Taking Risks

CT,

I understand your post, but am puzzled as to why you'd then proceed to glorify descending at speed (and illegally) immediately afterwards?

Fabio, my intention isn't to glorify descending at high speeds. It's to illustrate some of the risks we take. I thought this vid was a good example of some close calls.

CT,

I applaud you for doing that. Whilst I wasn't totally of the belief that was the reason you posted the video, I thought that in an instance where there has been a tragic event such as this it could easily be misinterpreted as such. At the same time, I understand that for this blog a photo or video captures and appeals to your readers. Keep up the good writing and tips!

Great point Wade. It's sometimes a fine line between getting that rush and being reckless. I think with experience you know where your limits are and can react very well to the unexpected. It's the same with racing too… shoulder to shoulder pushing through the last corner of a crit… you don't think about your family then do you? I admit a fall in a crit is less likely to kill you. Still, that's what I love about a great descent or mtb'ing for that matter, you lose yourself in the moment and nothing else exists.

Two Bays is a shiv descent. I only ever ride up it.

Unless you're racing — or I guess doing race prep — there is no need to bomb a descent. But I'm now an old man. In my youth… well at least I got lucky and made it to older. Now I am a pussy! But an old one.

Tragic news. Every time I hear such news I get nervous and tend to stay off the road for a day or 2. More experienced riders than me are probably well used to the dangers but it's always in the back of my mind. I think it needs to be.

Before every descent I remind myself …”not many cyclists crash riding uphill”

Every day you head out the door for a ride you can get hurt, that is a risk we all take. But as other have said, you don't know what is around the corner, rock, dog, parked car.

I've been lucky for survive some of my stupid move as a younger riders pushing the limits to keep up with the older more experienced riders. Now in my mid thirties, I don''t push as hard as I once did, be it having to much to loose if I crash and can't work or be it, just old and lazy. I still get the rush from descending and bunch sprints and you can't take that out of any racer. You know “you can take the boy out of the race but you can't take the racer out of the boy!'

But when you are out there riding and racing, listen to the older guys who have been there at the pointy end for a lot of years, as they are still around from knowing how to succeed and survive hwat the 'world of riding' has to trow at you.

The Chicken managed it very well.

Very sorry to hear about the tragedy.

I got a lucky reminder to take it easy a few months ago when I got a puncture at 70kph descending 'The Wall' in Olinda. Luckily it wasn't around a corner. I take it a lot easier on the downhills now.

Another cyclist killed this morning in Glenferrie Rd Hawthorn… Terrible.

I had such an accident descending Mt Hotham last year. I do not
remember the accident, nor any of the descent. My partner was 200m
behind me and suspects I might have clipped a cateye (a raised
eflector on the road) and I lost control. I spent the following 6
weeks in hospital, 2 unconcious. Cyclists who've ridden with me were
surprised that I came off on a descent. I am surprised that despite
going 60-65kph when I fell I only broke a small bone in my sinus.

I'm not really back riding yet, but I have every intention of
returning to racing & training. I am aware of the distress & worry my
family & friends experienced but I'm looking forward to descending
again, as well as the thrill of racing on the road & track. Cycling –
racing, descending and training – is addictive! It's a stress relief,
it's fun & healthy, and it's social!

Descending is a skill & unfortunatley a lot of people don't know how. Living in the high country I get to see lots of people struggling to ride down a hill in a controled confident manner, let alone fast. You don't need big balls, you just need to learn how. I was amazed when i first helped out on the Tour of Bright with moto support how many A graders can't descend well. My suggestion, is find some one who can teach the skills.

I think of what might happen one day on the Hell ride or the Tour of the Suburbs?

I hope I am wrong, but if it happens? It is going to be BAD.

Each to their own I guess but if you ride with no margin for error then when you really need it that margin aint there.

+1 to the comments on descending – up at the AAC this year the poor quality of descending skills was frightening.

Apparently there was another young rider killed this morning in Kew involving a parking car and a truck, very sad. Good point Wade on thinking about the others around you (family, friends, fellow cyclists) who would be affected if something was to happen. Not something that is thought of often out on the road, but perhaps should be.

This was two blocks from my place. He swerved around a parking car and got hit by a garbage truck. You don't need to be risking it, you just got be ultra careful… all the time !

There's only one thing worse than hearing the screech of brakes and the sound of an impact between a vehicle and someone in your bunch, and that's the short ride back to the body on the road …. as you approach you wonder whether your mate is dead, or only severely injured.

Ride safe.

It's easy to get caught up in the moment when you're racing. I sometimes think it's better to be caught up in the moment because it's got your 100% focus and commitment. It's easy to make a mistake when you're hesitant and distracted by consequences. However, when something happens outside of your control – you're going down, no matter what it is.

I was hit by a car on Sunday when it veered towards me head-on doing at least 80kmh. We were so close catastrophe that my hand sheared the drivers side mirror off. Another 3 inches – gone. Second time in 20 years. My wife's view is that having turned 40 with 3 young kids I should just walk away cold turkey from riding & racing on the road – if I'm killed at some stage and my kids realise that I was hit twice before the final one, they'll feel cheated and to keep riding on the road, no matter how you try and minismise the risks, is indulgent and selfish. If only it was that simple. Maybe it is.

I am a cyclist and also a paramedic who works on the ambulance helicopter. We see many critically-injured cyclists each month. More often than not, the accident involves crashes on descent – either a fall or a collision with a car. Let me tell you, there are worse things than death and I suspect I know Nonie (above) and I am pretty sure she was flown to Melbourne. A lot of people aren't as “lucky” as Nonie and either never regain consciousness or spend the rest of their lives dysfunctional in a nursing home. I have certainly backed off my descending speed in the last few years (and will also never ride a motorbike!). Everyone above is correct in that when you are seeking your adrenaline rush, stop to think of your wife, husband, mum, dad, brother, sister, kids, mates etc and the devastating impact a serious accident might have. Mitigate the risk, ride safely and go hard UP the hill…..Toneredd, I agree, it's only a matter of time before the Hell Ride and/or Tour de Suburbs claims one or more lives. I urge everyone to be vigilant, safe, and keep your Ambulance Membership current. A crash at Hotham would set you back about $4500 by air to Melbourne if you're not a member.

Great post Wade, love the site, keep up the fantastic work.

MSB

Scary stuff Duncan. Sure is something to think about.

I'm gonna have to think of a nice uplifting topic for tomorrow's post.

Thanks for the insight MSB. It must be tough riding a bike with seeing everything you do on a daily basis. Ignorance is bliss sometimes…

I have no doubt that I'm extremely lucky to have come off as lightly as I did! Recovery isn't all that much fun, especially when you see the injuries that some people have! I've questioned how & why I lost control and fell, but I'll never really know. I have been told I wasn't doing anything risky on that descent, but now I view cateyes as evil! I've always been careful on descents because I have a healthy fear of falling, but still love going fast, within the limits of my abilities. I've descended Hotham in the wet and it was easy; I was very careful, especially when I saw rainbows on the road on the Meg on the way up!

MSB if you were one of the ambos who helped me, THANKYOU so much! If not, please pass on my thanks to whoever was on duty that day. And I cannot stress how glad I am that I had ambulance membership… all cyclists should. We don't view it as such, but cycling could be described as an extreme sport given the risks we often face every time we throw a leg over our trusty steeds.

scary stuff…..living in ignorance is nice, but only with ambo insurance, life, trauma, etc insurance in place. Even then, every rock, car, dog, truck, passing traffic, other riders, idiot drivers that are lost and suddenly bang on the left turn indicators at the bottom of Flemington road: all need to be considered as threats, but only in the back of our minds…….otherwise the bike would be parked up, and would take up jogging (perish the thought). like the reiders we are……put to the back of our minds, but never ignore. Safe riding, and stay upright

The thing about the accident is that it was run by the Cappas, who are 50-60yr old gentlemen. These guys ride safe when compared to the Hell Ride & TdB.

Just over a week ago, a young cyclist was killed on a nasty descent in Northern tasmania. He went around a corner and hit a bus at great speed. The event has torn the close knit Northern tasmanian cycling community apart.
This was on the course for the National Road series event (Mersy valley Tour) coming up on the 27/28th. Anyone racing this event take note. There are two corners at the end of road stage one that are incredably dangerous and have claimed many collar bones and much skin and now a life. The final decent into the dam before the final 10km climb up to the finish line at the summit will be fast and most likely loose. Take care.

Since getting hit by a car last year it has really opened my eyes to how dangerous Road Cycling can be. As a past Down Hill and Cross Country Mtb'r I always new of the danger from tree's, rock's, fast descent's etc. Injuries from falling off on the dirt can be servere but I would rather hit a tree than a truck any day! Since my accident, and now having two young toddlers I made the decision to fork out the $100.00 a year Ambulance membership as well as nearly $200.00 a month on two seperate Life Insurance policies and Income Protection. I would be devestated if I could never ride again due to an accicent but I would be even more up set if I my wife and children had to suffer finacially if I was no longer able to work or even worse not around. Think of all the kit I could be buying for all that money though!

A few weeks ago my son and I went for a 2 hr ride in the Adelaide hills, with a nice descent near the end down Montacute Road (for those that know the area). Lo and behold, we were involved in 2 traffic incidents only a few kms from home on “quiet” suburban streets, both of which could have resulted in serious injury. Funny that what most people perceive as “dangerous” i.e. descending at speed is not neccessarily the most dangerous activity in reality.

I wonder if anyone will erect a ghostbike at these two spots? Maybe Bicycle Victoria could do it? Would certainly raise awareness for cyclists.

Duncan,

My wife has the same views as your wife to that I have 2 young girls (4 & 2) at home which they love to see me ride in the driveway everynight. My wife said imagine your little girls if you didnt or couldnt ride in the driveway again because of an accident.
Subsiquently I too had an accident but with a taxi last year that decided to do a “U” turn only 10 meters in front of me. I too flew over his bonnet trying to swerve around him and took his mirror off with my left hand.
But I chose ignorance to keep riding. Next time I might not be so lucky to walk away from it. This again has opened my eyes up.
Condolences to the two families that have lost loved ones.
Lucas

…There are things are completely out of your control, no matter how good of a rider you are….

That's true. The nastiest accident I've had so far is having a tree branch fall on me while toddling along (on my road bike) on the Warburton Highway near Millgrove. Luckily, I only got hit by the twigs at the end of the branch – if the branch had been slightly larger, I probably would have, at a minimum, broken limbs, and could well have died. There was *nothing* I could have done.

But then, sooner or later, I am 100% certain I will die. Maybe I will have a bicycle accident. Maybe I will have a car accident. Maybe I will get cancer; . Or have a heart attack. Or, cruellest of all in my view, get Alzheimer's disease, with whatever made me me dying years before the empty shell of a body that once contained me finally carks it.

So, while I try to minimize the risks, I accept them as the price of the enjoyment I get from riding.

That said, I have to shake my head at some of the risks people take while descending. This isn't skilful, it's suicidal (the bit towards the end where they overtake the car). And I've seen a number of equally silly things in person (going round blind corners over the double lines on the Hurstbridge-Kinglake road, for instance).

Its an uncomfortable topic, Wade. We all need to think harder and smarter about taking risks, and absolutely pick up better skills. But you don't need to be bombing a descent to be at risk. 10 years ago in March I arrived at the immediate aftermath of a fatal accident on Beach Road – the cyclist was hit from behind by an inattentive driver. I didn't know him, but I think of his name – Gerard Mishkinis – almost every time I pass that spot.

Great post Wade, it really brings the dangers of cycling home.

I'm sure we've all had close calls, mine recently when my crank came off, when it hit the ground the contact threw me across two lanes of traffic, losing control, missing an oncoming car by no more than 1cm, and into a ditch on the opposite side of the road. Happened within milliseconds, riding at a speed of approx. 35kph, all within a distance of approx 10m's.

After an expensive cab ride, I too was lucky to escape only with minor scratches and have a profile pic which tells the tale.

I guess my point is accidents unfortunately can just happen, risks are there every time you ride, be it simply over running your line, hitting a patch on the road, someone in a car, or a mechanical you weren't expecting.

My condolences to the family and all families affected by cycling accidents.

Ride smart, Ride safe, Ride well.

Hi Rob, I've taken down the video you've hyperlinked as their is probably a few too many ppl that read this blog from local races that would recognise me. Just so you know, i no longer ride in this way, and honestly can't remember the last time i overtook a car. let alone around the outside of a blind hairpin. When i look back at crazy stuff like this i have no idea how i survived the first 1.5yrs of my cycling with no falls, let alone serious injurys (pure luck). I came into the sport from a motorsport background and rode solely for the reason of an adrenalin rush. Thankfully this part of riding has gone completely for me now and it is all about what i can do up hills. However the move did require skill, combined with being an idiot. Regards.

Any tips for descending in the cyclingtips archive?
thanks Wade

That's one I haven't touched on yet. I think it's time to write one up!

Sorry about that. I certainly didn't recognize you from the video and wasn't seeking to make an example of you personally. And I'm no saint – while I think I've been pretty careful on a bicycle, I've certainly done things on motorcycles and in cars that would make me look equally stupid were they to feature on YouTube (thankfully they were in pre-YouTube days).

Unfortunately, though, while we have seemingly both grown older and a fraction wiser, there are plenty of others to take our place, and – to get back to Wade's original point – I just wish they'd realize it's not just their own life they're playing with, it's the lives of those they love, the lives of their riding companions, and possibly the life of the poor schmuck in the car which they end their life underneath.

I was on Two Bays when the accident occurred. I didn't see the accident, only the aftermath and it really shook me. I very nearly threw the bike on the side of the road, called my wife and told her that I needed a lift home because I wasn't doing this anymore. The bloke was doing exactly what I was doing on what was a beautiful morning, yet he ended up dead. I decided to keep going, but on the slow ride back home it occurred to me that no one is killed playing tennis or basketball so maybe I should find a safer way to spend my Saturday mornings. However, I jumped back on the bike last weekend for a ride with a couple of mates and I realised why I love cycling: It's social, it's competitive and every morning there's something different to see.

I'll keep riding, but I now know that my family is more important that passing someone or going as fast as I can in some pretend competition that only happens inside my head. I hope that if any cyclist sees someone descending a hill at 25km/h or a slow group blocking a whole lane they'll have enough patience to slow down and assess the situation rather than taking the risk to pass without knowing what's in front or behind you. For me, it was a terrible way to gain some perspective, but it was much needed.

My sincere condolences to the family.

I read this post at the time & took it to heart, on the same day in Brisbane a person that I knew was killed when he collided with a power pole. I discussed these incidents with my fellow riders during the week & we were all disturbed by these unfortunate events. I live in Adelaide & the following Sunday I made a particular point to discuss bike safety with one of our more experienced riders at the back of the pack whilst we were in the early part of our morning ride, I was particularly discussing this to keep myself in check as I am quite often the one who challanges my downhill abilities. Later in the ride 3 of us had broken away & were riding hard to get in some good training before the pending coffee break, not 3k from the stop I clipped the lead riders wheel & contacted a stobbie pole (power pole) at approximatley 45klm. The accident has left me with some broken bones / bruses etc but i can't help think that it could have been a whole lot worse.
My point is that we all need to take care always regardless of the terrain or the speeds we are travelling, my ride group has started a next of kin list should it be required.
Ride safe

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