This past Saturday I went on a group ride with about 30 people that was fairly spirited out in the country. Most of the riders were on sport bikes however there were a few cruisers. Well, On this ride I saw a low side happen right in front of me & it was the first time I have seen one in real life. The rider in question was on a cruiser with his wife. I had just taken off my gopro a few minutes before because it was really windy & it was effecting my helmet resistance especially at the spirited speeds many of us were going. The cruiser went around a downhill right turn and I was a few seconds behind. At this point in the ride we were all fairly spaced out & had slowed down a bit because the twistys were coming up. Just as I came around the turn I saw the bike go down with the passenger smacking the ground hard. I had to raise the bike level & attempt to stop without running her over. It was close but I was able to stop in time by not panicking. It did take about a full half second for me to react which seemed like 10 seconds. Had it taken me a full second I would have ran her over, wrecked, or both.
It appeared that gravel was probably the main culprit in this low slide as in the middle of the turn there was a gravel residential driveway and gravel had been spread out in the roadway. The rider is no newbie. It was however, his first ride of the season. While the ride was spirited, He was in front of me & I can attest that speed probably wasn't so much of a factor as I saw him slow down prior to the turn.
After I stopped I ran over, lifted the riders bike & got it out of the roadway. I had an adrenaline rush due to the incident & lifted his bike up one handed by grabbing his bar & raising it up. It felt so light at the moment. Other riders stopped after me to check on the two riders.
Their Bike damage:
Big scuff on his windshield, reservoir, his saddle bags were scrapped up & his mirror knocked off. Seems as though the saddle bags protected the other parts of his bike. They almost acted as frame sliders lol.
Injuries:
The operator, was wearing a jacket with protection & complained of shoulder pain however we all thought he was ok. His sleeve was shredded but no rash. appears his injury was more blunt force VS slide. He finished the ride. The next day(Sunday) he woke up in pain, went to the ER & it turns out he broke his shoulder in 2 places. He is now in a sling 6-8 weeks. While I only saw her fall as I caught the back half of the slide it appears as though he fell to his right but stayed there while his passenger is who slid.
The passenger Was wearing jeans & a sweatshirt only:facepalm:
Thus, fairly severe arm rash, broken rib & a MAJOR rash right on her knee. It looked super narley. There was literally no skin on her knee yet no blood. It looked like a big red fleshy strawberry.
Both riders were in good spirits saying it was their first accident.
This was also the first time I witnessed such an accident right in front of me. I must say while I wasn't really shaken it did make me a little more passive for the rest of the ride. I do have a pic or two but am not posting them just to respect their privacy. If they post them in a public venue, I will then post them on here later.
PS: I had a great ride....
It appeared that gravel was probably the main culprit in this low slide as in the middle of the turn there was a gravel residential driveway and gravel had been spread out in the roadway. The rider is no newbie. It was however, his first ride of the season. While the ride was spirited, He was in front of me & I can attest that speed probably wasn't so much of a factor as I saw him slow down prior to the turn.
After I stopped I ran over, lifted the riders bike & got it out of the roadway. I had an adrenaline rush due to the incident & lifted his bike up one handed by grabbing his bar & raising it up. It felt so light at the moment. Other riders stopped after me to check on the two riders.
Their Bike damage:
Big scuff on his windshield, reservoir, his saddle bags were scrapped up & his mirror knocked off. Seems as though the saddle bags protected the other parts of his bike. They almost acted as frame sliders lol.
Injuries:
The operator, was wearing a jacket with protection & complained of shoulder pain however we all thought he was ok. His sleeve was shredded but no rash. appears his injury was more blunt force VS slide. He finished the ride. The next day(Sunday) he woke up in pain, went to the ER & it turns out he broke his shoulder in 2 places. He is now in a sling 6-8 weeks. While I only saw her fall as I caught the back half of the slide it appears as though he fell to his right but stayed there while his passenger is who slid.
The passenger Was wearing jeans & a sweatshirt only:facepalm:
Thus, fairly severe arm rash, broken rib & a MAJOR rash right on her knee. It looked super narley. There was literally no skin on her knee yet no blood. It looked like a big red fleshy strawberry.
Both riders were in good spirits saying it was their first accident.
This was also the first time I witnessed such an accident right in front of me. I must say while I wasn't really shaken it did make me a little more passive for the rest of the ride. I do have a pic or two but am not posting them just to respect their privacy. If they post them in a public venue, I will then post them on here later.
PS: I had a great ride....
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