There’s A Right Way To Crash!?!
You are probably tired of hearing from me about how even pro racers have tell tale broken collar bone scars from crashing at speeds above 20mph (bikes are not designed well for such sustained speeds). You may not be aware that there really is a proper way to fall, should a crash occur.
If you grip your bars, keep your feet on the pedals, tuck your elbows and knees, the bike will take the brunt of the fall. Your bar is likely to hit first. Then your pedal and finally your saddle. I am not saying that momentum won’t cause your bum or shoulder to hit. Those might even cause your head to hit (wear a helmet), but not til after most of the force is absorbed by your trusty steed. Bikes fix easier, cheaper and faster than people.
All the above is what you are seeing in the crash photo at the head of this article. He is also freakishly skilled, so he is also leaning away from impact and in the final video actually rolls with the bike. You aren’t likely to be traveling at his speeds, even with an e-bike. You probably have the good sense not to do so in such slippery conditions. So, you aren’t likely to experience near so violent a fall if you follow these rules.
I have slid on the gov.’t bridge (then got my fingers caught in the grate getting up). That was in sleet. I once slide on a rail road track, eventually ending up on my back, still clipped in (rain). Couldn’t believe nothing was even sore. Had to Clip out so I could get upright and finish the ride to work! Oh yeah, once I slid on black ice, rode out the slide, got up and immediately fell again. It was too slippery even to walk on the bike path!
Just once, I was sort of seriously injured. I was having a melodramatic last ride on my father’s bike and not paying much attention, when a young lady stepped in front of me. I’d have gone slower and been able to easily avoid her if I had been paying proper attention. I am sure I must have fallen and gotten scrapes when I was little, but I don’t recall. Not bad for someone that is 64 and has been riding bikes since he was three. Obviously, this works for me. Wish I could claim I discovered it, but cyclists have practiced it for a hundred years. Perhaps it will work for you!