Hocker and Teare… Hocker esp, is one Bike Crash away from ruining his prime years

What are you on about?! Lukas was a legitimate triathlete that did legitimate cycling and had a terribly unfortunate crash. Gwen?!! These boys are merely crosstraining. Unless they were to get expensive smart trainers and rocker platforms, outdoor riding is much better for them. Are they bombing down the Blue Ridge Highway? Never. They have no need to do that nor do they have the handling skills. The sad part is cyclists are mostly endangered by distracted or just idiot drivers. Should they also run indoors?

It's cute anyone here thinks this matters to the OP's point.

Yeah great, they won't be vegetables after cracking a pelvis, missing time repairing shoulders, or any other number of bones/ligaments that get broken/torn in even minor crashes.

Their careers could still end over one racoon that zigged when it should have zagged.

Where are they training rn? Eugene is pretty solid for riding. Cars are a good bit friendlier there than other parts of the country. Also they seem to be indoors a lot. It's not like they're ripping their outdoor rides in TT. I doubt they're taking on ambitious descents. I doubt they feel confident enough to corner without really riding their brakes. They can be smart & be on the lookout for cars. It's never going to be perfect but it's not like they're in a major city that isn't bike friendly. I don't see the problem here. How many days/week are they actually riding? 2-3 max right?

I see the OPs point. I just don't think there is enough money or interest for parties to care. I mean Patrick Mahomes is contractually not allowed to play pickup basketball.. because the Chiefs are paying him millions per year. I just don't think Nike realistically cares enough to have those type of clauses in these contracts. Now I could be wrong as I don't have a contract and have never read one LOL just my $0.02!

Hocker looks pretty.

I mean shouldn’t you also be arguing that no athletes should have dogs bc you could trip over them and end your career?

If they weren’t wearing helmets or were on a busy road or cycling at night, I’d agree they needed to be safer, but what I haven’t noticed anyone say is that it isn’t any more dangerous to bike on a road than it is to run on it.

How did you work your way out of the hip flexor issue?

How is a helmet going to protect from a broke leg? Broke anything from head down?

which means they then can’t run and do their job? And misss world champ years and progression toward another Olympics…

like I said, being an elite runner is a very TEMPORARY thing… and u want to put it at risk to ride bikes?

yes the danger is also there just running down the road but as a fellow cyclists ( cat 1 level in my prime) it’s a very slippery slope. No pun.

Mentioning that you were a cat 1 level cyclist does not lend credibility to your argument here; if anything it undermines it.

Cat 1 level racing — or any bike racing in a bunch for that matter — is so much more dangerous than just riding on a road for fitness. Also when doing training rides, because you are training to race on the bike, you ride fast and are less risk averse when descending/cornering/etc. This is not their mentality while riding. They’re just trying to get their heart rates elevated. There is still risk involved when they ride, but to compare your experience to theirs is a bit silly.

Meh… my cat 1 status of the past gives me credibility to say I’ve seen and experienced the most unexpected bike crashes that anyone that has ever thrown a leg over a bike has experienced. Whether it’s me experiencing it or seeing it.

So you’re wrong…

its amazing the level of stupidity of ppl on this board that actually support two elites in their prime risking something so dangerous.

Running on a road with traffic is not without risk, but it's far less risky than cycling on the same road. The runner is normally facing traffic so he can see most of what's approaching, while the cyclist is riding with traffic and can't see traffic approaching in his lane. Many roads have a sidewalk or an unpaved shoulder that the runner can use when traffic looks dicey, while the cyclist can't. A runner has much more lateral agility, and can jump sideways quickly to get away from traffic. And the runner is going much more slowly and has more time to see a situation developing and figure out what to do about it.

I've spent a lot of time both running and cycling on public roads, in many places in the U.S., throughout the past 55 or so years. I've had zero collisions with motor vehicles as a runner and only one as a cyclist, which caused little damage. However, I've had a lot more close calls as a cyclist and I feel far more vulnerable on a bike than I do when running.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that elite runners shouldn't risk accidents on a bike if they are riding carefully. But cycling outdoors surely does increase the risk of injury.

really depends on where you live (low traffic roads?). Where I live it isn't worth it. You will die or just be hampered by traffic and lights. My dad was a pro cyclist and whenever I mention getting into it he says, "NOPE!" I've never met a cyclist who hasn't crashed and had some injuries (usually collar bones). On the other hand cycling is part of their routine, I usually see them riding on an indoor bike but maybe they just needed a fun ride.

This +1. Every rider I know has crashed many times. I'm lucky to have never been seriously injured but I have my share of scars. Most crashes were solo. 1x with with car. It's not a matter of "if" but "when" and how bad will it be when it happens?

I was a little surprised seeing these guys riding in this video. I know it's fun and all, but for 1) it doesn't seem like the best cross training activity 2) the risks are higher than probably any other endurance exercise.

I've been a life long rider and have done lots of city riding, rural riding, racing, and long distance touring. In my 20's I loved it because I felt invincible. Now in my 30's with a family I still ride but am much more cautious with my routes. Also I find that biking is just time spent away from running and therefore makes me a worse runner.

These guys are young so I assume they just feel invincible. Also biking on quiet roads/trails isnt that risky... I guess. Although I still wouldn't do it if I was a pro runner.

Rachel McArthur looking fiiiiiiiiiine.

Possibly because OP had an inflammatory comment at the end of his post that some readers may not have cared for or found divisive. “i ride bikes” shared a life experience that was legit and well written. I was scrolling, looking for some true cyclists to chime in sharing their crash stories to upvote when I opened the thread, so that’s how he got my vote.

My raccoon comment is based on personal experience. Squirrels are small enough they usually won't cause a crash if you don't panic. You might be able to bunny hop a raccoon if you're experienced and it gives you enough time to react. The one I hit didn't. I got lucky and my shoulder (and collarbone) remained intact despite landing on it. I cracked my head on the pavement and had a concussion as well, despite having a helmet.

I only cycle when I need to cross train (and it's laughable that this would somehow make my experience more relevant than a Cat 1). I've crashed twice over less than 10k miles, one being the raccoon and the other being a slide out on fall leaves trying to avoid a dumb pedestrian. I split my cheek open on that one and needed stitches.

The "if not when" comment is spot on. Every cyclist I know has crashed. Lots of them have been really serious.

I've crashed several times while road cycling, and fallen a number of times while running. Cars and loose dogs are a danger both ways. Obviously the catastrophic injury potential heightens with cycling (one of my crashes resulted in a fractured hip - six months post-op until I could walk normally). But I still cycle as cross-training. I do limit my rides to low traffic areas but even then, some folks don't pay attention and the loose dog risk is universal.

As to the contract situation, comments above assume there's no negotiation and that the shoe company can simply dictate the terms (even if the shoe company wanted to prohibit all road cycling, which strikes me as dubious). That may be so for a starter pro, but certainly not for someone Olympic caliber who can refuse an offer and move to a better deal if need be.

I've cycled for decades and it's obvious to me you haven't, if you think bad crashes are inevitable.

Don't mistake your hobby exercise, however good at it you may be, for knowing how to ride safely in traffic. If anything, being in too much of a hurry is the real danger. Then you make the little mistakes that compound the mistakes of the motorists.

There is an old saying in cycling:

”there are two types of riders, those that have crashed and those that will.”