2 ms·

How do you manage to fall face first from a bicycle?

• stronglikedan 9y ago
  I had the hybrid tires where they were smooth on the bottom for street, but knobby on the sides for traction when they partially sunk into soft ground such as trails. I was riding on the street, and there was a concave concrete drainage strip between the street and a driveway. When I hit the incline of the strip at about 8-10 mph, the knobs had no traction and the bike slid out from under me sideways, so I started falling on my side. I reached out with my hands to stop my fall, but realized those were my money makers and pulled them back to my side (I had mentally practiced this maneuver for years). I hit the ground shoulder first, but since I was moving forward as well as sideways, my body rolled and my head smacked the ground hard (this was all very vivid thanks to time dilation). I ended up breaking my right shoulder, and despite my best efforts, my left hand got caught in the brake lever, and I broke my pointer knuckle as well. It was two weeks before I could go back to work, since I couldn't use either hand for a while (right in sling and left in splint). I may have never made it back to work without the helmet.