Crash by Dave Jordaan USA Cycling Level 1 Coach

Cycling is inherently a dangerous activity. Heard that phrase before? It on every

waiver you sign when you participate in a bicycle event. Although a crash is not always
inevitable it is probably likely so I have put together some guidelines on what to do if
you crash;
A crash comes unexpectedly but you will always have a few split seconds to avoid it.
This article will cover my recommendations to train your crash instinct. Lets assume you have no
choice and go down. You find yourself on the road and you are slightly disoriented and often,
especially if there are other people around, a little embarrassed. Unless you are in a life-threatening
situation remain just where you are. Your immediate reaction is to jump up BUT do NOT get up (or
even unclip from your bike). Feel for any sharp pain, dizziness etc. You will be experiencing early effect
of shock and it takes concentration on your part to overcome the adrenaline rush. Take a few deep
breaths to get your metabolism under control so that you can think clearly. In public areas spectators
will often rush to assist - let them know if you are OK. Feel for any injury yourself. If you feel that you
do not have any possible serious injury try to sit-up - do not stand, yet, and re-assess your situation.
Before you get up make certain you are functioning calmly. If everything feels OK stand up and
move off the road/path do not start riding yet. Use any available assistance to move to a cool/safe
spot to assess damage to you and/or your bike. Do not be the macho athlete i.e. accept assistance
if it i s offered. Once you are sitting in cool/safe spot reach for your water bottle and drink to counter
the shock that is dehydrating your system.
If you crash in a race do not continue with the event unless it is absolutely necessary. Continue
only if you are contending for a podium finish or if you have to finish a stage. If you are on a training
ride get yourself home as quickly and painlessly as possible (even if you think your injuries are only
slight) as there is often more than a physical reaction to a crash. If you suspect a serious problem
then get to the emergency room as quickly as possible. BTW: NEVER turn down a ride in an ambulance
as emergency rooms typically make walk-ins wait while they treat ambulance entries immediately. If
your injuries are not serious accept temporary 1st Aid and treat yourself as follows;
Road rash is a burn. Keeping burns wet (no scabbing) will heal wounds quicker and cleaner.
Thoroughly scrub out all dirt (ouch) from road rash wounds using cool running water and mild soap - do
not use anything like hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol that can harm the tissue and delay healing.
This will hurt but it is critical for healing. Once the wound is 100% clean of dirt you then cover all broken
skin areas with triple antibiotic ointment on a non-stick pad. Wrap the area up with a self-stick bandage
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self_adhering_bandage Change the bandage once a day, wash if
necessary and then re-apply the ointment treated non-stick pad and bandage up again. Keep your
wounds wet (no sunlight) until the skin is fully healed. Once the new skin has grown over (still pink
and tender) start apply Vitamin E cream. If the healing area is going to be exposed to the sun use heavy
sunscreen creams until the scar area is unnoticeable.
Once you are treated you can assess why the crash happened? Here are some common causes for
road crashes during racing (I have ignored cornering as that is a separate technical article);
1) Number one cause of crashes is when your front wheel has crossed the rear wheel of the rider you are
following wheels touched and you went down. It is simply a case of being too close when the leading rider
changed line or braked. Crossing wheels is not a good reason to go down as it is easily recoverable. You
simply panicked and made the situation worse by falling off your bike! Set aside one training day a year
to practice touching wheels and bumping and choose the wheels you follow more carefully.
2) Next leading cause of crashes is "lack of concentration". There is always a crash on the most boring
sections and times of riding or racing when you/everyone loses concentration. When a pack slows, surges,
speeds up, starts drinking o r stands immediately increase concentration of your surroundings (pack and
environment). Maintain your concentration level plan and counteract low blood glucose (caused by low liver
glycogen) by taking in energy gels every 45 minutes.
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3) Next up: cornering. You need to constantly work on cornering technique during training. Practice all three
basic cornering techniques. The safest cornering method is to steer your bike (bike upright and body bent
into the corner) and the most dangerous is leaning (body and bike leaning ala Velodrome and crash because
your pedal touched the ground). The fastest (and most casual) is to counter-steer (body upright and bike
leaning). Practice when and how to pedal into, through and out of corners during training. EVERY corner you
negotiate, whether in a huge pack or solo, is an opportunity to hone these skills. Choose which technique you
are going to use before corners and then concentrate and learn. It helps tremendously if you can include a
few mountain bike and/or track training sessions each year to sharpen cornering skills.
4) There are often riders in every pack who have too much Power (strength + speed) and too little Skill. These
riders are easy to recognize as they are typically sitting in exactly the easiest position in the pack and therefore
probably just in front of you ALL THE TIME. There riders are a danger to themselves and to you. Learn to
recognize and then steer clear of them even if it means going into the wind, not riding int eh most
favorable place in the pack or even giving up a win (the fast corners and sprint will be EXACTLY where
skill will fail this rider dont be behind this rider at the point where everyone is redlining).
5) Always respect the pack. Riding regularly in a large pack under controlled environment will help to gain the
experience needed to make rides safer. Until you understand the personality of each pack you ride in do
not try to change the character of the ride, as most experienced packs will not tolerate lack of respect.
Disrespect most often leads to on-bike discussions and/or crashes.
Earlier in this article I stated that crashes are most often avoidable. A problem in a road pack is not a reason
for you to panic and go down. Look for an avenue of escape. Most often it means accelerating not braking. Here
are some guidelines;

1. Do not look at any crash, panic, mayhem or shouting at any time - period. Look only forward.
2. When you sense a problem switch on anti-panic receptors and focus on personal survival.
3. If you were going fast you should have already have been in your drops with straight wrists,
elbows out and full hands on the brakes - but do not grab your brakes (yet)
4. Do not look around, to the side or behind you. Only what is in front of you matters. Look ahead
using your peripheral vision to find your gap (it should be there) and accelerate out of danger
5. Get out of Dodge. It is a game of personal survival. It does not matter where you are heading
(on-road, off-road, over bikes) just hold YOUR bike upright, firm and under control.
6. Once you are heading out of the crash vicinity do not look back and do not stop until you are
fully out of trouble in fact attack
7. Repeat: do not slow down - when you see the gap accelerate and do not look back. If you do
slow down or stop suddenly there is a group behind you coming 30mph into the crash site. If you
have to stop then you must make every urgent attempt to get out of the way of the cyclists racing
into the scene of the crash. If you are on the ground you must cover up.
So much for racing crashes lets consider training rides on the road:

The Golden Rule: ALWAYS obey traffic laws and ride defensively.

Make certain that drivers can see you clearly by using ve ry b righ t tail lights and brightly
colored clothing. Recommended light: h t t p s : / / ww w. se rf a s. co m / p ro d u c t s/ vie w/ 8 1 8 /

Clearly signal your intentions. Drivers will often go out of their way to protect you and the pack
you may be pleasantly surprised how many cyclists drive cars!

Give yourself room for car doors to open without hitting the door or being forced into traffic.
Drivers opening doors in front of cyclists is a common cause of bike/vehicle death.

Be polite and friendly. Do not get into arguments with drivers. There is another cyclist ahead of
you who will appreciate you not pissing off the driver who just annoyed you. Inexperienced drivers
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are often tempted to do something silly or dangerous like shouting at a pack or misjudging pack
speeds do not react, simply ignore and/or get out of the way (even if you have to stop or take
a detour). Take every opportunity to speak or smile with drivers to show them that there is
someone of value under that helmet.

Vehicles will often misjudge your speed. If a vehicle speeds past you and then brakes hard they
are most likely going to turn directly in front of you and/or the pack. At stops take careful note of
vehicle turn indicator/signs.

Practice looking back over your shoulder while holding a straight line. Your bike tends to drift
toward the side that you are looking so think straight ahead and take the hand on the side you
are looking off the bar (control the bike with the hand opposite to the side you are looking) when
you look back.

It is safer to do a chicken left (crossing straight ahead and then turning left with the cross
traffic) than run a left turn red signal. Stopping at 4-way stops can save your life (and probably
a few moving violations).

Finally: If you are going to go down it is safest to simply lay down the bike and land gracefully rather
than trying too hard to save the fall. If you do go down you have to learn to land under control. To
avoid the most common cause of wrist/collarbone injury you have to learn how to roll and/or land
properly. Take time to practice or, better yet, stop by a gymnastic or judo class for a lesson in
landing under control. I have focused this paper on the road but mountain bikers will find plenty of
useful information here as well. Either way incorporate technical bike handling skills in your training
program every year.
If you found this useful or interesting check out my Pack Etiquette paper for more on safe cycling

All information for your program remains the intellectual property of P. Dave Jordaan. Unauthorized use prohibited.
Copyright and Distribution protected. CyberCycleCoach@gmail.com