I know, I know. Last week’s Trauma Tuesday also featured road riding road rash, but this video from the Red Hook Crit at the Brooklyn Navy Yard was too good to pass up. This footage was apparently taken during the finals, and you can see most of the riders are going gangbusters around this hot corner. The first wreck may be the worst in terms of numbers as multiple riders fly into the fence/crowd, but the guy who barrels headfirst with no speed check into the railing at 1:06 and the ass-over-tea-kettle face plant at 1:20 seem to result in the most bodily harm, with the second eliciting “MEDIC!” calls from the spectators.
What I love about this video – besides the carnage, which is great – is that most of these riders jump back on their bikes after plowing into each other and the pavement. They are still in a race after all. I would probably quit riding a bike, or going outside for that matter, if any of these crashes happened to me. I’d be done with biking, walking, running, or anything else that would result in my taking another spill even remotely as traumatic as these guys, and yet there they are jumping back on their bikes to ride around another circuit, which they know will result in them having to navigate that same turn, only with even more urgency because they will be deeper into the race.
Also, they are riding fixed gear single speed bikes. So, yeah..with no brakes, the pile-ups are fast and furious. Although, to be fair, there is a very nice, crowd pleasing save at the 1:45 mark. Speaking of the crowd, kudos for being so lively and supportive/informative to riders and casualties alike.
Here’s a bonus vid of one of the wrecks in suuuuuperr slllooooooow moooooooo.
