Cyclist Crashes at Hulu Langat

Got the news from Shakhir, by chance. I sent a text to him to inform him about the KL International Book Fair which is happening till the 28th of March, and suggested maybe he could take his daughter to the fair. That’s when he told me that 1 of our cyclist friend was involved in a downhill crash during today’s ride.

Chronology of the event

• Shakhir, Saiful, Bahri  and his cycling buddies were hosting a leisure ride for the Cap Ayam Runners, a group of runners from Klang Valley who were interested in taking up cycling. Total cyclists : 11.
• The group started cycling from Batu 14, Hulu Langat to Tekala
• On the way back from Tekala to Batu 14, the cyclists regrouped near Genting Peres.
• After regrouping, the group started their descend
• Rusfarizal a.k.a. Hancik started cycling without clipping his right cycling shoes to the pedal
• He went on his drop bar, still not clipping his shoes, stood up (in the midst of going down hill and trying to clip his shoes at the same time), lost balance, handle bar wobbled and rest was history
• According to Shakhir, he was around 10meters behind Rusfarizal, and the speed could easily be around 30km/h when the accident happened
• Lucky thing there were no cars, or fast cars on the road that time
• I can’t imagine how he fell, catapulted etc.. but Shakhir mentioned after the incident Rusfarizal was blur, speechless, still in shock (and of course in pain), sat in the middle of the road. He just couldn’t move
• Emergency call to 999 was made. An ambulance arrived and took the guy to Klinik Kesihatan Bt. 14 before he was transferred to the Ampang Hospital
• Doctor confirmed that his right clavicle /collarbone was broken
• Bahri fetched him from the hospital around 3pm.
• For your information, Rusfarizal have signed up for the KL Towerthon tomorrow and the Energizer Run next week in Putrajaya

Damages

Himself :

• shock..he couldn’t stand up on his own after the accident and his friends had to carry him to the side of the road
• blur..he did not respond when his friends approached him right after the accident..
• pain..
• broken collar bone
• bruises on his elbow, hands, knee, rear!, & shoulder
• missing the 2 events he registered
• a couple of months to heal and a couple of months more to get back into training

His gadgets :

• cracked his new Met helmet (same like mine,different colour)
• new HTC Columbia jersey + cycling shorts torn (updated by Bahri. tq!)
• torn saddle

Shakhir’s view and quick move :

He was behind Rusfarizal, and Bahri was ahead of the group, and went downhill first. Rusfarizal might have wanted to chase after Bahri, as it is nice to go downhill ,pick up the momentum and pull all the way till Batu 14..Anyways..Shakhir’s quick move saved the rest of the group from further unwanted tragedy as he was in time and quick  to swerve and avoid Rusfarizal. It would be a wrong move if he braked his bike abruptly while going down hill . It would have been dangerous for those behind him, and also if he did not continue cycling away from the ‘zone’ he might been hit himself by any ‘flying objects’, naúzubillah. So he passed Rusfarizal, and slowly pressed his break before turning back and climb up the hill to help the accident victim. The guys carried him and lied him down on the grass, and some1’s Camelbak/hyrdation bag was used as pillow to elevate his head a bit.

As the group sat at the road side, other cyclists past them. Obviously they saw how fast these cyclist were going.. Just scary if any of them were not careful..even for a sec..

A note from Bahri :

The hospital found the RoadID worn by Rusfarizal useful . In fact, he just got it last Thursday (18/3/10) .. do invest in getting one for yourself.  In fact nobody went with the accident victim in the ambulance, and having the RoadID certainly made it easier for the hospital staffs attending to him.

RoadID link here

WARNING : If you’re riding from Peres, you would take a right heading to Batu 14. If you’re riding from Tekala to Batu 14, you will have to take a left turn . Right? Ok, for the second case (Tekala to Batu 14), there is a guard rail across the junction, on your right. Shakhir told me that he has heard 1-2 cases where cyclist passed that junction at a high speed. And to ‘compensate’ the speed, a sharp turn at the corner is dangerous and they ‘opt’ for a larger corner.. but if you’re on a high speed where its hard to control the bike no matter how big the corner you’re taking, its still dangerous. These 1 to 2 cases mentioned  were cyclist who actually crashed into these guard rails.. what are these guard rails made of again..?

That's Rusfarizal on the grass

Rusfarizal in green-white running vest. I took dis foto during the Mizuno 10k Run last year. Shakhir on his right.

To ALL my cycling friends, pro, not pro, un pro, elite, non elite, veteran, newbies, podium finishers, non podium, un podium, err.. un-elite.. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE ,PLEASE Be Careful at ALL Times when you’re cycling, alone or in group. And do spread this awareness of safety on the road. This awareness goes all the way to the slightest and so-you-think-its-unimportant things like making sure you clip your shoes and taking it easy on the downhills to keeping the distance between the cyclist in front of you. Want to race..? Train extra cautiously and take your opponents down during a proper real race. Even in races there are rules and regulations to ensure the safety of all participants. Learn people, learn. I am learning too. To Rusfarizal (I didnt know till today that your nick name is Hancik), i wish you a speedy recovery. -missjewelz-

Quick cycling safety tips :

• don’t go too near to the cyclist in front of you. On flat, on the hills, down hill, ..just don’t go too near
• don’t go too near to the side of the road..cycle on a patch of moss is enough to make you slip (happened to Kam)
• know your route.. its best that you are briefed by the ride host and informed about crucial junctions, downhill, crucial SPEED and distance etc
• over take on the right (since our roads are designed for right-hand driven cars), and if you do, signal first, look, then overtake
• also look first before dropping a gear or pressing the brake..you don’t know when someone is too close to you or not..and even when looking don’t suddenly free wheel or slow down..
• keep your eyes ahead of you also to make sure that you dont hit anyone if some1 had to break abruptly
• regroup at suitable and safe point. don’t regroup randomly.. e.g. i wont regroup at the peak of a steep hill.. and if you had no choice, let the cyclist go 1 by 1, and before that AGREE to  a speed limit and distance..
• CLIP..CLIP…CLIPPPPPPPPP that helmet on and make sure its CLIPPED on properly before you cycle
• Clip your right cycling shoe first..! and dont forget to unclip it when you’re about to stop the bike
• check that shoe clip..is it too rusty.. is there any earth or mud in the clip
• if the road is wet,  think twice before you decide to continue or adjourn the ride
• safety first..then the joy and fun will come.It takes time to learn to handle the bike SAFELY for some of us..and even if we’re experts, still we need to be careful, at all times

Ouch..

Cyclist Crashes On Wet Street

p.s. Shakhir, tq for the details and foto. Much appreciated. 🙂