What happens after the fall?

Crashing while cycling may not be quite as drastic as this (it has me scratching my head and thinking, HOW did THAT happen?); but by all accounts it can be bad enough.

An accident resulting in serious or life-threatening injury could have a cyclist reluctant to get back on the bike after the fall. I don\’t know what I would do; I\’m sure that riding again would be terrifying if I were knocked down by a car, or if I went over an embankment. It would be hard enough, I suspect, if I \”only\” got a nasty case of road rash.

The idea of such accidents gives a whole different meaning to \”recovery\”. I\’m amazed at that Dutch rider mentioned in the article, pedaling again less than two weeks after fractures in her spine! And she had a concussion as well. Such injuries would probably leave me bedridden for several weeks; and off the bike for much longer.

And look at that poor fellow who already was seriously hurt, and got his leg run over by a motorcycle. Talk about heaping injury upon injury!

This isn\’t the only thing I\’ve read that gives the mental side of bicycling high marks. Mental toughness must be especially important when coming back after severe physical trauma. I can\’t speak from personal experience, but I guess a major aspect of that is to take your time.

So after the fall, as an old song went, \”Pick yourself up. Dust yourself off. Start all over again.\”