Jared Graves posted an unfortunate injury update to his Instagram earlier today, including a graphic photo of an open wound on his leg. He was on his road bike when the accident happened, with the Australian saying, "the driver wasn't looking and turned into me." He has suffered a shattered kneecap, a broken foot, some gaping wounds that require a lot of stitches, and says that he'll need surgery in the near future. We're wishing him a quick recovery.
Stay safe out here, everyone.
290 Comments
Enjoy your ride
had a guy sitting in his car at the lights get out of the drivers seat, smack, one broken patella and blood mall over the inside of his door.
I always tell people that there is a bumper with my name on it.
But the trails are too far away for me to drive to every day, massive waste of resources and I have to go ride every day, so I bike commute. If I lived pedal distance from trails I would consider motorcycle commuting.
Anyone claiming to have a "sixth sense" is just ignoring their luck.
If that's how you start your argument FOR road riding I think you've already lost.
Now honestly I was a much more serious road rider as a youngster than riding mtb, and had way to many code calls to contemplate taking it up again at 41.
I ride loads on roads, but that's on a big heavy upright commuter. I think the upright position gives you better awareness of your surrounding than you can have in that nose-down orientation. Plus of course I can be happy that I live in a place (The Netherlands) where the roads are relatively safe for bike riding and above all, nearly everyone in a car is aware of bikes too.
I'm with @danielfloyd here that riding a road race bike would scare me too. You're going fast, have less control over your bike than on your mountainbike (or even a heavy commuter) and there just are more dangers outside of your control. On a mountainbike, it is easier to be prepared. Where to focus, where to relax.
If you like riding a road bike fast then by all means go for it. But if it is just to build endurance and strength, there are more than a few alternatives.
Would you agree that's a useful statement? I would hope not.
I'm not saying there aren't things you can learn to do to mitigate some risk but there are things you can never predict, and to pretend you're some sort of fortune telling roadie hero on the Internet is going to get you a lot of downvotes.
Try to see comment aimed at other comments, not person against person. Really, no one got destroyed. I've often seen myself disagree with a person here in one discussion and agree in another. And I trust that goes for many on here (at least my discussion partners).
I suspect roadies spend a fair bit more time riding, and I'd be surprised if the frequency of bad injuries per hour ridden isn't a fair bit higher for bike parks?
On the mountain, I ride to a level of risk that is acceptable for me and if I have an accident on the mountain, I accept that's my responsibility. It would be very unusual to come across a situation where I could genuinely blame someone else or where someone is going to unexpectedly ride into me and crush me to death.
I still commute daily, but I have revised my route to make it safer, but it's never 100%. Between bike and car, the car will always win. I don't really ride road any longer and I advocate for safer urban bike routes, but it's a slow process to get to a AAA cycling network and we have a lot of work still to do.
Get well soon Grubby!
Of course, it all depends on the location. Where I live there are certain roads that are safe-ish for road riding, others that are a definite no-go. I feel the safest roads are the ones that are the most twisty, narrow and undulating - demands drivers to focus on the actual driving rather than some digital distraction.
@5afety3rd: Username checks out
I've crossed paths with only a couple more "aggressive" dogs in my past and it was clear those houses were NOT a healthy environment for the dog. In those cases, I'll stop, put my bike in between myself and the dog, and yell or use a squirt from my bottle to get them to back off.
I might have to drive to the trail head, but, it is a small price to pay right now.
When they do look up, it’s around blind spots you could hide a horse in.
Here's a link to the video.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYHz93HXJFQ
Stay off the roads. I handle auto insurance.
If you knew the stats we see the spike since smartphones hit then the next spike when meth/fentanyl/oxy hit the world, you'd know.
Point in case - dashcam footage did the social media rounds a few days ago. Roadie going straight through an intersection, fvckhead in a car turned from a non-turning lane and T boned the cyclist, then drove away.
Comments ranged from "cyclist's fault, roads are only for cars" through to "fantastic, one less cyclist on the road". So much venomous, blind, ignorant hatred (as is the theme for western society these days, I suppose). Just reinforces why I avoid riding on the road wherever possible.
Anyway, best wishes for a speedy recovery to Jared.
But the fact there's even that kind of division to exploit in the first place is insane. A massive chunk of our country was on fire a couple years ago (and surely will be again before long) - bicycles are not the enemy, they are a sensible way forward through the unfolding catastrophe we're facing as a species.
Yet there's so many dumbarses clogging our city roads with pristine utes and 4WDs, and they have the temerity to demand that cyclists start paying registration fees for road use. Like, I DO pay rego you dickheads...for a car sitting idle in my driveway...while I zip past you in peak hour traffic on my beloved bicycle.
The funniest thing is, they would STILL have to wait to overtake when there wasn't enough room, they would STILL have to watch cyclists filtering and making progress in cities where they can't. They will always be angry.
I have coworkers who joke about hitting and killing cyclists.
Yep.
When I read that, I always say "I agree! I feel like every road user should be taxed! I believe that since heavier vehicles do more road damage, that it should be $1 per pound. Totally appropriate for me to register my bike for $20 a year. How much will your_____ be?"
Puts a little perspective into what they are driving.
That said, I do drive a 10,000 pound vehicle, so I don't REALLY want to pay that...
So I'm totally willing to pay one penny of road tax while the SUV driver pays several thousand dollars.
I asked one guy who described himself as a "professional" driver, who was saying cyclists deserved everything they get, what his cut off was. When he asked me what I meant I said I assumed he wouldn't want to knock a four year old off their bike, but adults seemed to be fair game, how old did they have to get for it to be okay?
There's a world of difference between pure-socialism, and democratic-socialism (which includes a healthy dose of capitalism) that most of the developed world (including the US) has embraced up until this point.
When you look at right-wing policies being pushed and passed right now in the US, which country's policies do they most closely mirror? Russia, Saudi-Arabia (and other theocratic states) come to mind.
When you look at left-wing policies being pushed? They're watered down versions of policies that have been in place for decades in countries like Canada, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Denmark, etc.
The wife keeps encouraging me to get one again as it was before her time and it's getting hard to say no. Better spend that $$$$$ on new mountain bikes to keep me safe right?
I absolutely refuse to where I live now. I even will down and pull up to cyclist to suggest better places to ride.
Hope to see a lot more bike And walking infrastructure going forward. But in the meantime it’s usually just not worth it in a lot of places.
S
I don't think anyone has noticed yet though - the roads just keep getting busier and drivers more impatient.
The only proven solution is to have separate infrastructure for bikes and drivers. Drivers can even use bike infrastructure when necessary (greenways is a good example) but there needs to be plenty of means that force drivers to slow down and pay attention such as concrete roundabouts with stop signs or protected bike lanes with a barrier.
Making drivers liable won’t do shit. That’s like thinking jail sentences will solve a drug problem.
In a previous version of life that was my plan to move to Whistler for the skiing. Then my wife left and I wasn't willing to abandony kids.
Jarad stay strong it is going to get better and you have an amazing support system out there rooting for you.
I now find myself with what i can only describe as PTSD i have recurring short dreams of the crash. All I heard was brad=BOOM in all of maybe 3 seconds probably masked by the wall of foliage on either side of this 2-3' surface. I know 4 ribs are toast along with ting fracture in my right forearm's ulna. bruised, motor burns, and generally being totally worked could describe my body. 3 days ago i was able to sleep most of the night.
.... and ya I had to drag my story ass a mile back to where the trail turns to dirt road where there is a tiny 2 seat bar with a destroyed body and bike....guess i could write a book about....here is the strava till i got the moto prize
www.strava.com/activities/8621636590
His Jamco was destroyed and his buddy...the good guy...went to try and get me a route cab to take me back to Negril 18 miles away while the douchbag tried to start his bike but it was missing a steering wheel and the clutch along with a dozen pieces alll over the place so he dropped it and walked away never uttered a word making me believe his jay was toast. I heard he went to Green Island clinic then to Lucea hospital.
I waited an hour then decided to live..... so I went forward a mile to where the trail turns into road dropped my toasted bike and tried to ask for help the 1st little bar has 2 stools looks like a small shed where 2 old guys, like me, were drinking rum after all it was about noon. It was tough forming words I was in distress just trying to breath and the old guys said no one has a car...... I said I can pay them a lot and the one cat said how much? I replied 4,000J, about 35CDN and he said he'll be back in a moment.
Got to say that was the longest mile I have ever done I was able to ride the taco'd rim down DH and slowly make my way up.
I knew he was not coming back with help he we would have to convince a driver to go in the caning and extract me as I was almost at the river about 1/4 mile away when I got hit and only bikes can go over the 12" river bridge board as the concrete was washed away a few years ago that is why we ride "The Caning" it is eye candy with no traffic in the middle of no where Jamaica just rollocoaster thin tar with a wall on either side of sugar cane and bamboo. It opens up with unreal field views then back to cane and bamboo.
thanks for reaching out STJ I do miss riding with you guys..... here is a pic of my front rim a testament to it's strength being alu www.pinkbike.com/photo/24347049
.
www.nsnews.com/local-news/cyclist-in-serious-condition-after-collision-with-dump-truck-in-north-vancouver-6656014
Riding your road bike on the road
I hope he gets better soon. I just think it's sad that as a cycling community we don't feel it safe to take to the road.
Why is "shattered" used for the kneecap and "broken" for the foot ?
Why not broken kneecap ?
Are the two words just synonymous used to avoid repetition ?
Or do shattered and broken mean different "levels" of damage ?
Like broken is more in 2 parts, when shattered is more smaller parts maybe ?
Yeah I once read that despite the simple grammar English has a lot of vocabulary because it comes from both french and german language (or latin and teutonic something)., so it's not unusual to have 2 words with the same meaning.
I will rarely road/gravel bike on pavement where I live. I feel safer commuting in a city where there is organized chaos, than on a rural backroad at the whim of some dude who hates spandex.
Yeah it is a risk but so is everything.
I’ve had a couple of close calls road cycling but only been hit once and luckily wasn’t seriously injured.
But hey ho that’s the cycling community they say their inclusive until you don’t agree with who ever happens to be shouting the loudest about a subject.
Heal up, shit news. \m/
from memory, his original was, " the worst part is that after the accident, the driver made him drink from his water bottle!"
revising your joke, doesn't fix the failure to begin with.
so what you are doing is known as a strawman argument. I am unsure whether it is purposeful on your part because you have some weird justice boner for Jared, can't differentiate between my making fun of someone's lame joke and the content of the joke, or are just.....special.
also, confirmed.....you got a raging justice boner for Jared!
grow up
Join Pinkbike Login