and took it easy.

The bike was fine aside from needing to straighten the handlebars. I was fine too, just sore. My new reminder: don’t get distracted. Stay focused on the road, no matter how small the noise or issue seems. You can always pull over and inspect the issue while standing.

After two bike crashes, I’ve learned that staying alert is just as important as having the right equipment.

Lesson learned. Again.

The upside? I was still able to ride over the holiday weekend. Took it easy the next day, but by Saturday I logged a 35-mile ride resulting in a 4-day weekend total of 97 miles. Sore ribs and all.