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Careful how you go...
An icy patch puts Velo Vision's Peter Eland off his bike - and his arm into a sling...
I fell off going round an off-camber corner, not particularly fast... but the corner is a bit dark and shaded, and I hadn't spotted the ice, which had melted away from most of York's streets by the time I left work on Friday.
Result: a small fracture in the elbow of my right arm and sundry grazes and bruises. No great harm done - the nice doctor in A&E; says it'll all heal up in a few weeks. Looks like I'm off the bike for a few weeks, too. I'll probably ride my recumbent trike for the rest of the winter.
Unfortunately I'll now be typing with my left hand only (yes I am right-handed) - so replies to emails may be a bit slower than usual. But should be up to full speed again well ahead of the Issue 9 deadline.
I've fallen a few times on ice before, but this is the first accident I've had in 15 years of pretty much daily cycling which has actually stopped me riding. Take care out there - it's easily done.
Posted on 06 January 2003
Your comments ...| From: Mark Marsh ([email protected]) on 06 January 2003 |
| Get well soon Pete. I'm nursing a sprained shoulder which has put me off the bike for a few weeks so I know how you feel. |
| From: Rob ([email protected]) on 06 January 2003 |
So why weren't you on the trike Pete?
Best wishes...
Rob - feeling smug after 40 miles on ice, 20 on tarmac on Saturday - running up the tea shop bills getting warm tho... On three wheels, of course! And watching the local tractors pulling cars out of the hedgerow :) |
| From: Mike ([email protected]) on 06 January 2003 |
that's another good excuse for getting the Brox out for the ride to work, I can't get the hang of vehicles with an odd number of wheels....
Hope the arm heals up soon! |
| From: melita luxton ([email protected]) on 06 January 2003 |
| So we know how the rider is - now tell us if the bike was injured.... |
| From: Buzz Starkbier ([email protected]) on 06 January 2003 |
No tell us if there was any damage to the patch of ice.
(Just jokeing!)
Get well soon.
Ralf |
| From: Peter Markusson ([email protected]) on 06 January 2003 |
Ouch!
Did that myself one year ago on my Wavey. Didn't get a sling, but it hurt for one month. So I bought a TerraTrike for winter...
Regards from Gothenburg, Sweden,
Peter |
| From: kriss ([email protected]) on 07 January 2003 |
| Doh! The bike, of course, is fine. Don't you think he'd have said in great detail if any damage whatsoever had been done? ;-) |
| From: Mark Gallagher ([email protected]) on 07 January 2003 |
| I suppose your late entry to the 2003 Ice HPV World Championship is cancelled then. |
| From: Simon Kellett ([email protected]) on 08 January 2003 |
Sorry to hear about the injury Pete: get well soon.
And I guess now is the time of year when trike owners can get a bit smug !!
(I bought one at the end of last winter, and am *trying* not to be smug as I whizz into work past all those ploding 2-wheelers ;-)
Simon |
| From: Steven Brrrrrandist ([email protected]) on 08 January 2003 |
| Ahh, but with all that extra speed (and smuggness) means you'll just crash is a more speculator and entertaining manner. |
| From: Steven Brandist ([email protected]) on 08 January 2003 |
| ...and of course that would be (wait for it, drum roll please)... snow joke for you trike owners (cymbol) |
| From: sue archer ([email protected]) on 09 January 2003 |
| Bad luck Pete. Interesting that when you have an accident, you make a point of warning others to be careful, but when a number of motorists came of the road over the weekend, they make the front page of the York newspaper with their complaints that the roads were icy (the council's fault apparently). Are cyclists inherently more responsible? Discuss. |
| From: Tom Riley ([email protected]) on 09 January 2003 |
| On my way into work in York this morning I hit a patch of black ice, and ended up sliding along underneath the bike. This was on a shared use foot and bikepath, and I rang the council to sugest that they might like to put a bit of salt on it. They told me that they'd taken the decision to do nothing because the ice was 'due to melt', but that I was not the first cyclist to come off there and ring in today. They must be too busy fending off irate car drivers. Wouldn't like to be in their shoes when someone with a bad temper and a good lawyer breaks their hip there, though... |
| From: Seamus ([email protected]) on 09 January 2003 |
Sorry to raed about your dreadfull accident Pete.
Do not feel a little daft writing guff like, "An icy patch puts Velo Vision's Peter Eland off his bike - and his arm into a sling", when you're actually writing about yourself?
Seamus. |
| From: Peter Eland ([email protected]) on 09 January 2003 |
Thanks to all for kind comments :-)
Rob - wasn't on trike as was first really icy day of the winter. But main problem is that where I live now there is NO secure trike parking - so mine is stored in a friend's back yard, not exactly convenient for commuting :-(
Melita - bike is fine thanks :-)
Seamus - first sentence was in third person as otherwise people not familiar with this site might not know who was talking. A surprising number of people think Velo Vision has more people than just me running it ;-)
Sorry for recent lack of web stories - but thanks to all who sent links etc, which are all stored up for use ASAP. Arm is loosening up and typing is going from slightly painful to merely slow and clumsy, so hope to put some up tomorrow.
Cheers!
Peter |
| From: . (.) on 13 January 2003 |
Is this broken?
It just seems a little s-l-o-w. None of that zippy banter between regular posters that used to appear. Have they all gone some place else?
Maybe it'll pick up a bit nearer publication time for next issue. Hope you all re-subscribed |
| From: Mr Spade ([email protected]) on 14 January 2003 |
| Probably a New Years resolution not to spend time on benal banter and get on with something more useful instead... |
| From: S (talking to myself) (S etc.) on 14 January 2003 |
| Sort of why-don't-you-switch-off-the-internet-and-go-out-and-do-something-less-boring-instead. |
| From: Steven Brandist ([email protected]) on 14 January 2003 |
Ah, Saturday morning television. 'Why don't you?' (the best bit was the cartoon titles of course) starting was the queue to turn off the tellie and start riding round the street on my Raleigh Grifter (a Red mark I if I remember rightly). The mark I had the short rear mudguard, mark II's had a three quarter length rear guard. The gear change (Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub!) had a little indicator that was either red, yellow or blue depending on which gear was selected. Red was first, then yellow second and top was blue.
Bugger... just broken my new years resolution. |
| From: Steven Brandist ([email protected]) on 14 January 2003 |
Ere, Seamus, now theres a Bkye Kulture Never special in the waiting. A sort of 'Bikes we owned as kids that we think are really good now cos it's been +20 years since we rode them, but they were really heavy overgeared pieces of crap' special. That'll keep you busy. Hopefuly.
Heres a start Raleigh Grifter, Chippy, Bomber, Chopper..
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| From: Seamus ([email protected]) on 15 January 2003 |
Actually that'd be a doddle to do.
Here goes; I didn't own a bicycle until I bought one after I started working at Aven Tools. It was Falcon Black Diamond (lovely bike) and I was about 20 so well past chilhood.
Hence no article. |
| From: S (etc) on 15 January 2003 |
| Oh, and it's KULTUUR, not Kulture!!!!!! |
| From: Steven Brandist ([email protected]) on 15 January 2003 |
| Shame on your parents! You didn't own a bike until you were 20?! I assume you learnt to ride a bike before then? |
| From: Steven Brandist ([email protected]) on 15 January 2003 |
Seamus, Roger, Peter they're all big Kults in my opinion. I regularly told I'm a right Big Kult*.
* By kind permission of Wake Up to Wogan Radio 2. Copyright BBC 2003.
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| From: . (.) on 16 January 2003 |
Kult?
Are are quite sure you heard right? |
| From: David Gardiner ([email protected].) on 16 January 2003 |
| Discussion seems to be slip sliding away from bikes, ice and Peter's injury! Get well soon Peter and just remember that you could just have slipped as easily without your bike. Cycling in icy weather is slightly more dangerous but so is walking and driving. Noticed that cyclists in Edinburgh kept going in freeze but other two wheeled road users like motorbikes/scooters seemed to give it a rest. Any motor bikers care to comment on bikes and ice? Or are we all (like me) exclusively 'engine-free' two wheelers here? |
| From: John J ([email protected]) on 16 January 2003 |
Used to have a motorbike and rode 12 miles home on 4" of snow one night - 20-30mph with my feet down all the way! I forgot about the short downhill with a bend near home and had to 'drop' the bike - it's easier to avoid injury if you know you are going to fall.
After 3 winters of me telling the council that "cars don't fall over and maybe clearing ice from foot/cycle paths is a good idea" they have finally got themselves a salt spreader (human powered) for the paths and used it during the cold snap. |
| From: David Gardiner (vantagecreative@bueyonder) on 17 January 2003 |
| Good on you for reminding council... Nice to hear that Velo Vision reaches the occassional motorbiker! |
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