Annual Crash Post

When I was a young man, my mottos were "drive fast, take chances" and "live fast, die young" and "NO FUTURE." Those of you who know me well can attest that I am understating how recklessly I lived the early part of my life.

I have been thinking a lot about crashing recently. Maybe it is my recent 39th birthday that has me feeling my mortality.

In my mind, 2011 has become the year of the crash. There have been a inordinate number of crashes just in my immediate circle of friends (listed in no particular order and I am sure that I am leaving someone out in my haste).

Kyle Smith (Embrocation Cycling Journal): Skipped a gear at Wells Ave while sprinting and busted up his beautiful face, knocked out at least one tooth and broke his scapula. Currently back on the bike, expects to be racing soon. Reconstructive surgery appears to have restored da kylah to his previous splendor.

Chris Bailey (Pedro's...er...Svelte...er...Luxe Wheelworks): Jammed drivetrain while sprinting. Broken collarbone. Recovering.

Cary Fridrich (ECJ): Took an SUV to the face while riding on Beacon St in Somerville. Knocked 1/4 of his teeth out, broken jaw, various other injuries. Back on the bike, able to ride for a little over an hour at a time.

Mat Weatley (Cambridge Bicycle): Crashed at the Quabbin Road Race. Severe bruising and soreness. Bike broken. Not currently riding.

Dave Chui (RideStudioCafe): Crashed at Wompatuck last week. Road rash. Racing already.

Oscar Jiminez (RSC) : Crashed in training. Road Rash. Racing (well) with impressive bandages.

Donny Green (CB [as of this morning]): Hit a mailbox after flatting at Sterling. Not injured, all fired up to race more.

Emily Curly (Blue Steel Cyclery) (more acquaintance than friend, but I have a high level of respect for her, so she gets included): Crashed in the Rick Newhouse Criterium. Took a free lap and got back in the race to finish 5th and in the lead group (surely making Paul proud).

Adding gravity to the local crashes is the news that Wouter Weylandt crashed and died during a descent in today's stage of the Giro d'Italia. While I never heard of WW before this morning, my thoughts go out to his family and friends.

As with the post last year, I am not sure of my point. Crashing is an inherent risk in the sport. While there appears to be a crash in every race, this doesn't need to be the case.

A few years ago, someone told me that if you become scared of crashing, your racing career is essentially over. Fear and respect are two different things. Having a healthy level of respect and consideration for the wellbeing of your fellow racers does not diminish your own courage.

Enough preaching, let's race bikes now.

Be safe.

Sh-- Happens--Thoughts on Crashing

The unspoken truth is that we all crash eventually. Some of us more often than others. If you race for long enough, dumb luck is going to run out and the odds are going to get you.
Sometimes it is entirely your own fault, as when we overcook the final corner in the last lap of the local criterium. Other times it is clearly someone else’s fault, like when that idiot overcooked the final corner of the criterium and crashed out half the field.

Even more complicated is when you are crossing wheels and the sketchy rider in front of you swerves into your overlapping wheel thereby taking you out. Sure, dude shouldn’t be squirrely in the pack, but neither should you be crossing wheels, especially with the guy with the black, baggy, possible-non-bib-shorts, the unshaven legs, and the oversized non team issue jersey. Most crashes fall into this category--indeterminate blame.

A couple of recent events have brought me around to my current reflections. Firstly, my good friend and fellow competitive cyclist, Colin H. Murphy sustained some serious injuries during the Tour of the Battenkill. Reports indicate that Colin was in the lead group of the cat 2 field and riding well. The rider who’s wheel Colin was on apparently hit something in the dirt road and swiftly took out Colin’s wheel. Knowing Colin, even if the rider in question was clearly at fault, Colin is likely not harboring a grudge.



I mention Colin to illustrate how quickly our sport can deal you a crappy hand. One minute you are in position to get a great result in a prestigious event and the next you are being hauled off in a meat wagon and kept in the hospital for an extended stay. Colin: get well soon.

Secondly, a few weeks ago at the Wells Ave training criterium, there was a horrendous crash in the last lap of the A race. There was a 10ish man break up the road and the field was winding up for a sprint. I was near the front, sitting in about 3rd or 4th position glued to Kyle R. Smith’s trusty, fast and steady wheel with about 400 meters to go. We were in the inside lane in the middle of the long steady final corner.

Adam Myerson, came by me and was overtaking Kyle. Adam was not yet sprinting, but he was getting into position. As Adam passed Kyle, Kyle and another rider (I believe Corner Cycles) both moved to get on Adam’s wheel, as Myerson was the fastest sprinter in the pack. Kyle and the other rider collided. It should have been a simple shoulder bump, but the other rider lost control and crashed (the pavement is not great, which easily could have contributed to the loss of control). Kyle remained upright and unflustered.

Since Corner Cycles was in an inside lane and near the front of the pack, he took out about a dozen riders. In the end, 4 riders left the race in ambulances and 2 on backboards. According to hearsay, all of the crash victims seem to be healing.

While this crash was unremarkable, it set of a round of accusations. Over social media, Adam Myerson was blamed for the crash.

Obviously the crash was even more ridiculous when you consider that this was a training race AND that the top ten were up the road. This was a perfunctory sprint, entirely pointless.

I was there; the whole series of events occurred 3 feet from my front wheel and directly in my line of sight. There was no way that the crash could have been Adam’s fault. Nor do I believe that it was Kyle’s or the Corner Cycles rider’s fault.

It was dumb luck. Part of the game.

We all play the game and we know the risks. And we all make mistakes sometimes. These mistakes can have dire consequences for our friends and rivals alike. But even the sketchiest rider isn’t sketchy on purpose.

I am not sure of my point here. I am the first to bark at a sketchy rider. I am also the first to apologize for my own transgressions.

I guess that I am asking for you to be careful out there. We all race often, sketchiness will eventually cause its logical consequence. Whatever you are sprinting for; 10’s of dollars, muffins, a medal, a jersey, or swag, it is not worth putting yourself or someone else in the hospital for. But, sort of like Bob Dylan said, "everybody must get..."

I Can't Wait for the Velodrome to Open

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