TBF it's a bit unfair using Annemiek as an example since she is comprised primarily of titanium and awesomeness, and when damaged regenerates faster than the T-1000.
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We could nitpick and focus only on some rare cases in history. Instead of recognizing the general state of thing. That is if you break a bone your season will be affected severely if not lost altogether. I feel it's safe to make such conclusion. A piece of metal and a few screws can shorten the time a bit but this is not something that should in my opinion be encouraged.
@Libertine Seguros
Surely some percentage goes to the direct blow too. Not just in regards to collarbone but this whole area. You often see tear in jersey after some mass crash. In regards to this areas.
Yesterday i found this:
www.procyclingstats.com
Didn't know this existed. After analyzing it a bit the data indeed confirms what was suggested in this thread. That is the list of injured cyclist in 2022 season is rather big already and fractured collarbone is the most common injury. In average taking 6 weeks to return. Apparel currently being used offering no protection against the most common cycling injury.
Based on the current trend i feel that it's realistic to expect 100+ collarbones broken by the end of the season. In my opinion this is just whacked. I knew it was bad but now the data backs it up too.
@Libertine Seguros
Surely some percentage goes to the direct blow too. Not just in regards to collarbone but this whole area. You often see tear in jersey after some mass crash. In regards to this areas.
Yesterday i found this:
Cycling statistics on age, injuries, speed
On what age does a rider score the most points? What was the average speed in the WorldTour in 2025? How globalised is the sport of cycling?
www.procyclingstats.com
Didn't know this existed. After analyzing it a bit the data indeed confirms what was suggested in this thread. That is the list of injured cyclist in 2022 season is rather big already and fractured collarbone is the most common injury. In average taking 6 weeks to return. Apparel currently being used offering no protection against the most common cycling injury.
Based on the current trend i feel that it's realistic to expect 100+ collarbones broken by the end of the season. In my opinion this is just whacked. I knew it was bad but now the data backs it up too.
Last edited:
Not exactly a "season lost", wouldn't you agree. Notice how many of the riders listed with broken bones - collarbones or otherwise - are already long back in competition.
And - as several of us have tried to point out - the reason cycling jerseys do not protect much against broken collarbones is that it's quite hard to make apparel that protects against broken collarbones, without also restricting movements to a part of the body that the riders moves as much as their shoulders. And no; they're not static!
Bonimenier
BANNED
PCS uses 6 weeks to come back from a broken collarbone as a standard timetable, but in practice riders are back a lot quicker than 6 weeks most of the time. Often they can resume training less than a week after the injury.We could nitpick and focus only on some rare cases in history. Instead of recognizing the general state of thing. That is if you break a bone your season will be affected severely if not lost altogether. I feel it's safe to make such conclusion. A piece of metal and a few screws can shorten the time a bit but this is not something that should in my opinion be encouraged.
@Libertine Seguros
Surely some percentage goes to the direct blow too. Not just in regards to collarbone but this whole area. You often see tear in jersey after some mass crash. In regards to this areas.
Yesterday i found this:
Cycling statistics on age, injuries, speed
On what age does a rider score the most points? What was the average speed in the WorldTour in 2025? How globalised is the sport of cycling?
Didn't know this existed. After analyzing it a bit the data indeed confirms what was suggested in this thread. That is the list of injured cyclist is rather big and fractured collarbone is the most common injury. In average taking 6 weeks to return. Apparel currently being used offering no protection against the most common cycling injury.
So we just went from "Whole season lost!" to "Six weeks out." to "Actually less than six weeks." in the span of a few days...
@RedheadDane
@Bonimenier
That is the time it takes to heal. Internet says another 6 weeks in average is needed to regain full strength. If cyclist returns faster that means his body didn't heal yet properly and likely a piece of metal is holding the cyclist together.
@Bonimenier
That is the time it takes to heal. Internet says another 6 weeks in average is needed to regain full strength. If cyclist returns faster that means his body didn't heal yet properly and likely a piece of metal is holding the cyclist together.
Based on what data? Are you two now saying PCS uses the wrong data. Or that this claim is wrong:
Broken collarbone
Find out how to tell if you have a broken collarbone, where to get medical help and how long it takes to heal.
www.nhs.uk
I dunno if you've noticed; pro cyclists aren't average people.
And you still haven't come up with a way to protect against broken collarbones without restricting movement in any way.
Actually they are human after all. Proven on multiple occasions. Their broken bone hence heals the same way as yours. As for me producing technical drawings. Why? Wouldn't it make much more sense to ask your apparel manufacturer to do that instead? After all such apparel tends to be expensive and as such shouldn't be crap. And they are getting paid for it.
No... top-level sports people are not going to heal same way as everyone else.
And maybe the reason manufacturers haven't come up with a way to protect against broken collarbones is because it's literally impossible to do without restricting movement. Again; riders move their shoulders quite a lot.
If you can ride with a piece of a metal rod in your body. And are still considered to be a hot rod. Then surely there has to be a way to reduce injuries in this area. Without cutting people open. And your apparel already being there. In that exact area.
I would expect very few collarbone injuries from cycling to be the result of a direct blow, largely because falling at an angle where your collarbone will strike what you're falling into before either your shoulder or your head is very difficult. I speak from experience on this one, having broken my shoulder a few years ago crashing in a diagonal, rolling motion to avoid striking my head, I still came down with my weight on my shoulder and broke it. My other option would have been to use my hands or elbows to break the fall, in which case the collarbone is the most likely victim and no amount of apparel will protect against the weakness of the collarbone in that eventuality, as if your upper arm is extended and your body weight is falling toward it with force, the collarbone is much weaker than the upper arm bone and more likely to be the part that breaks.
Well, the other thing you have to bear in mind is that the amount of races we have data on is massively increased as well. Boileau and Pajur were injured in a 2.2 race, while the stats also include 'cross, track and junior races plus all of those injured in training too.Yesterday i found this:
Cycling statistics on age, injuries, speed
On what age does a rider score the most points? What was the average speed in the WorldTour in 2025? How globalised is the sport of cycling?
Didn't know this existed. After analyzing it a bit the data indeed confirms what was suggested in this thread. That is the list of injured cyclist in 2022 season is rather big already and fractured collarbone is the most common injury. In average taking 6 weeks to return. Apparel currently being used offering no protection against the most common cycling injury.
Based on the current trend i feel that it's realistic to expect 100+ collarbones broken by the end of the season. In my opinion this is just whacked. I knew it was bad but now the data backs it up too.
You had engaged in serious hyperbole by saying broken bones are season ending injuries and have been rapidly downscaling while still trying to maintain that those contradicting you are wrong. So let's take Contador winning the 2014 Vuelta after breaking his leg in July or Matthew Hayman winning the 2016 Roubaix after breaking his collarbone in Omloop out of it, and look at the data you yourself provided.
Patrick Bevin broke his collarbone on February 11th. His season has been ruined, only managing his career best results with a stage win and the GC at the Tour of Turkey and a stage win in Romandie in the two and a half months since (still well inside the 6 weeks + 6 weeks timescale provided). Felix Großschartner broke his collarbone at Paris-Nice and was racing at Itzulia three weeks later. Now, six weeks on from the injury, he has been top 10 in three of four stages at Romandie.
Bonimenier
BANNED
I don't even think the restictment in movement is the problem. As mentioned before here by others a broken collarbone isn't usually caused by the impact landing on it, but rather riders trying to break their fall by landing on their hands. Apart from having more training for riders to crash "good", like Lampaert in PR, I don't see how any kind of gear could prevent the broken collarbones.
Something that didn't require "cutting people open" would need to go over the joints, thus... restricting movement!
Why can't you just admit that you're wrong, and realise that maybe broken collarbones aren't the big issue you try to make it appear as?
I feel that you have some vision of medieval armor in your head. But even with that variant it could i guess be done. That is to preserve full mobility of i am guessing a shoulder joint. As you assume shoulder wouldn't be able to move after?
@Libertine Seguros
And don't you feel that the shoulder is close enough to be considered as a part of the same area?
@Bonimenier
Who knows. Maybe cyclists would learn to use such apparel to break the fall differently. Compared to what they are doing now. When they know the apparel isn't offering them any advantage.
All in all i am happy that we can now base our discussion on some real data. As previously in this thread i said it would make sense to try to reduce broken collarbone injuries from lets say 100 to 10 cases per season. And that would be a success story in my book. Compared to the "Nothing can be done". But at that time the number 100 was just a figure of a speech. I didn't actually believe 100+ collarbones get fractured in the pro peloton per season.
Whacked numbers.
Whacked numbers.
It would need to be pretty heavy to prevent breakage
You keep acting as if collarbones are the worst of the worst of injuries, when in reality riders get back in business rather quickly.
Try googling 'NFL collarbone injury', and then look at the amount of padding those guys wear.
Seeing as you keep calling for apparel manufacturers to create something but have no ideas of your own, how about admitting that maybe - just maybe - this is something that apparel manufacturers, riders, organisers and sport governing bodies have already considered, but without being able to find a solution that doesn't also badly compromise the riders? The thing is, riders need the flexibility and dexterity to help them avoid crashes in the first place. It's no good preventing collarbone injuries in x % of crashes if you then cause the number of crashes to go up and neutralise that benefit.
I was going to make a joke about installing brake lights, but... maybe that could actually help? Just beneath the saddle, a small red LED.
Also a Waze-like gps based device/app that informs riders of upcoming road furniture, or dangerous situations, that can be updated on the fly.
Also a Waze-like gps based device/app that informs riders of upcoming road furniture, or dangerous situations, that can be updated on the fly.
Armchair Cyclist
Moderator
CyclistAlbi's position seems to be based on the premise of a design that nobody has ever come up with utilising a material that no-one has ever invented.
As such, it can't be said to be a bad idea, any more than the Nimbus 2000 is a bad idea. But while it cannot be any more than an idea, there seems little point in discussing it.
Until it is trialled in the Hogsmeade - Godric's Hollow Classic.
As such, it can't be said to be a bad idea, any more than the Nimbus 2000 is a bad idea. But while it cannot be any more than an idea, there seems little point in discussing it.
Until it is trialled in the Hogsmeade - Godric's Hollow Classic.
In other racing sports, when there are crashes, they can usually work out what/who caused it, and action is taken. Whether that is a DSQ, time penalty or event/race penalties. It seems only crashes at the finish of a race are looked at.
What happened after the crash in LBL?? Who caused it? Does anybody know? Or is it a case of "crashes are a part of cycling, and nothing can be done"?
However, I do think more should be done to crack down on reckless riding; you can't all be at the front of the race, and forcing your way through should be a 'no no'.
What happened after the crash in LBL?? Who caused it? Does anybody know? Or is it a case of "crashes are a part of cycling, and nothing can be done"?
However, I do think more should be done to crack down on reckless riding; you can't all be at the front of the race, and forcing your way through should be a 'no no'.
Watching the Tour of Hellas this week, some of the incidents there were down to poor marshalling or poor moto piloting- Aaron Gate nearly went into pedestrians crossing the road on Stage 1 as the lead Moto stopped when confused. In stage 3 a moto going too slow (IMO) contributed to pile-up a few hundred metres before the line. The big crash on stage 4 was more down to rider error but the way riders went into the barriers was very reminiscent of the Tour de Pologne crash involving Jakobsen and Groenewegen.
The Hellas finish was far more dangerous than the Jakobsen/Groenewegen finish - The Hellas finish was techinical, downhill and off camber - It was a disaster waiting to happen, whereas the TOP finish was straight and downhill - And there had never been any major incidents in the TOP finish in the past.
Bonimenier
BANNED
I don't agree. A crash was waiting to happen in the Tour of Hellas, but disaster was waiting to happen in Poland. Speed in that finish in Poland in combination with the barriers could only end up in disaster sooner or later. Speed in Hellas was way lower.
The stage finish in Hellas was far more dangerous because of its layout - I wonder how it was approved.
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