You many have heard: Larry crashed again

LarryOz

Cruzeum Curator & Sigma Wrangler
And yes, this time I've got video to show for it at least.

It all started Tuesday evening. I had had a really bad day, and I told my wife I wanted to go and ride with the Tuesday night group and just get all my frustration out with an extremely "hard" ride. She was happy to let me go, since then I would not take my frustration out on her! haha

So we started around 6pm. About 40 or so riders. I started out after they all left, quickly bolted to the front and then had to stop and adjust my rear brake after a couple miles. I let them all go past, and then decided for the most part to just stay behind out of the draft. It was safer (I thought), and would give me a harder workout.

Anyway, shortly after 12 miles and while riding up and down some killer rollers, and approaching speeds of around 40 mph, I came to a slight right hand turn (which was covered with sand and gravel - did not see it of course). Before I knew it I was sliding, the tips of my right fingers where burning, my rear end was burning, and I was spinning around in the road.
A few people stopped including the cars that I luckily missed. My back light, Ventist seat pad, and my foam lumbar support where all over the road. My rear and and fingers where really stinging, but I did not think anything was broken, so next I inspected my V20. She looked OK for the most part - my seat is a little narrower (It gets that was after each slide! :) . Pedals, RD, FD seemed OK. Camera still on, but a little loose. I got back on after and minute and started to go again. Everything felt fine, so I figured I would finish the ride out. Better than walking the 14 miles left, or worse yet, call my wife and asking her to come and get me.
So I just carried on, and picked up the pace until I was flying again. I caught the mid-speed group about 4 miles down the road, and then continued on back the to start. Another 3 miles I just barley saw the "fast" group of 5 - Left turn up ahead and then I decided to chase them down hard and go for the KOM on this 5.5 mile stretch. I caught them after about 2.5 miles and blew by them at about 30mph. They did not try and follow. I finished the Strava segment and got "you guessed it": 2nd. Missed the KOM by 10 seconds. 5.5 in 11:35. 28.2 mph @ 246watts (NP-254), HR=175bpm. Well I wanted a "hard" ride, I guess it was harder than I thought it would be with the crash.
I cooled down with the couples miles left, and went home to patch myself up and lick my wounds. (I'd post pictures, but they would be banned I am afraid of, but Ratz can certify to the truth of my injuries. haha)

Attached is the full length video of my entire ride. The crash is around minute 26 if you don't want to watch the whole thing. The KOM starts around 46:30 with the left turn.

I'm working on a more condensed video and will post it once it's uploaded to YouTube.
Enjoy
 

BJ686

Well-Known Member
Ouch! That was a nasty looking pile of gravel on the side of the road---- looks like you just clipped it. Glad you are OK and finished the ride.

Brad
 

trapdoor2

Zen MBB Master
Wow...reminds me of when I low-sided my Yamaha. I drove it home and my mother took great enjoyment in digging the gravel out of my shoulder and then scrubbing it with medical soap, wire brushes (felt like it), etc. My riding buddy sat on a stool and watched, he bought a set of leathers within a week. :D
Glad you're OK!!
 

LarryOz

Cruzeum Curator & Sigma Wrangler
thanks - Here's the "short" version with everything speed up x8, accept for the crash.
Go to 3 min 30 sec to just see the crash
 

ratz

Wielder of the Rubber Mallet
Today's public service notice.

Those funny looking levers on your handle bars...?
yep those....

see they move when you pull them... ?
yep they are called brakes.

They are designed to keep you from breaking other things.


Glad you are part Weeble even if you do fall down.
 

RojoRacing

Donut Powered Wise-guy
Sorry this happened and hope you heal up fast. Since this has happened yet again it seems like a decent time to mention something I've been thinking about recently since I've gotten back outside. Do you think your narrow handlebar setup is a major factor in the reason you have crashed so much? We all know you seem to have mastered the strait line stability and you can take a corner ok but that doesn't mean you have the same level of control during an unpredictable situation that rely or reaction over skill. Sure the gravel this time or a flat front tire other times are situations out of your control but a rider with enough skill should be expected to fight the odds and salvage at least some incidents without hitting the ground. I notice the group ahead of you rode through the gravel in various spots at basically the same speed and with little to no issues, I think one rider twitched. Maybe if you had a more standard width bar you could have muscled the front wheel into gripping the road again after a couple feet of over steer. Honestly even if wider bars would have helped keep you up you would have most certainly lifted strait up after the slide and rode strait unto that car which would have been worse then the what happened.

I wasn't there so I can't say what would have happened ether way but I believe every adjustment to a system is a compromise in one way or another and you quest for narrow bars must have it's drawbacks. Just something to think about.
 

bladderhead

Zen MBB Master
You did not take your frustration out on Mrs Oslund. You took it out on the ground.

The video shows a car going by just after you crashed. Lucky that person was concentrating.

I would be nervous about overtaking with all the oncoming traffic. You spend a lot of time on the wrong side of the road. You had to pull in to the middle of the peloton. Good job they let you in.

I am British. Maybe if I looked at your videos in the mirror they would look less scary.
 

DavidCH

In thought; expanding the paradigm of traversity
I saw the video of the crash. That one seems impossible to escape from , from that side of the road. Perhaps it had been wet earlier on and there had been some surface run off. Larry did well to get back on the V. At that speed on a DF I don't think many riders would have continued. Get well Larry. If I ever chose to race then perhaps Kevlar arse protection would be good.
 

MrSteve

Zen MBB Master
Sorry Larry... crashing with video evidence must suck for months!
Get well soon and stop crashing.
 

Jim Parker

Cruzbike, Inc. Director
Staff member
Sorry about that crash! I watched it on the video. I think the oncoming cars suddenly appearing in your view made you (appropriately) tighten the radius of your cornering, but unfortunately, that meant a high-speed corner on sand/gravel. Bad luck/timing. I hope you heal-up soon. When crossing sand/gravel, I try to hold a straight line, but in this case a fall was better than running into a car.
 

LarryOz

Cruzeum Curator & Sigma Wrangler
Bad luck/timing. I hope you heal-up soon. When crossing sand/gravel, I try to hold a straight line, but in this case a fall was better than running into a car.
Thanks Jim- I think you hit the nail on the head - better to slide out than head-on into a car going the opposite direction.

Man your guardian angel is probably applying for a transfer about now! Glad you're ok.
Yes - my poor "guardian angel(s)". The statement they never want to her from God is: "What is he doing here now?" - I keep them busy, but I also figure that the Lord "has something else for me to do", "or is not quit done with me yet" so I'm still here.!
In all seriousness, I do thank the Lord I'm alive and can ride still. We do have live smart and not put ourselves in extreme danger on purpose.
In retrospect it was foolish of me to go that fast on a course that I am not 100% sure of the road conditions.
I need to save the "extreme" feats of power and speed for either killer workouts indoor or an actual race.

Thanks for all the well-wishes - I rode on the KICKR trainer today - definitely a little sore - but I did not fall off - and of course all the sweat melts off the dressings (even the Duoderm), so now must re-do them!
 

super slim

Zen MBB Master
Hmmm.... tegaderm made by 3m. 3m headquartered in Minneapolis; I think I'll go knock on their door and see if they would like to sponsor a RAAM team o_O
I think the chances of sponsorship would be high, especially if you tell them about Larry as he could try all the new products!
 

bladderhead

Zen MBB Master
DavidCH said:
Kevlar arse protection

When I crash a 'bent my elbows take the impact. I keep,thinking about skateboarders elbow pads.

Still, I would rather fall over sideways on my elbows than do a DF-type head-first job. I have done that and it is not nice.
 

hoyden

Well-Known Member
We do have live smart and not put ourselves in extreme danger on purpose.
I had that lesson learned on me a couple days go when I almost got t-boned by another biker. I lost overall situational focus while intent on my chosen direction. The other biker braked hard and I swerved and we missed colliding by about 3'.

It's fine to seek optimum performance but not at the expense of losing sight of all the players. In hindsight I want to stay aware that my plans can be interrupted by the unexpected.
 

RAR

Well-Known Member
Thanks Jim- I think you hit the nail on the head - better to slide out than head-on into a car going the opposite direction.


Yes - my poor "guardian angel(s)". The statement they never want to her from God is: "What is he doing here now?" - I keep them busy, but I also figure that the Lord "has something else for me to do", "or is not quit done with me yet" so I'm still here.!
In all seriousness, I do thank the Lord I'm alive and can ride still. We do have live smart and not put ourselves in extreme danger on purpose.
In retrospect it was foolish of me to go that fast on a course that I am not 100% sure of the road conditions.
I need to save the "extreme" feats of power and speed for either killer workouts indoor or an actual race.

Thanks for all the well-wishes - I rode on the KICKR trainer today - definitely a little sore - but I did not fall off - and of course all the sweat melts off the dressings (even the Duoderm), so now must re-do them!
Larry,
Maybe a set of these would be in order! http://www.bikerumor.com/2016/08/25...h-new-dainese-trail-skins-2-more/#more-136218
 
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