2009-04-30 15:17:55.491856+00 by Dan Lyke 3 comments
Every once in a while I think "maybe it'd be fun to ride in a race", and then... Video of a bicycle crash in the Wente Criterium in Livermore. The commentary has some good things to remember when riding in groups, especially since (and I'm trying to avoid spoilers) the circumstances of the camera bike going down were rather incidental to the main crash. Via.
[ related topics: Photography Pedal Power Video Bicycling ]
comments in ascending chronological order (reverse):
#Comment Re: made: 2009-04-30 17:56:03.590422+00 by: Mark A. Hershberger
Sometimes I meet semi-professionals out on my rides or cross tracks (like this last weekend) with a race and think it'd be nice to race. But then reality sets in:
Oh, and the rear mounted camera rocks.
#Comment Re: Racing and Crashing... made: 2009-04-30 22:32:47.194843+00 by: jeff [edit history]
That's a great video.
Crashing is an ultimate eventuality in just about any competitive motorsport (or even pedal-powered sports). I've often thought from time-to-time of getting back into motorcycle racing (as a racer), but I'm sometimes reminded of how painful it can be.
This past weekend provided an example of that, as one of the riders who I help sponsor for my motorcycle endurance racing team low-sided in the middle of a turn, and was nearly hit by the race leader who was preparing to lap him. Instead, the other rider hit our bike (my Triumph Daytona 675) and catapaulted onto the track, breaking his sternum:
Here are three frames of the crash which I stitched together quickly using Hugin:
Things happen so quickly on the racetrack that often there is nowhere to turn, and not enough time to brake. I'm sure the rider on the red bike saw events in front of him appearing to unfold in slow motion, but at the moment the top photo was taken, he's probably thinking to himself, "this is gonna hurt!"
Both racing teams were able to repair the bikes and actually get them back into the race (it's a three-hour endurance race, and we rotate riders every thirty minutes and refuel on the hour). Ironically, I had just left the pit area about ten minutes beforehand, telling everyone "I'm going to get some good shots of Corey." Well, I did, but wasn't quite expecting this.
Corey walked away with a destroyed helmet and boots, but borrowed riding attire and later got back on the bike for about 6-7 laps before the race ended. Fortunately, he's only going to be sore for a few days. The other rider spent a day in the hospital, but he will be fine and is already eager to race again in 4-6 weeks. Yep, racer-types are wired a bit differently from the rest of us.
#Comment Re: RC Motorcycle Racing made: 2009-05-02 20:51:54.629051+00 by: jeff [edit history]
This isn't about crashing, per se, but these RC-motorcycles seem really cool.
I understand the gyroscopic effects of keeping them upright, but I want to know how they direct them to lean into the turns.