If you spend enough time on a bicycle, the inevitable will happen: you’re going to crash. One moment, you’re happily pedaling along, and the next thing you know, you’re looking up from the ground, trying to figure out what happened.
Crashes don’t discriminate: whether you are a road cyclist, a mountain biker, a commuter, or anything in between, eventually you’ll hit the ground. The very nature of cycling—balancing on two wheels while varying terrain guarantees that, at some point, everything won’t work together as it should.
It also doesn’t matter how experienced you are. A corner on the fourth stage of the 2024 Tour of the Basque Country in northern Spain took out three of the four top riders for that year’s Tour de France. With nearly 40 kilometers left in the day, racers entered a tree-lined section of road with fast turns. The race leader overshot one particularly troubling corner but was able to stay upright. Commentators and spectators alike wondered if the 100+ rider peloton that followed would be so lucky.
Remco Evenepoel, Primož Roglič, and Jonas Vingegaard led the pack. Like the race leader, they overshot the corner. Heading toward a ditch, Evenopoel successfully bunny-hopped the obstacle, putting his front wheel into nearby roots, which threw him over the handlebars. It resulted in a fractured right collarbone and a broken right scapula, and two months off the bike.
Just behind Evenepoel, Vingegaard lost control, sliding across the asphalt before hitting dirt and flipping over into the ditch Evenepoel had narrowly avoided. Roglič also ended up in the ditch after tumbling over his handlebars, escaping with cuts and abrasions. Vingegaard wasn’t as fortunate—he fractured his collarbone, broke several ribs, and suffered a pneumothorax when a rib punctured his lung.
You can watch how the events unfolded here:
And all this happened just months before the biggest race of the year — the Tour de France. Fortunately for the racers and the teams they represent, Evenepoel, Vingegaard, and Roglič were able to race in the Tour.
Considering the riders that went down are the world’s best, one thing becomes clear – whether you’re a weekend warrior or a professional racer, your next crash is coming. Knowing what to do when it becomes inevitable can go a long way to minimizing harm to yourself and others, ultimately making you a safer rider.
Why crashes happen
Rough surfaces
The surface beneath your wheels might be the very thing that takes you down. It’s easy to picture a smooth stretch of asphalt, but in reality, you're likely to encounter potholes, cracks, gravel, puddles, and even ice or snow. Data from a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) survey identified poor surface conditions as one of the six leading causes of bike-related accidents. In the study, 13% of cyclists cited “surface not in good repair” as the cause.
The obstacles you may encounter can cause you to lose traction, increasing the risk of your bicycle sliding out from underneath you. The first and best line of defense is to lift your gaze and look well ahead to avoid the hazards altogether. If steering around the obstacle isn’t an option, aim straight at it and stay as relaxed as possible. This approach allows you to ride squarely over the obstacle and use your body to absorb its impact.
There is safety in numbers—group rides are one way to utilize many eyes to look for hazards. Typically, those in front pass a signal to the back of the pack, notifying riders of an upcoming obstacle. If a rider in front of you consistently fails to signal, consider backing off to create more space so you have a better chance of spotting and responding to hazards yourself. In turn, if you are leading or have someone behind you, make sure you take the responsibility seriously to warn your group of what’s ahead.
If the obstacle is too big to ride over and hitting it is unavoidable, there are some things you can do to lessen the consequences. Your instinct may be to put your arms out to break the fall, but this can lead to serious wrist, arm, or collarbone fractures. Instead, the moment right before the impact, loosen your grip on the handlebars and prepare to be ejected. Sight a safe direction for the fall and make the last-second corrections for the trajectory. If you must put out your arms, keep them loose and not locked or stiff. If you’re falling forward, tuck your chin to avoid direct impact to the face, and try to turn your fall into a roll rather than landing straight onto your hands.
Pedal strikes
Pedal strikes are just like they sound: a pedal coming into contact with an obstacle or the ground itself. Think of the pedals and cranks as the arms of a clock. As you go through a pedal revolution, the pedals come significantly closer to the ground when they are at 6 o’clock and 12 o’clock than when they are at 3 and 9 o’clock. Pedal strikes tend to happen when your lead pedal goes past 3 o’clock and gets closer to 6 o’clock.
Especially when going fast, the force from a pedal strike can sharply reduce the bike's momentum, causing the rear wheel to lift up. In that instant, the rider's momentum keeps moving forward, throwing their body to the front. With a bit of luck, it’s possible to recover, regain balance, and continue without crashing. However, the faster you’re going, the more likely a pedal strike will bring you down.
On a mountain bike, most pedal strikes happen during climbs through rocky and technical terrain. Fortunately, due to lower speeds, many of these pedal strikes are less consequential. As skills increase, many use the ratcheting technique on technical climbs to avoid pedal strikes. Ratcheting eliminates the need for full pedal revolutions in especially technical sections by using a series of partial back-and-forth strokes. This helps maintain the pedals near the 3 and 9 o’clock positions and prevents the cranks from dropping too low, maximizing ground clearance for tall obstacles.
Your ability to stay upright during a pedal strike comes down to your position on the bike at the moment the pedal hits the obstacle. If you are relaxed and your elbows are slightly bent, your arms absorb most of the impact, and you’re likely to stay up—even if your chest hits the bars. But if you’re stiff with locked elbows, the handlebars become the pivot over which you will be thrown. Being relaxed while riding fast is critical not just for sustained speed but safety as well.
While pedal strikes are most common with mountain biking, they can happen in any cycling discipline. On the road and gravel, as well as commuting, pedal strikes are common in turns. Think back to the arms on a clock – if your inside foot is at the 6 o’clock position during a turn, it won’t take leaning the bicycle over much before that pedal strikes the ground. Practice your timing as you approach turns to carry speed and have your inside pedal reach that 12 o’clock position through the turn. Also, be sure to restrain yourself from taking a pedal stroke while you’re still leaning into the corner; the lean is easy to misjudge in the moment.
Whether your pedal strikes while moving forward or during a turn determines the direction in which you’re likely to go down. If you pedal through a turn, you are more likely to catch your inside pedal at the apex of the turn. Catching this pedal is likely to lift the rear wheel, jolting you away from the turn and tossing you in that direction. So, a pedal strike during a turn in one direction can send you crashing the opposite way. However, when a strike happens while you're moving straight, your momentum typically shifts toward the side where the pedal made contact, often causing a fall in that same direction. Again, try to stay relaxed and get into a roll to help diminish the impact.
Overshooting corners
Corners are the same on dirt as they are on the street. Carrying too much speed into a corner can cause you to overshoot it, sending your bicycle into a ditch or into a street-side curb. This often happens when you are too late on the brakes or miss your braking point altogether, likely because you were in a corner that was sharper than you expected or one you didn’t expect at all.
To avoid a situation like this, approach with more awareness. These kinds of incidents are more likely on unfamiliar routes or trails. There's no need to chase speed records the first time on the course. Instead, get a few passes on the same course to get comfortable before pushing your limits.
Group rides are great for helping you judge the speed of corners, especially on new trails or road courses. When the leader is carrying speed into an upcoming corner, it’s likely a larger, sweeping corner, and you can follow suit. If they are scrubbing speed on the next corner, you should also, since they probably know the corner is tighter.
If you overshoot a corner, you’ll likely be faced with a decision of “taking your chances” and traveling on the new trajectory or laying the bike down to shave speed and avoid hitting whatever is now ahead. Depending on the surrounding terrain, this decision can almost be made for you. If the backside of a corner is a ravine, you’ll likely be laying your bike down and skidding to a stop. If this is your decision, know one side of your body is likely to receive a good amount of rash.
“Taking your chances” by running through the corner can hopefully lead to a safer, more controlled stop, but this option runs the risk of you going over the bars. Whether it is deep dirt, gravel, or an obstacle in an urban setting, it’s likely to grab and stop your front wheel.
Overlapping wheels
It might’ve seemed fun as kids to get just close enough to buzz a friend’s back tire with your front wheel, nearly making them jump off. But on group rides where speeds top 20 mph, even the slightest contact with the wheel ahead can lead to a serious incident.
To effectively draft the front rider, you must be very close to that rider to stay in the slipstream, often having your front wheel within inches of their rear wheel. However, it’s vital to avoid letting your front wheel overlap another rider’s rear wheel, as they won’t have any room to maneuver side-to-side. If the rider in front swerves to dodge a pothole, and your wheel is in the way, it could take out both of you and anyone nearby.
Know your limits. When drafting the rider in front of you, be ready to maintain a steady pace and use light brake modulation if you get too close. If you are not yet skilled enough to ride that close to the rear wheel of another cyclist, don’t, especially with A group rides that consistently reach much higher speeds.
If you manage to end up in this situation, your front wheel will be deflected by his rear wheel, causing a sudden and unexpected change in direction. If you manage to unweight the front wheel for even a fraction of a second and avoid touching the brake, momentum can carry you forward just long enough to choose a spot and steer in that direction. When picking where you might land, aim for a spot away from other riders, motor vehicles, or pedestrians, and try to give yourself as much runway as possible. For example, if you’re riding in a bike lane, veering right into a ditch or onto a sidewalk is usually safer than steering into a lane with moving vehicles. As soon as you make your correction, tuck in your chin and prepare to tuck and roll.
Tire blowouts
One of the most common component malfunctions on a bicycle is a tire puncture. On the trail or the road, it often happens the same way: an attempt is made to go around debris, sharp rocks, or potholes, but it is impossible to avoid them all. At times, swerving to miss one puts you in the line of another, and then you hear it, that hiss we all dread. At lower speeds, this likely isn’t too much of a problem. At higher speeds, a tire blowout can result in a significant crash.
When a puncture happens, it’s often possible to stay upright and avoid a crash. Stay calm and hold steady, sticking to your current line without making sudden turns or big movements. Shift your weight toward the wheel that’s still holding air, and begin to slow down gradually while avoiding brake pressure on the flat tire.
However, sometimes a flat does result in a crash. Fast corners on variable terrain have been known to blow tires off the bead, which almost always results in an instant loss of traction and your slamming into the ground. This means you will likely begin skidding, favoring the direction you were cornering, likely resulting in significant abrasions. Once it’s clear you’re going down, tuck your chin and avoid smashing your head into the ground. Don’t extend your arms to break your fall and instead try to roll with the impact, allowing larger areas like forearms, hips, and legs to take the slide instead of small joints like wrists or fingers. Once you start sliding, do not attempt to stop yourself – friction may cause you to tumble instead of sliding, exposing more body parts to the impact forces.
Locking up brakes
Whenever you are in a scary situation on your bicycle, a common reaction is to pull on your brakes as hard as possible. Doing so inevitably locks up your brakes, causing a loss of traction that’s more likely to result in an accident than prevent one.
Locking up the front wheel results in the infamous over-the-bars crash, in which the wheel stops instantly while your momentum keeps going forward, launching you over the handlebars. This scenario is common enough that it warrants practicing or at least visualizing it; we go over it in the “How to crash” section below.
Locking up the rear wheel results in skidding out or fishtailing. When you start to skid, your bicycle tends to favor one side, which it will eventually slide down on. As it goes down, tuck your bent downside knee and leg into the frame to help absorb the hit and maintain a firm grip on the bars to prevent being jerked and thrown from the bicycle. Once the skid has laid you down, you may be able to release and get away from the bike by doing a tuck and roll.
If you manage to recover from the slide and stay upright, you may still be in danger. If the rear wheel regains grip but isn’t in-line with your direction of movement, it may result in a high-side crash – the bicycle abruptly stops, and you being ejected forward. In many cases, the rider is thrown slightly upward, creating a brief window to brace for a tuck and roll.
To avoid locking up your brakes, it is important to familiarize yourself with them. Make sure they are in good working order and that you know where their bite point is, which is the moment when the brake pads first make firm contact with the rotor or the rim. Know about your brake’s lever throw and how much force is needed to reach the bite point, to apply adequate stopping power, and how much before they are locked up. To get a solid feel for your brakes, practice emergency braking in a safe environment and at lower speeds.
Car collision
The scariest situation for any rider is being involved in an accident with a motor vehicle. Unfortunately, collisions with cars are among the most common accidents reported. Not surprisingly, the numbers are higher in cities with larger populations and during the summer months, when more cyclists are out.
The most common causes of collisions between motorists and bicyclists are distracted driving, dooring (parked car doors suddenly opening), left cross (a driver turning left fails to see an oncoming cyclist), and right hook (a driver turning right across a cyclist’s path). However, NHTSA data highlights two main reasons for fatal collisions: failure to yield the right of way and limited visibility of the person on the bike.
Depending on the point of impact, a sudden collision with a motor vehicle could have you flying over your handlebars and the vehicle itself. Striking the front is common in the left cross and right hook scenarios since the driver notices you at the last moment. If a hit is unavoidable, going over the top, and especially vaulting over the hood, is statistically safer.
In case of a head-on collision, try to bail sideways rather than going straight into the motor vehicle. If swerving isn’t an option, try to jump just before impact to clear the bumper and aim to land on the windshield, which can absorb some of the impact and help you carry your momentum over the top. Hitting the bumper increases your changes of being thrown under the wheels.
Be smart and be safe when riding near cars. Don’t get too close to cars or other vehicles, whether parked or in motion, as sudden changes can happen quickly. Plan ahead, anticipate their intentions, and give yourself enough space to react. While drivers are responsible for noticing and respecting cyclists, it's safest to assume you haven’t been seen. Always establish eye contact with drivers around you, especially in busier areas like intersections. Increase your visibility by using lights and wearing bright, reflective clothing. Stay alert, follow traffic laws, and never get too comfortable out there.
How to crash
There is nearly an infinite number of ways to crash, but most accidents are very similar, and there are a few techniques that, even with a little practice, can prove to be exceptionally effective at avoiding a trip to the ER. All of these can be practiced at home on a rug or, even better, at a gym on a mat.
Going over the bars
Having the rear wheel come off the ground as you are thrown over the front can be terrifying. However, learning to go over the bars successfully can turn a potentially serious accident into one where you are walking—or rolling—away.
There are several different ways you may find yourself going over the bars. Maybe your front wheel went deep into a pothole or slammed into a big rock. Or, one we can all relate to, you grab just a bit too much front brake. In any case, something happens where the front wheel stops abruptly, and momentum carries the back and you into the air. If you don’t know the proper way of going over the bars, you’re likely to tense up, grip the handlebars tighter, and leave your feet planted on the pedals. This often leads to a face-first slam; if you do manage to react, you’ll probably throw your hands up at the last second, risking arm, shoulder, or collarbone fractures instead.
But, there is a better way to go over the bars and mitigate significant injuries. As you feel yourself going over the front wheel, you must separate yourself from the bike. Use the forward momentum already created to leap off by pushing off the pedals with your feet and the handlebars with your hands. This requires you to quickly unclip from your pedals and spread your legs enough to clear the handlebars. You’ll likely land on your feet or maybe need to execute a tuck and roll to disperse the momentum.
It may seem impossible, and you may think you’ll never be able to unclip that fast, but with some training, you should be able to do it. A great way to practice this maneuver is to pull the front brake in a nice grassy field, so you don’t get hurt. Start first on flat pedals, graduating to practicing with clips once you get the hang of jumping over the front.
When contact with the ground is inevitable, using a tuck and roll method can help prevent significant injuries. Of course, none of us want to do a face-plant, but even landing feet or hands first can be dangerous, as tweaking your knee or breaking your wrist is a real possibility. Rather, use the inertia and tuck into a ball, bending your arms so your elbows are beside your ribs and your hands are near your chest. As you contact the ground, roll to absorb the last bit of forward momentum. Continue rolling as the momentum carries you, doing your best to tuck your limbs in and stay compact.
This life-saving maneuver doesn’t come naturally but is incredibly easy to practice, even at home. How you “tuck” matters and how you imagine it versus how you execute it can differ – the best way to get a feel for it is to roll around on a rug in your living room and pay attention to how your knees, elbows and hips feel as they make contact with the floor. As you’re rolling around, the goal is to distribute the impact across a diagonal path along your skeleton, avoiding bony or vulnerable areas like your spine, head, or hips. You want to roll diagonally across, from one shoulder down to the opposite hip, tracing a curve across your back and not straight over your spine; rounding the back and shoulders helps create a smooth arc.
Off the back
The opposite of going over the bars is jumping off the back. This is a safety maneuver designed to avoid a potential accident. For roadies, it might mean reacting to a car that runs a red light at an intersection. For mountain bikers, it could be backing off from a jump or drop that feels too risky to attempt.
Either way, the obstacle is in front of you for long enough that, although stopping isn’t an option, you can still escape the situation. The move is to push off the pedals and handlebars, jumping up and off the back. In many cases, you'll land on your feet, but if your momentum is too strong, don’t hesitate to tuck and roll. Just like going over the bars, this is a maneuver you can practice in a grassy field.
Safety gear
Proper gear is one of the most important ways to prepare for the inevitable. While crashes may not be completely avoidable, significant injury and death can be, provided you use quality safety equipment. A 2012–2022 study showed that preventable bicycle-related deaths increased by 47%. Often, the cyclists in these accidents didn’t have the correct gear, like a proper helmet. Data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety showed that of the 835 cycling-related deaths in 2016, 424 of the cyclists (51%) were not wearing a helmet. Numbers don’t lie: the helmet is the most important piece of safety gear you can have on a bicycle.
Helmet — A quality helmet can help prevent head and brain injuries. A recent study from Sweden noted that those who were wearing a helmet were 62% less likely to suffer from head and brain trauma.
Glasses — Protective eyewear is stylish safety goggles that prevent debris from flying into your eyes and shield them from damaging sun rays. A well-designed pair made for biking will curve around your face, allowing gentle airflow without creating distracting peripheral glare.
While any eye protection is better than none, sport-specific glasses usually have stronger and more durable lenses than regular fashion sunglasses. They’re designed to handle high-speed impacts from things like rocks, bugs, and debris, so they’re typically made from shatter-resistant materials like polycarbonate or Trivex—much tougher than the standard plastic or glass used in everyday shades.
Gloves — Gloves can be a surprisingly divisive topic. While many use gloves every time, others prefer to go gloveless as long as the weather allows. Gloves can help keep hands warm and increase grip on the bars, potentially preventing a sweaty hand from slipping off the bars. And, if you do go down, a good set of gloves often take the brunt of the road/trail rash instead of your hands.
Shoes — Riding shoes, whether flat or clipless, offer more support and protection than conventional sneakers or even most hiking boots. Most mountain biking shoes, for example, offer significantly more toe protection.
Lights — More than half of bicycle-related fatalities happen at dawn, dusk, or in the dark. If you’re out there regularly, especially during low-light hours, consider equipping your bike with lights. Even when it feels bright enough to see, proper lighting makes it much easier for others to notice you.
Bike Insurance
Accidental damage and injury are the second and third most common concern of all cyclists, trailing only theft as the biggest fear. Because bicycles are inherently unstable, every cyclist eventually hears the ground whisper their name. Crashing is a gritty rite of passage that stamps your membership in the club. Most crashes? You brush 'em off, laugh it off, maybe show off a cool scar. But every now and then, one hits harder — cracks your frame, your confidence, or worse, and that's when you’ll wish you had good insurance riding shotgun. Bike insurance is built for moments like these—ready to catch you when gravity hits hard, covering accidental damage and medical bills so you’re not stuck picking up the pieces alone. It’s your behind-the-scenes pit crew, getting you patched up, paid out, and back in the saddle.