I’ve been recording snippets of my bicycle rides with a mobile phone for a long time. It was the usual easy and simple way to grab a few shots, do a quick montage and be done with it. Until I have crashed because of it.
Warning! On the very bottom, this post contains mildly disturbing injury photos, including stitching!
Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that weird or hard to crash on a bicycle and I’ve got my fair share of those in recent years. I’ve fallen on ice a few times with no serious consequences, I’ve slipped on a curb in the wet and cracked a rib last year. The thing is, usually, the crashes were not my fault and were obviously accidental.
Until the last ride.
I’ve been recording myself with my right hand, going reasonably fast, entering Cytadela Park in a very specific place. A place I’ve passed through hundreds of times, many times also recording, in exactly the same way. There is a very specific path to get through there smoothly and that one time, while holding the bars only with one hand, I did not aim perfectly into that path.
I was going around 30km/h
That’s not the speed you should be underestimating, holding the bars with only one hand and being distracted. When I went through a bump, it has kicked the bars out of my hand, turning the front wheel to the left, catching a little ledge and in effect – putting me to a hard stop and catapulting over the bars.
As I have said, I have fallen many times. Never that hard.
When I got up, the stem was no longer straight in line with the wheel. The shifters have been rotated inwards. Did a quick check on myself and headed to a nearby bench to collect myself. Then I have looked at my right knee. It didn’t hurt but a meaty stuff has been poking out of it, so I decided to get home straight away. The bike was fine, nothing really hurt that much so I got home alright, letting my Wife know what happened and asked to take me to a hospital.
They have checked me out, put six stitches on my knee. According to the doctor, there has been a 1-2cm piece of skin missing just over my knee cap. Got home and went to sleep. Boy, what a surprise was awaiting me in the morning.
The knee was twice the size of the other one. I could barely get up or lay down, let alone walk. In fact, I couldn’t even lift my left leg off the ground. And the knee was not the only injury I’ve got. Left calf is painful and swollen, left knee is bruised. So are both thighs, with visible bruises on the sides. Right shin has been scratched and bruised by the right pedal in three separate places. My both palms are also catching the colors of the rainbow with a deep cut on the right one and despite wearing the gloves, knuckles of my fingers have been partially skinned.
I’m only grateful my knee is mechanically intact and the knee cap is not fractured. And somehow I have been lucky enough not to hit my head.
I think I should get an action camera…
I don’t know what kind yet. I’ve done some research before and I might have some idea, but I’m not 100% decided. There must be a way to record the rides in a safe way and make a short montage really quick and easy. But for now, I’m going to get better and when I get back on the bike, I’m going to stop recording with the mobile phone…
I have looked at the unlucky bicycle, and initially it looks like I have been very lucky with it. For one, I’ve been able to get back home on it by covering around 5km and the only visible marks are on the brake levers, handlebar tape on the left drop and rear axle skewer. How did the front light got scarred must be a testament to how hard I went over the bars…
Everything else seems to be intact. No clothes have been damaged except the gloves. They are no longer being fit for purpose, but they did save my hands big time!
I guess I always have to learn the hard way…
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