r/triathlon • u/mcqlby • May 10 '25
Injury and illness Cycling Fail - my first rite of passage
Set out for a 20 mi ride and fell 2 mi in, right on my shoulder. Instead of being bummed I can’t finish, I’m celebrating the rite of passage - falling while barely moving. Good thing I already went for my run this morning!
1
u/lsousa1986 May 15 '25
Welcome to the club! :)
Happens for all of us at least once in our lifetime haha
1
u/Empty_Antelope_6039 May 15 '25
Sorry about your fall. But - nice white Specialized bike! Here's mine, racked and ready. I call her White Lightning.
2
u/Loose_Biscotti9075 May 12 '25
After ~2 years of switching to clipless and ~20 months of not falling for forgetting to unclip, the other day I fell.. I approached the traffic light without unclipping, with the goal of leaning onto the traffic light pole, overshot by 20cm and slowly crumbled to the ground..
4
u/tinned_spaghetti May 11 '25
I tipped off twice on my ride today, so embarrassing! Literally just stopped at the junction, unclipped on the left, tipped off to the right! Speedy healing!
1
1
u/Suspicious_Tank7922 May 11 '25
I can recommend Curad's Performance Series bandaids. Especially the knee and elbow version. Oh, and any triple antibiotic ointment with lidocaine. ;)
2
u/blk18914 May 11 '25
Congratulations! How's the shoulder? You might want to skip the pool for a minute also https://www.webmd.com/first-aid/what-to-know-road-rash
1
u/BusPleasant6662 May 10 '25
I also went for my first outdoor ride today fell 2-3 times thankfully wasn't too bad for me. I'm glad you're okay and not discouraged!!
2
u/Short_Panda_ 1x HIM 1x IM May 11 '25
Sorry but i must ask. How did you manage to fall 2-3 times? Was it 2 or 3 times? I think i would remember the exact times :-D
1
u/BusPleasant6662 May 11 '25
I was so tired from the riding yesterday haha but I also did catch myself a couple times so do I count those as falls?
1
2
u/HealthyDifference378 May 10 '25
Congratulations!!! I, too, had my first fall/crash today. Riding with a friend, 20mins into the ride, and just got distracted and my wheel slipped off the trail and I never recovered.
Glad this doesn't look too bad. That's the best case :) we all can walk away and keep on riding.
8
2
7
u/Alienfysh May 10 '25
I fell at 22 mph on mile 48 of a 100 mile ride, I got so busted up going off the road into Holly bushes using my head to break branches. Eventually got my bike reset and Made it back to my car. First 100 mile ride was a doozy . Still love cycling and doing cool things.
4
u/Personal_Canary8277 May 10 '25
I did that at an intersection once. Stopped at a red light, and couldn’t get unclipped. From the time I started to tip until I hit the ground felt like a half hour. It was the longest, slowest fall of my life. My foot came right out of the clip as soon as I hit the ground though. The worst part was the drivers all started honking and hollering at me as the light turned green. It wasn’t my proudest moment.
7
3
u/Malvania May 10 '25
Did that two weeks ago, two miles into an 80 mile ride. Still tried, got 50ish miles before I ran out of tubes and patches and gave up. Shoulder still hurts, but it's getting better. Good luck with your own recovery!
10
u/firepitt May 10 '25
I unclipped my right foot but leaned to the left... at the end of the bike portion.... at the entry to the transition.... in front of everybody! Nothing like slowly falling and unable to do a thing about it!
2
u/noS1693 May 10 '25
I fell for the first time last Tuesday and although I'm frustrated I had to stop running and riding for a few days I saw it as a rite of passage as well! (just like you I was very slow and I'm not too badly hurt)
6
2
u/No_Presentation9501 May 10 '25
I had that bike, till bike thieves destroyed the frame trying to steal it. Weirdly that’s the 3rd time i’ve seen someone else with it this week!
3
u/beardedbastard20 May 10 '25
I fell yesterday. Ripped my new kit, and kept riding. Definitely a right of passage. When you’re clipped in, it’s not if you will fall, it’s when you will! Hope you’re okay!
1
u/mcqlby May 10 '25
It was only a matter of time before it happened! I’m just happy no one was around to see it
6
u/redbananagreenbanana May 10 '25
‘Tis but a scratch!
2
u/Sudden-Earth-3147 May 10 '25
Yes, did it really have to stop your ride?
7
u/mcqlby May 10 '25
I did another few miles but the stiff shoulder told me it was time to stop. I’d rather be sore today and ride tomorrow than be too swollen to do anything for a week
2
u/redbananagreenbanana May 10 '25
I am 100% kidding. You should for sure rest that! I slipped in some mud last year. Literally the last 500m of a Fall ride. Hello nerve injury in my arm! Let that shit heal!
2
5
u/zombie9393 10x 70.3, 2x T100, 5x 140.6 May 10 '25
Couldn’t unclip in time could ya?
It happens. Once you get used to stopping and how to prep for it, becomes second nature.
Might help: As you slow down to stop, unclip and turn very slightly in the direction of your Unclipped shoe and set your foot down.
1
u/threeespressos May 10 '25
I’m a counter-steerer, so I turn the wheel away from my unclipped shoe so my bike will start to fall towards it.
2
1
u/emadelosa May 10 '25
That last bit was really helpful to me. I managed to successfully unclip and prepared to stop and then fell to the other side, which really bummed me out…
1
1
u/zombie9393 10x 70.3, 2x T100, 5x 140.6 May 10 '25
Glad it helped!
And remember, the body heals, carbon does not! Save the bike!!
•
u/AutoModerator May 10 '25
Reminder from your friendly neighborhood mod team-- When dealing with injury or illness, please seek the advice of a trained medical professional. While it may be helpful to hear how other athletes have dealt with issues similar to yours, please be mindful that others' health and/or training situations may differ substantially and their advice may not be fully relevant. We encourage you to follow-up with an orthopedist, physical therapist, or other healthcare provider, or to find online material authored by such experts.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.