Whoops, where's my first aid kit?!

[Ender]

I was having an awesome day riding the Cuyuna MTB trails in central Minnesota today. This is like a mecca for mountain bike riding in Minnesota. A popular area with some really nice singletrack trails roaming around the remnants of old iron ore mines that are now beautiful lakes.

The new Cannondale Moterra SL and I have been getting along well since I had the head-tube angle steepened and put on shorter cranks. I love the full power that can come to life when needed.

Anyway, things were going great until I got a little over-confident on a downhill and lost grip over the edge of the trail. Luckily, the bushes and gravely rocks were there to break my fall.

Normally, I say, "if there were no witnesses, it didn't happen." Unfortunately, the gravely iron ore rocks scratched my leg up pretty good and I somehow bruised my chest. I was only a mile or so from the car, and could still ride fine so I kept going. But back at the car I dug out my first aid kit to get the worst of my wounds covered up.

Back at the hotel, here's my leg:

But this got me thinking, I had to make it back to the car for my first aid kit. Should I be carrying a first aid kit with me on the bike? Or is this what they call "hero" dirt?

Or a worse thought, am I the only one that crashes?
I should really stop doing that.

 

[Bummers]

I was having an awesome day riding the Cuyuna MTB trails in central Minnesota today. This is like a mecca for mountain bike riding in Minnesota. A popular area with some really nice singletrack trails roaming around the remnants of old iron ore mines that are now beautiful lakes.

View attachment 145110

View attachment 145111

The new Cannondale Moterra SL and I have been getting along well since I had the head-tube angle steepened and put on shorter cranks. I love the full power that can come to life when needed.

View attachment 145112

Anyway, things were going great until I got a little over-confident on a downhill and lost grip over the edge of the trail. Luckily, the bushes and gravely rocks were there to break my fall.

Normally, I say, "if there were no witnesses, it didn't happen." Unfortunately, the gravely iron ore rocks scratched my leg up pretty good and I somehow bruised my chest. I was only a mile or so from the car, and could still ride fine so I kept going. But back at the car I dug out my first aid kit to get the worst of my wounds covered up.

Back at the hotel, here's my leg:
View attachment 145113


But this got me thinking, I had to make it back to the car for my first aid kit. Should I be carrying a first aid kit with me on the bike? Or is this what they call "hero" dirt?

Or a worse thought, am I the only one that crashes?
I should really stop doing that.

Get some knee pads.

First aid kit is generally just a cut kit - plasters and bandages. Any injury worse than that you're not going to have anything in there to help.
I just keep a roll of insulation tape and pack of tissues in my bag, that can easily double up to make bandages.
Most importantly is being able to contact someone if you come off and say snap your knee.
Not too much of an issue at a trail centre but out in the wild on your own is a different matter.