Categories: La Vie VelominatusTechniqueThe RidesThe Rules

On Rule #64: The Sudden Drop

Scraped carbon and a torn cleat serve as reminders of a sudden crash.

The severity of a crash exists on two planes, the physical and psychological. The physical is the most obvious and one we busy ourselves with in the immediate vicinity of coming down. Our bodies need time to heal, our kits may need replacing or mending, and our bicycles may need repair work. For weeks and sometimes months, we may carry with us the scars that result when our bodies, bicycles, and tarmac momentarily occupy the same space.

We endeavor to reach a point where the mechanics of bike handling has moved into the subconscious. An experienced Cyclist no longer thinks in terms of steering or pedaling; instead, we exist in a stream of subconscious consciousness where our senses are heightened, yet none of our actions exist on a plane of explicit thought as we make subtle adjustments to our stroke, steering, and balance. As our experience grows, the bicycle becomes an extension of our physical selves; it is through finding this harmony that we are able to live on the razor’s edge between grace and disaster.

When disaster does strike, we are faced with scars beyond the physical that take much longer to recover than do our equipment and flesh. In the space of a single moment, the trust we felt in our machine and our ability to control it evaporates, leaving a hollow sense of betrayal that burrows away deeply into our minds. It stays there, far from view, only to surface during moments when we most rely on our confidence to avoid crashes; the sliding of a tire in a corner or the sudden interference of an object with our path – these situations require complete confidence in our machine and skills, yet during the time that our confidence is being rebuilt we doubt our instincts.

This is particularly true of cornering, where we are most prominently faced with the realities of our confidence, trust, and skills. Normally, we sense a crash approaching some time before it arrives. A problem with our trajectory or a slipping tire will give our minds a moment to react, even if our bodies are unable to. As we reflect on the crash afterwards, we’ll understand what happened, and what might have been done to avoid it; we use this knowledge to tell ourselves it was avoidable and tuck that nagging sense of doubt a bit farther out of reach. But a crash with no warning and no remedy sits naked in our minds and permeates every action and sensation as we struggle to regain our confidence.

This past December, I slipped on some black ice on a cold morning commute to the office. There were no signs of anything going amiss; there was only the crash. In the blink of an eye, I went from happily entering a corner to laying on the tarmac. The impact was so sudden, in fact, that the force of the fall was taken up by my hip and elbow – my hands never left the bars – and the impact so swift that my cleat tore apart as the impossibility of my occupying the same space as my bicycle and the road was resolved by my being separated abruptly from both.

My rides since then have suffered from nagging questions that flood my mind as I enter a corner, particularly in the wet; I no longer trust that I can judge the corner adequately or that my equipment will loyally carry me through. Logically, I know that while statistics suggest that one’s chances of crashing remain constant so long as environmental conditions don’t significantly change, I know shaken confidence ensures that crashes come in clusters as self-doubt overrides intuition cultivated over years of experience.

I must force myself to regain my confidence; the only path to doing so lies through ignoring my doubt and wrapping myself in the craft. Vive la Vie Velominatus.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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View Comments

Nate says:

Jan 31 2013 at 12:38 pm

@frank

@eightzero

My Rule (that I have been ridiculed by the common sojery here) is that I don't ride in the rain, and I don't ride in the dark. It's. Too. Fucking. Dangerous.

As it turns out, you can do both of those things quite safely provided you don't also add freezing temperatures into the mix.

Frank, what is your preferred rim/brakepad combo for rain?
frank says:

Jan 31 2013 at 12:43 pm

@Mikael Liddy

@Marcus

@roger interesting. I am the opposite. Where I have caused myself to crash, I have found my confidence well damaged - but when I have been brought down through the actions of others (ie. other riders) I have emerged relatively mentally unscathed.

Yup ditto here, still not 100% confident in my cornering on descents that I don't ride consistently after my spill at Easter last year. Fault purely my own for going too quick for the damp & messy road conditions, which is the worst part because you're constantly questioning whether you've judged the corner/conditions correctly once you're back up riding...

I have spent enough time in the hospital to learn this fact very well: the thrill of a fast descent/corner is never big enough to outweigh how much a serious crash can suck.

I descend like a Schleck for the most part.

@The Pressure

And apologies for Rule #81 liberties...but since the van lost, Rule #5 was applied!

This whole article smacks of a Rule 81 violation, but in my defense, as Velominatus, I abide by this. As a writer, it makes for an important discussion.

Proof that I didn't discuss this, the crash was from mid December and even though Marko and I text on a daily basis, this article was the first he'd heard of my crash.
frank says:

Jan 31 2013 at 12:45 pm

@G'rilla

Sven Nys famously test drove some studded Dugast tubulars on an ice rink.

If they can figure out how to make banked corners on an ice rink, we could be in for some entertaining ice track racing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2XZB86mwJM

And if they figure out how to do that, you can be sure a race promoter in the PNW will put on a CX race with a banked, iced corner.
frank says:

Jan 31 2013 at 12:50 pm

@brett

@Deakus

Er...@Frank what's with the Time cleats...where have the Speedplays gone?

He never used Speedplays, Gianni does.

On the subject, I'm having some knee issues and am seriously contemplating the move to Speedplay. Such an expensive move to make, changing all bikes out, but it may be necessary...
itburns says:

Jan 31 2013 at 12:54 pm

@frank

Does Time make a floating cleat like Shimano? I have all the float I want (3 degrees each way) on my SPD-SL's. I would think Time has a similar solution.
eightzero says:

Jan 31 2013 at 1:18 pm

@frank

@eightzero

My Rule (that I have been ridiculed by the common sojery here) is that I don't ride in the rain, and I don't ride in the dark. It's. Too. Fucking. Dangerous.

As it turns out, you can do both of those things quite safely provided you don't also add freezing temperatures into the mix.

If by quite safely you mean I'm a fucking pussy...yeah, well...I shant quibble.
the Engine says:

Jan 31 2013 at 1:55 pm

@frank

@brett

@Deakus

Er...@Frank what's with the Time cleats...where have the Speedplays gone?

He never used Speedplays, Gianni does.

On the subject, I'm having some knee issues and am seriously contemplating the move to Speedplay. Such an expensive move to make, changing all bikes out, but it may be necessary...

I rock Bonts (charred) and Speedplays and my knees don't hurt anymore - ergo make the change
Deakus says:

Jan 31 2013 at 2:35 pm

@frank

@brett

@Deakus

Er...@Frank what's with the Time cleats...where have the Speedplays gone?

He never used Speedplays, Gianni does.

On the subject, I'm having some knee issues and am seriously contemplating the move to Speedplay. Such an expensive move to make, changing all bikes out, but it may be necessary...

@Frank as you have stated on several occasions on other reverance articles, sometimes the upfront costs can repay the outlay over time and I would suggest speedplays are a case on point:

1. The float thing is a little wierd for about 10 minutes, then it is pure joy

2. The cleats last...a lot longer! I know some complain that they clog easily but I have not found this, a little WD40 from time to time is all it takes.

3. The pedal is so simple, I have already dismantled mine and regreased them, they even give you the instructions in the box (which by the way is beautiful)

4. All parts are dismantable and replaceable seperately, you can get new bearings, shafts, outers, o-rings...the whole damn lot. I imagine this will appeal to your sensibilities.

5. Dual sided, I know we all love to think we clip in to our looks and time pedals everytime in split second..but really?

6. O..O....O...no creaking, squeaking....just a small contribution to the principle of silence

You know it makes sense!
frank says:

Jan 31 2013 at 2:36 pm

@Gianni

When it rains, it pours. Or something like that. Three crashes yesterday on Maui, none car related. Two from the damp slippery white line on a road that that does not get too much rain and the third from an overcooked damp corner. Two riders with broken femurs, one of them was Peter from the East Maui Cogal ride. Faaaaaaaack.

A lot of the cornering I do is on well washed roads and no one crashes there (well not many). I think it's the roads that don't get much rain are the really dangerous ones when it is a little wet out.

@wrench

That's a chilling story, it could be any of us. I hope the recovery is smooth and your tyres are singing on the pavement soon.

Why do things like that always come in threes?
frank says:

Jan 31 2013 at 2:38 pm

@Nate

@frank

@eightzero

My Rule (that I have been ridiculed by the common sojery here) is that I don't ride in the rain, and I don't ride in the dark. It's. Too. Fucking. Dangerous.

As it turns out, you can do both of those things quite safely provided you don't also add freezing temperatures into the mix.

Frank, what is your preferred rim/brakepad combo for rain?

I like the getto Kool Stop pads in Salmon on any alu rim; I'm rollin' my Mavic Open Pros right now and they work great, but I don't notice a performance difference between that and my old rain wheels which were Ksyriums.

I actually thought my carbon climbing wheels did pretty well in the wet - so long as I rode the brakes for a second before needing them so the works warmed up enough that there was enough heat for everything to work. Not ideal for a panic stop!

I hate that feeling when you hit the brakes and your bike appears to do nothing but speed up for a moment.