While there are many things that could be included in a complete first-aid kit, two items stand out as necessities. I learned the value of these items after several crashes on roller skis over the years. Once I came back to mountain biking, it was a no-brainer to bring them along on trail rides.
What are they? Self-adhesive elastic wrap and a small roll of athletic tape. You’ve heard the expression “stop the bleeding.” In a bike crash scenario, you should take that suggestion literally.
I’m only going to regale you with two of many examples when these items came in handy. While it may make me sound like a complete klutz, remember that I’ve been roller skiing since 1979 and mountain biking for many years.
Example No. 1: Vail, Colorado. While making a high-speed traverse on a crappy rented bike with a foot cage dragging on the ground, I suddenly found myself airborne. I had landed on the only rock on the trail. Looking down, I could hardly believe what I saw. Despite wearing knee pads, the rock had hit the side of my knee and a bump the size of a small orange had magically appeared. After a few moments of panic, I pulled out an elastic bandage and tightly wrapped the bulging hematoma, securing it with athletic tape.
Naturally, since I was a long way from our condo, I continued biking. Later that evening I removed the wrap and, lo and behold, there was no sign of swelling and it did not return. I hate to think what would have happened if I didn’t have the elastic bandage along. Just to be safe, I lightly rewrapped the knee overnight.
Example No. 2: On a local bike trail, I tried to make a very rocky right-hand turn without dabbing. But I slipped off a rock and hit the ground so fast there was no time to get my foot off the pedal. As a result, I gashed my lower leg wide open. (As a result of this crash, I now wear soccer shin guards when I ride new or rocky trails.)
Unfortunately, I had left my saddle pack in the car. So I removed a sock and tied it around the leg to apply pressure. Although I still bled a lot, it did the job till I got to the doctor’s office. If I’d have had my safety kit along, the elastic bandage and/or the athletic tape would have been far more effective.
Carry a cell phone
Another item worth having along is a cell phone. Baring that, ride with someone. I almost always bike alone but never without my cell phone. Here in southeastern Wisconsin, cell phone service has improved greatly. Just a few years ago, it was impossible to make a call from a ski or mountain bike trail. Now there are only a few places where service is not available.
I have a very small circle of friends – less than 10 – with whom I mountain bike. Yet of that small sampling, four have had to be taken off the trails on a stretcher by an emergency crew. Three of the crashes resulted in spinal cord injuries, the fourth a smashed femur. So I’d say that a 40 percent injury rate is high enough to take some precautions. (Luckily the three spinal cord injuries, while serious, did not cause paralysis. All three individuals underwent intensive rehab. Two needed surgery.)
In each of the incidents, a cell phone was used to call for help. But even then, it was hours before the injured parties reached a hospital. One friend was trapped for hours while an emergency team had to cut trees to get to him with their emergency vehicle. The others had to be airlifted. But had they been biking alone without cell phones, who knows how long they would have waited for help.
Hopefully, no one reading this will have an experience or to respond to an emergency like these. But if you are a mountain biker, you can count on eventually getting hurt. Knowing that, it’s wise to be prepared.
If you’ve read previous columns of mine, you know I firmly believe in thigh, hip, knee and elbow pads and helmets – in addition to this, wear soccer shin guards as I mentioned above. Sometimes I see other bikers raise their eyebrows when they see me outfitted like this. But since I was ridiculed in grade school for wearing a trapper hat with ear flaps on cold days, those looks just make me laugh. These ounces of prevention can be worth a ton of cure.
These suggestions are not all-inclusive. You can Google “mountain bike safety kit” and find as much information as you will ever need. If you are going into expedition-type mountain biking, you’ll want a backpack to carry extra items like rain gear and food. My larger Camelbak comes in very handy for such long bike treks.
Lee Borowski is a past USSA Nordic Coach of the Year, Badger State Winter Games Athlete of the Year and the coach for several junior, senior and collegiate skiers of the year. He has also coached many master’s skiers who have won both national and world championships. Borowski is the author of several books and articles, and producer of four videos on cross-country skiing technique. He runs the Web site thesimplesecrets.com/.
To order Borowski’s NEW Simple Secrets of Skating or The Simple Secrets of Striding, demonstrated through footage of Olympic and world champions, and available on VHS and DVD, send $25 plus $1.75 shipping to Lee Borowski, 4500 Cherokee Drive, Brookfield, WI 53045. Wisconsin residents add $1.27 tax.
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