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Crashing on Group Rides...Frowned Upon?

Mar 13, 2009
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So, doing group ride recently, about 50 of us in the fast group.

A couple of guys about 1/4 of the way down the bunch get together on a slight uphill @ >40kph and go down. Looks bad, sounds bad too.

How does the group decide who continues/ who stops for care?
 
Black-Balled said:
So, doing group ride recently, about 50 of us in the fast group.

A couple of guys about 1/4 of the way down the bunch get together on a slight uphill @ >40kph and go down. Looks bad, sounds bad too.

How does the group decide who continues/ who stops for care?

Barely five minutes after getting on the back of my regular Saturday Morning bunch (80+ guys), I went up front to chat to a friend and in a moment's inattention I hit a small chunk of wood that had bounced out of the gutter. Carnage ensued and the traffic backed up in a long line.

I can tell you, it took me a long time to live that down. I had to walk back home a couple of miles on Look cleats with a wheel like a nacho. Lycra-clad, busted up and walking like a goon through my village was pretty embarassing. I'd hurt a lot of other bikes as well as my own, which felt somehow worse.

And no, nobody waited. :eek:
 
Jun 16, 2009
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Black-Balled said:
So, doing group ride recently, about 50 of us in the fast group.

A couple of guys about 1/4 of the way down the bunch get together on a slight uphill @ >40kph and go down. Looks bad, sounds bad too.

How does the group decide who continues/ who stops for care?

It depends upon the damage to people and bikes.

Serious injuries: Anyone with a clue medically + friends.
minor injuries: If they have particular friends in the bunch then they stay
Damaged bike: Friend or two until they get to somewhere that they can call for transport.

Its always important to make sure at least one person stays with someone after a crash if there are any marks on their helmet.

**If however, you clearly caused the accident through dumbness, you should be escorted home until you recover completely - even if that takes a month or more - and THEN you should get a kicking from everybody!
 
Mar 13, 2009
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***I didn't cause it! I did miss one guy's head by about 10cm though!

One of my friends was pretty messed up and I waited + helped get all his belongings on their way home.

Sometimes you're the hammer, sometimes the nail.
 

ttrider

BANNED
Apr 23, 2010
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yeh help because when your in trouble they will then help you
what comes around goes around and it will keep you safe in the long term
 
Jul 23, 2009
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Martin318is said:
It depends upon the damage to people and bikes.

Serious injuries: Anyone with a clue medically + friends.
minor injuries: If they have particular friends in the bunch then they stay
Damaged bike: Friend or two until they get to somewhere that they can call for transport.

Its always important to make sure at least one person stays with someone after a crash if there are any marks on their helmet.

Yeah, that's pretty much my opinion too. No need for a crowd to wait for the downed rider, but there should be enough people waiting to make sure he has what he needs medically and to fix his bike. But if the guy caused his own misfortune and he's not injured, I don't think the gods frown upon leaving him behind to ponder his own fate.
 
May 23, 2010
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pedaling squares said:
Yeah, that's pretty much my opinion too. No need for a crowd to wait for the downed rider, but there should be enough people waiting to make sure he has what he needs medically and to fix his bike. But if the guy caused his own misfortune and he's not injured, I don't think the gods frown upon leaving him behind to ponder his own fate.

or you could be the one that goes back and gets a car. You might be grateful one day when the same is done for you.
 
May 6, 2009
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Somebody caused me to crash today and now I have two stitches above my right eyebrow and one under my right eye. But I quickly forgave him as it was an accident and said that 'sh*t happens'.
 
Dec 18, 2009
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craig1985 said:
Somebody caused me to crash today and now I have two stitches above my right eyebrow and one under my right eye. But I quickly forgave him as it was an accident and said that 'sh*t happens'.

Chapeau!

/post-length
 
May 23, 2010
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There should be rules like: All riders on Treks should have to stay behind their fellow Trek rider with the black socks and aero bars. Then when you hear that nasty sound of levers and pedals on pavement you don't even have to look.
 
Mar 13, 2009
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OK, so my friend has 2 plates and 16 screws in his scapula. He also broke his collarbone.

Guess he might have been ****ed if we left him there on the side of the road!
 
May 6, 2009
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When I had my accident, everybody waited, the rest left with two staying behind until I got picked up and taken to the after hour's doctors (since it was a Sunday) to get cleaned and stitched up.
 
Jun 16, 2009
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Last time I was involved in a bad one was last year as I was just starting a planned 3hr ride and arrived at the scene of a head on crash between a rider and another bunch of riders on a bike path (who were idiots and caused it by swerving across the path onto his side - but thats not important now).

I ended up crouching in a painful position for nearly 45mins to compress and elevate his compound arm fracture while we waited for the Ambulance and for them to stabilise him. By the end of all of it I was in real pain, cramping in the hamstrings and quads and my kit was covered in blood.

ended up turning around and going the 5mins back home and sitting in front of the tv.

I still get the odd phonecall etc from the guy I helped and you know what? He STILL never got an apology from the morons that caused it.