School of hard knocks

I might be wrong (please correct me if I am) but I thought if the helmet cracked it had absorbed the full impact of the fall and thus prevented the transfer of the blow to the skull.

Still I'd rather have a cracked helmet than a cracked skull.

Joe, you will live longer but it sure won't be interesting. Sounds like 36 years of unedifying trundling. I hope you enjoy your next ride whenever the conditions are right: 28th May.

Gently sweeping around the helmet issue, I’ve found spiked tyres an absolute boon through mid winter. Admittedly, broader 35/42mm 700c (or mtb) sections won’t suit everyone (nor will their weight penalty and slightly gravelly patter over clear tarmac) but they've enabled me to safely navigate otherwise impassable rural backwaters at 17mph

Thrifty types could fashion their own using budget cross/mtb rubber, a rivet gun and steel 1/8" pop rivets. I experimented with the concept on my Yak pattern trailer's 16x1.75 wheel last year-worked surprisingly well!

@shaun, what country is that? Here is the Republic of Greater Manchester it hasn't been below freezing.

http://uk.weather.com/weather/almanac-Manchester-UKXX0092:1:UK

Note Jan 12 Low 0C is the minimum temperature here all winter and that was at 2am. It hasn't stopped raining for three months though.

Prehistoric agendas aside seeing someone physically injured on a ride is distressing for the onlooker. (obviously not as much as the injured party!).

I've ridden past people injured on Sportives (They were already getting enough help) and it puts risk /reward into perspective.

As for avoiding it, being out on the road for hours covering 50-100 miles means conditions drastically change but this is all part of the fun.

I'm buggered, in fact most of us are.

There'll be such a narrow range of climatic and road conditions and environmental factors that are suitable I may as well sell my bike now*.

If it rains it hurts grip and visibility, and rain means you'll get wet and therefore colder.

Snow and ice? Doh, a no brainer.

Fog? Visibility

Warmth? Risk of heatstroke, dehydration or sunburn.

Darkness? Can't see where you're going

Fog? Ditto

Bright sunlight? Ditto.

Busy roads? Cars

Country lanes? Wild deer and angry squirrels, mud, poo and posh girls in jodhpurs.

Heaven knows we can't just make use of commercially available equipment that will mitigate the risks, like lights, coats, sunglasses etc (and helmets!)

I'm instigating a new rule, which is 'soften the fuck down' and I look forward to the couple of days a year where I can safely ride my bike.

*I have yet to risk assess the task of bicycle selling but I'm sure there'll be some hazards.

My sympathies to those hurt. At least the lesson is learnt: Don't go out on icy roads on a bicycle if you don't have to.

I was once, well twice, a bit daft. I've had two crashes on roads I thought ice free until I came down. I won't bore you with the injuries...suffice to say I learnt the lesson. As for sliding on ice? There is often no gradual loss of grip and a long impact absorbing slide on ice. It is often straight over and over very, very quickly.

Having cracked two ribs in warm dry conditions last year and losing a month of training - which I paid for in the summer - I check the weather and stick to the rollers if it's going to be icy. It makes more sense to make up for lost training time in spring rather than being laid up for weeks after thrashing yourself on icy roads.

If you have to commute by bike all year around - fair enough. If you don't it makes no sense to risk injury when it's not necessary. Personal freedom is fine in principle but I'd rather give the NHS more time to treat those involved in less avoidable accidents.

Perhaps these accidents were avoidable but going out for a bike ride in fairly good conditions whilst taking care when riding is not stupid. If we all avoided risky situations then there would be very few of us who would be able to lead a fulfilling and active life. Thankfully we live in a society which allows people to take calculated risks in their leisure time in return for putting in a decent days work. Or at least we should.

Why is it all of my concussions -- several in football (American), two in ice hockey and one, that I can remember, while cycling -- came while wearing a helmet? The logical question to ask would be this: Do helmets cause concussions, or TBI as they call it now?

Longs don't always help. Cycling here in Sweden last winter, I soon learned 2 valuable lessons: 1- There is a reason that the Swedes use Dubbdäck, (studded tyres) and 2 - That 3hrs of 25km/h on icy roads at -5C and blood freezes into Strawberry Sorbet...

No problem, glad to be of help.

Sorry if my post came across like a bit of a lecture- I was quite alarmed by your story, and I've been caught out in the past by seemingly minor head trauma. And it's always the young blokes who would rather soldier on than admit when they're hurt and get checked out!

Glad to hear you're on the mend though.

Hi Martin, I'm a radiology registrar, and I've just read your blog during a quiet moment at work. A large part of my job is scanning people who've bumped their heads, and I'm concerned that you've suffered a significant head injury. You probably should have had a CT scan of your head at the time, but if you're still OK, then you've probably got away with it. However I'd strongly urge you to have a very low threshold for going to your doctor and getting checked out. That is if you have a persistent headache, any funny numbness or weakness, disturbances of your sight or smell, clear fluid coming out of your nose or ear, etc etc.

For future reference if you bump your head, and are knocked out, suffer retrograde amnesia of more than 1/2 hour, aren't quite yourself for over 2hrs post injury, or suffer persistent vomiting, then you should go to A&E, and probably get a CT scan, (ref: NICE guidelines for head injury 2007).

Having said all that I hope you've made a full recovery.

I went down last year on the road to Moreton after going through Epping Forest and Wooton Bassett. It was one of those cold mornings in London but there had been no frost in the city or in the Forest. Once I got into open countryside it was a different matter. Ice everywhere.

I'd passed quite a few places where there was black ice from water splashed out of potholes and coasted through without incident. But on a very cambered section of road just after a monster puddle that had icebergs floating in it, I was suddenly on my right side clipped in and sliding along. I had no memory of the loss of traction, no memory of falling, nothing. Id taken the fall on my right hip and right shoulder, neither my Craft elite bibs nor my Castelli rain jacket were torn, so from the accounts I'm reading, I was lucky! I think the road was so slick that I was sliding on pure smooth ice.

Got a nasty but small bruise at shoulder and hip, learnt my lesson! At the time I was more worried about the winter bike, but the only casualty was the right Ultegra 6600 shifter, which had been rotated around the bar, and which now bears a scratch on the tip. I always leave them a little loose so they can rotate around the bar rather than break in the event of a fall. The rest of the bike - nothing! I think I lifted it off the ground as I fell. So I finished the 100km and went home.

Thinking about it later I feel much more worried. What if it had happened where there was traffic? My head would have been paté.

I was once riding along an icy trail on one of my winter bikes with studded tires...after 1 hour of this I was feeling pretty chuff and then the next thing I knew I was picking myself off the ground. I looked around and couldn't see my bike...there was nothing on the trail.

I got up and started a search...it turned out the trail was frozen solid (think ice rink) and my bike had slid 30 feet down the trail and into a ditch.

P.S. It turned out I also broke my helmet in the fall

It is 9.21am and already 29 degrees C and 60% humidity. Oh well, guess I had better stay in the aircon and watch the cricket. Tomorrow I will get up earlier and head out for a roll.

[[[[[[ Better to slow down than go down....I let some air out of the tyres. Fundamental, innit.
P.R.

Wow! I'm sure it's just me being weird, but all these stories have cheered me up no end. In fact, sitting here thinking maybe I deserve another drink. Road bike's been in the back of the garage for months. Been getting my kicks on the hardtail up in the woods - it has 2 features I find useful @ this time of year, that're missing from the rb... (a) tyres & (b) brakes.

Me too, I'm sporting a nice big bruise below my knee from using it to steady the bike after hitting some black ice a few days ago heading up the north west side of a 200m hill. I managed to stay upright and had the sense to get off and walk through the village at the top where shade from the houses etc... had allowed the ice to cling on, took it very easy down the other side just in case.

We've all been a bit silly. Better to get the CX or MTB out and go play in the mud once things start to freeze up. Worry less about mileage and get some skidding practice in for when you need it on the road.

I can only sympathise as we've all done it and sometimes it seems we never learn ......

One dark and bitterly cold January morning last year I set off for work and on the first bend my front wheel slipped on the ice and down I went. A broken shifter, torn waterproof, bruised shoulder and even more bruised hip convinced me to take the car. I hurt for a couple of weeks.

One dark and bitterly cold February morning last year I set off for work and on the first bend ......

I needn't finish this, need I?

Just a word of caution - thats a hematoma and depending on the size and amount of swelling it could require some additional treatment.

My GF did almost exactly the same thing about 4 years ago on black ice and the top of her leg is now a completely different shape as a result of the tissue being deformed by the blood for quite a long time - it never regained its previous shape.

We both thought, hey its a bruise, it will go away, but it didnt.....

Mile 1 of 70 in an Evans ride it sportive late last year, 1st roundabout , touched rear brake to slow a little, back of bike went from under me and skidded across the roundabout still clipped in! Decided to withdraw as my arse could now be seen clearly through my torn bibshorts! 70 miles is a long way to ride with a cold and grazed bum!