Emergencies and unwanted incidents during ride!

sauravgartaula

New Member
Founding Member
Jan 15, 2018
84
38
Hello there,

I want to start a discussion on different types of emergencies, unwanted incidents, accidents, etc that could happen during riding and how we should be prepared for it.

Please share your experiences with any unfortunate events that have occurred from incidents like tire puncture to large scale accidents. Please suggest how we could tackle and avoid those incidents and be safe all the time.

Being safe is one of the most important aspect of riding so lets hear it from you guys!

- Saurav G.
 
E

EddieJ

Guest
I've had many over the years, including two which really sacred the crap out of me. If I can find it, I have a clip of me falling from my old Macina Lycan and an indicated 27mph, and taking a very heavy fall, which did me no favours, and also split my helmet. I was on my own and miles from anywhere, and really didn't feel too well, and felt quite sick.
I telephoned my regular riding pal, as he would be the only person to have any idea of where I was, but he happened to be away for the weekend. Because of my head injury, I really wasn't sure that I was going to be able to get out of the woodland and home. Remaining calm, I made my friend 100 percent certain as to my location, then explained to him the route that I intended to walk. I then rang him roughly every few hundred metres or so, until I reached a main road, and the relative knowledge that there would be vehicles driving along it, and that if worse came to worse, that someone would hopefully stop to help. Luckily it didn't come to that though.

One other that taught me a very valuable lesson, is not to go off piste in the Alps on your own, and if you do, don't do it in the evening.
I did just the above, and took a fall, which saw my rolling down a very steep slope, until I hit a tree which broke my fall. After a time, and with much struggling, I got back to whee the bike was, then realized that my phone had also fallen out of my pocket. Using para cord that I always carry for emergency use, I lowered my self back down the slope to find it, which I did.

This is where the next stupid thing happened. Rather than turn back the way that I had come, I figured that with no lighting, and daylight fading, that I would continue forwards, and try to get down the mountain using a very narrow hiking trail. What a bad move, as this was becoming more like via ferrata! In truth I was starting to panic, as I couldn't go back, without having to leave the bike behind. Eventually I made it down, but only through luck, then the next day whilst cycling on a valley opposite, the realization of just how lucky that I was hit home. What I didn't know when I fell, was that if I hadn't hit a tree which stopped me, I would very likely have continued over a cliff edge.

All good fun! The red arrow marks roughly where I fell, and the yellow line, the start of my descent afterwards.

image.jpg




resize1.jpg


The Alps can be pretty unforgiving, and even in my trip last year, I was caught out when the weather deteriorated, and fog set in. I couldn't see either side of where I was, or how close that I was to a drop into nothing on either side of my position. Things were compounded when high winds also started. I recall Harald Philipp once saying "that you never feel more alive than when you are facing the opposite of it" That statement is just so true, and I totally get why he rides where he does.
 

Al Boneta

Dark Rider
Patreon
Founding Member
Jan 18, 2018
1,351
2,602
California
The best way to avoid emergencies and accidents is preparation.
I always check my bike after my last ride. I clean it and lube the chain. I make sure my derailleur hanger is straight and my pivots are tight. Look over the chain and make sure no links are coming apart.
Before a ride I always check the tire pressure.
Making sure that the bike is in perfect working order is critical.
Pack enough water and food. Bring tools you might need for mechanical issues.
Know the trail and plan out your route
 

sauravgartaula

New Member
Founding Member
Jan 15, 2018
84
38
I've had many over the years, including two which really sacred the crap out of me. If I can find it, I have a clip of me falling from my old Macina Lycan and an indicated 27mph, and taking a very heavy fall, which did me no favours, and also split my helmet. I was on my own and miles from anywhere, and really didn't feel too well, and felt quite sick.
I telephoned my regular riding pal, as he would be the only person to have any idea of where I was, but he happened to be away for the weekend. Because of my head injury, I really wasn't sure that I was going to be able to get out of the woodland and home. Remaining calm, I made my friend 100 percent certain as to my location, then explained to him the route that I intended to walk. I then rang him roughly every few hundred metres or so, until I reached a main road, and the relative knowledge that there would be vehicles driving along it, and that if worse came to worse, that someone would hopefully stop to help. Luckily it didn't come to that though.

One other that taught me a very valuable lesson, is not to go off piste in the Alps on your own, and if you do, don't do it in the evening.
I did just the above, and took a fall, which saw my rolling down a very steep slope, until I hit a tree which broke my fall. After a time, and with much struggling, I got back to whee the bike was, then realized that my phone had also fallen out of my pocket. Using para cord that I always carry for emergency use, I lowered my self back down the slope to find it, which I did.

This is where the next stupid thing happened. Rather than turn back the way that I had come, I figured that with no lighting, and daylight fading, that I would continue forwards, and try to get down the mountain using a very narrow hiking trail. What a bad move, as this was becoming more like via ferrata! In truth I was starting to panic, as I couldn't go back, without having to leave the bike behind. Eventually I made it down, but only through luck, then the next day whilst cycling on a valley opposite, the realization of just how lucky that I was hit home. What I didn't know when I fell, was that if I hadn't hit a tree which stopped me, I would very likely have continued over a cliff edge.

All good fun! The red arrow marks roughly where I fell, and the yellow line, the start of my descent afterwards.

image.jpg




resize1.jpg


The Alps can be pretty unforgiving, and even in my trip last year, I was caught out when the weather deteriorated, and fog set in. I couldn't see either side of where I was, or how close that I was to a drop into nothing on either side of my position. Things were compounded when high winds also started. I recall Harald Philipp once saying "that you never feel more alive than when you are facing the opposite of it" That statement is just so true, and I totally get why he rides where he does.
Wow, that was really dangerous. Anything could have happened. Ride safe sir!
 

sauravgartaula

New Member
Founding Member
Jan 15, 2018
84
38
The best way to avoid emergencies and accidents is preparation.
I always check my bike after my last ride. I clean it and lube the chain. I make sure my derailleur hanger is straight and my pivots are tight. Look over the chain and make sure no links are coming apart.
Before a ride I always check the tire pressure.
Making sure that the bike is in perfect working order is critical.
Pack enough water and food. Bring tools you might need for mechanical issues.
Know the trail and plan out your route
Nice ideas sir.
Thank you!
 
E

EddieJ

Guest
Wow, that was really dangerous. Anything could have happened. Ride safe sir!

I have just found the following photo that whilst not showing any drops, shows how the fog can come in. This was from the ride mentioned above.

P1000944.jpg


And the same ride some ten minutes later. Quite an amazing change, and the bank of cloud that I had ridden through, is shown behind.

P1000950.jpg


Accidents are just part of mountain biking for me, and even last night I took a tumble within five minutes of leaving home. Totally my fault, as I was on a brand new bike, with a change of wheel size and hadn't predicted that lifting the front wheel early enough to clear a step. Poor prep on my part.

What I don't like is not knowing why an accident* happened at all. In the case of the fall mentioned where I telephoned my regular riding partner, that was a route that I had traveled literally hundreds of times previously, a dead straight track with just grass covering it. No cause for alarm or concern.
I couldn't understand why I had fallen, and rode the route again a few weeks later after returning from the alps. Almost the same happened again, but I managed to save the fall. I still didn't know why it happened, so returned the next day with my riding partner, with the sole intention of repeating it, with him watching. I went slower predicting the worse, and sure enough started to loose the front end of the bike, in exactly the same spot. Being able to pin point the exact spot, then enabled me to work out why it had happened. What I hadn't noticed when riding or even walking, was that at some stage the ground must have become soft, a vehicle had driven the route, and there was just a three inch high parallel rut, that was now obscured by long grass. The fall and near fall, and been caused by one simple unnoticed change to the terrain. It is hard to believe that cross rutting a 3" rut could put you in hospital.


* I hate that word as there is not really any such thing.
 

sauravgartaula

New Member
Founding Member
Jan 15, 2018
84
38
I have just found the following photo that whilst not showing any drops, shows how the fog can come in. This was from the ride mentioned above.

P1000944.jpg


And the same ride some ten minutes later. Quite an amazing change, and the bank of cloud that I had ridden through, is shown behind.

P1000950.jpg


Accidents are just part of mountain biking for me, and even last night I took a tumble within five minutes of leaving home. Totally my fault, as I was on a brand new bike, with a change of wheel size and hadn't predicted that lifting the front wheel early enough to clear a step. Poor prep on my part.

What I don't like is not knowing why an accident* happened at all. In the case of the fall mentioned where I telephoned my regular riding partner, that was a route that I had traveled literally hundreds of times previously, a dead straight track with just grass covering it. No cause for alarm or concern.
I couldn't understand why I had fallen, and rode the route again a few weeks later after returning from the alps. Almost the same happened again, but I managed to save the fall. I still didn't know why it happened, so returned the next day with my riding partner, with the sole intention of repeating it, with him watching. I went slower predicting the worse, and sure enough started to loose the front end of the bike, in exactly the same spot. Being able to pin point the exact spot, then enabled me to work out why it had happened. What I hadn't noticed when riding or even walking, was that at some stage the ground must have become soft, a vehicle had driven the route, and there was just a three inch high parallel rut, that was now obscured by long grass. The fall and near fall, and been caused by one simple unnoticed change to the terrain. It is hard to believe that cross rutting a 3" rut could put you in hospital.


* I hate that word as there is not really any such thing.
Well sometimes small unnoticeable things bring greater consequences. I'm happy for you that you could figure it out and I like how you were so much determined to find out what caused the accident.

Keep riding sir. Cheers!
 

marbonitaz21

New Member
Founding Member
Jan 17, 2018
15
8
Haymart, Virginia 22069
Poor preparation maybe part encountering these unwanted accidents but on the other hand there are just events that are beyond our control such as slipping and perhaps wildlife disruption. But I guess, one way to avoid accidents is to keep practising and master the bike along with mastering the woods.
 

sauravgartaula

New Member
Founding Member
Jan 15, 2018
84
38
Poor preparation maybe part encountering these unwanted accidents but on the other hand there are just events that are beyond our control such as slipping and perhaps wildlife disruption. But I guess, one way to avoid accidents is to keep practising and master the bike along with mastering the woods.
That's some nice opinion that you have. :D
 

EMTB Forums

Since 2018

The World's largest electric mountain bike community.

518K
Messages
25,440
Members
Join Our Community

Latest articles


Top