If You Must Fall From A 'Cycle At Least Fall Correctly!

Chronicle (Levin), 2 December 1948, Page 7

If You Must Fall From A 'Cycle At Least Fall Correctly!

Don Yeates) ' Y

(By-

Safety on the cycle tr^ck' has been and always will be a ' , headache for all promoters. It resolves itself ihto three ,f actors J — -safety of the track itself, safety of rjder§' equipment and good track discipline among the riders, this last point being all important. - '

There was a bad mi'x-up in the Open two mile race at Levin on Monday, when, going up the back straight for the last time, " Rob ■Vinsen struck tlie gfass verge with his pedal and tipped out near the front of a packed field. In the ensuing scuffle three riders fell. That there .were only three more casualties is surprising indeed,' and it is certain that only very clever hiachine handling ' saved 'further' tumbles. Ross Harper ■ was one of the two boys worst hurt, Roy Collis and Bill Calder , being only superficially skinned. All of the riders concerned are nbw progressing well, but readers may be assured that they had an un-, bomfortable Monday night. I The risk of falling is one of the worst points of cycle racing andl' one of the least - considered until afterwards. A bad fall 1 can .shake ( •a rider's confidence and leaye permanent, - though unnoticed, scars in his memory. Aiiy meansi should be use'd firstly to avoid' accidents and, secondly, to protect the riders against the more serious consequences of a fall. ' Though not directiy the cause of Monday's upset, the natural impulse to look round and behind is the greatest breacn of track discipline, and a fruitful cause of troubie. Just try it some time, alone on ■ the track — looking over one's right shoulder . causes an* involuntary swerve to the right and, of co'urse, there is a momentary but sometimes vital loss of forward vision. I remember one; time finishing about seven th in acrowded handicap at Palmerston North. Just over the line, someone benind me fell off ,with the usual clatter and screech of metal on bitumen and, believe it or not, four of the six boys ahead of me •iturned their heads to have a look! No, my chi'.dren, in front is the" place to watch. Hazards Of The Track And, now, the tracks — I have ridden on only one track that was truly safe and it couid even have been improved in details. Each track has its own peculiarities and it pays to learn them before attempting high speed riding on a strange track (this maxim occurred to me ' personally during the first night of a six-week sojourn in hospital) . Unbanked tracks are particularly difficult to ride in safety and they always present a special hazard on each curve. On tne Levin - traCk' the step-up from the bitumen to the grass verge, which caused 'Monday's crash, is to 'be graded down all round the track, so that In future cyclists may, if necessary, "cake to the country" in safety. This, of eourse, is a step ■taken, after the event, to remove the cause. In general we ean change the tracks only in decail, and it devolves on each rider to adapf himself to the special 'cireumistances.

Concern'.ng equipment, not enDugh of our boys are protected against that inevitable fall. Cfash hats arid stopped handlebars are necessary, and should be enforced by law. Crash gloves and some form of arm and elbcw protection ■are well wortn while, and some method of fixing the foot to the pedal so that it cannot be withdrawn. under any circumstances wou;d minimise injuries received. If a falling rider can.hang_.on to his handle bar and keep his foot on the pedal he can not be hurt seriously. This may not seem sound, but long experience in falling pff bicycles at all speeds 011 all surfaces and in all attitudes has proved this point to me. A training course of instruction in how to fall off a 'cycle, carried out on a muddy surface, is not a bad idea..- Ic can be instructive ■and it is ' certainly amusing.