Watch out for fatigue

[SilvrT]

Took off Sat morning solo with my camping gear for a weekend ride. Spare a lot of details but 14.5 hrs on the road Saturday...lack of sleep both Friday night and Sat night, and another 5 hrs riding Sunday I was feeling very tired and fatigued and just wanting to get home ... consequently, not all my attention was on the traffic and the situation ahead of me.

 

Long... very long straight stretch of 2-lane... no traffic approaching... way ahead is a mini-van and ahead of that a small car. I eventually catch up to them...to the point I could no longer see the car in front of the van (which is pretty normal). The van's brake lights come on, it starts to move over to the shoulder...The van is still going about 80km/hr. but slowing down ... I'm thinking it is going to pull over and stop so, I dropped a gear and pulled out to pass.

 

OMG!!! the small car is making a left turn and by this time, I'm beside the van, the car is into the turn and directly in front of me....maybe 50-100 yards...I dunno...it was very close!!! and at my speed, .... OMG!!! .. I hammer the brakes real hard and lock up the rear and not sure but I think even the front... the bike starts fishtailing... OMG!!! I thought for sure it was "my time"... but, years of riding and quick thinking and reactions I'm sure saved my skin. I let off the brakes and gave it throttle, regained control of the bike and shot...literally shot between the front of the van and the rear end of the car that was fully perpendicular in the left lane, moving into a side road.

 

I kept cranking it on for about 1 kilometer coz I knew if I backed off, I'd start shaking myself....kept telling myself over and over to remain calm and eventually, the "panic" of the situation left my system.

 

LESSON: Don't let fatigue get ahold coz it can be deadly!

 

From now on I will NOT allow myself to get so over-tired. I should have rested a lot longer at some of my stops along the way. I had lots of time to do so.

[RandyR]

Yep. Good lesson. Thankfully you're able to tell it.

[wrongway2]

Thanks for sharing your story. It's a good reminder to all of us.

[frogmaster]

Fatigue can be similar to alcohol . Needless to say the US Army pushes this limit in training to illustrate this effect so you can recognize it and take corrective action (stop training and get some sleep before some gets killed).

 

Glad you made it to remind us not to push it. Everyone should carry a small tent and small sleeping bag (I have pulled off on some 2 tracks to get some Zzzzzzzz's) sometimes it is many mile between hotel where I like to ride.

[SilvrT]

Fatigue can be similar to alcohol . Needless to say the US Army pushes this limit in training to illustrate this effect so you can recognize it and take corrective action (stop training and get some sleep before some gets killed).

 

Glad you made it to remind us not to push it. Everyone should carry a small tent and small sleeping bag (I have pulled off on some 2 tracks to get some Zzzzzzzz's) sometimes it is many mile between hotel where I like to ride.

 

I had my tent and sleeping bag too and earlier in the morning sunday, enroute home, I'd stopped at a camground / picnik area that I've been wanting to check out for years. The sun was just up and giving off some warmth and most of the people had cleared out already.... I was contemplating rolling out my blanket and snoozing for a while.... I should have!

[Yammer Dan]

Good advice!!! I can sleep about anywhere if the bears leave me alone!!

[mother]

glad things worked out for you.

 

that was an experience that i am glad you posted.

 

it can happen to anyone of us. we have to be 100 percent when we get on and ride.

 

Sherry and i stop every hour or less and get off and stretch, walk around, pick up a drink of juice or water.

 

i will not get on my bike if my brain does not feel 100 percent.

[RedRider]

When doing long distance runs, if I feel fatigue coming on, I stop at a rest stop, a dirt road, a church lot, or (believe it or not) a cemetery. In the rest stop, hit a remote picnic table and lay down. Dirt road, church, or a cemetery, find an out of the way place and lay down and nap. The residence in the cemetery don't mind.

 

It is amazing the difference 30 or 45 minutes of sleep will make.

 

There is also the Iron Butt Motel. This was coined by Ron Ayers (famous LD rider). Basically, set your bike on the center stand, lean back and nap - sitting on the bike. It works if you have a center stand. Not too comfortable with the side stand.

 

Glad you made it thru OK. That is really scary.

 

RR

[SilvrT]

glad things worked out for you.

 

that was an experience that i am glad you posted.

 

it can happen to anyone of us. we have to be 100 percent when we get on and ride.

 

Sherry and i stop every hour or less and get off and stretch, walk around, pick up a drink of juice or water.

 

i will not get on my bike if my brain does not feel 100 percent.

 

I do that also but the fact that I'd not had good sleeps Friday night or Saturday night plus the 14.5 hours on the road Saturday were the contributing factors to the fatigue after 5 hours riding on Sunday. Like I said, I should have crashed for an hour or so at that campground. Hindsight is 20/20. I don't know why I push myself like this sometimes but for me, when I get on the scoot, it's like I'm in another world and it feels so good I just don't want to get off. I can be feeling sick or grumpy or hungry or, even tired and all of that seems to go away when I'm riding. Guess I'm not alone on that one!

[BoomerCPO]

Fatigue and dehydration combined will knock a good man down quicker than anything I know. I saw it in action today during a Patriot Guard Mission. I recognized the warning signs and placed the Rider in the shade and pumped the fluids into him. When all looked well we then placed him into an air conditioned Cage for the rest of the Mission. When he left the Mission I and another RC escorted him home just to be sure he made it safe.

 

 

Boomer......the eagle-eyed Ride Captain who does more than just ogle the wimmen..

[Wizard765]

Thanks for posting that.. hopefully we can all learn something from your mistake without having to make it ourselves. I'm happy that all you had was a scare... Again THANKS!!

 

Wayne

[Venturous Randy]

I carry a folded up table cloth that is vinyl on one side and cotton fabric on the other. It comes in handy for a lot of things. We can eat off it at a picnic table, lay it vinyl side down and take a nap on it and it is also water proof. There have been several ocassions on the Blue Ridge Parkway I would get the bump on the back of my helmet and realize Laura was napping. We would find a grassy area and take a nap.

These things are cheap and tough and don't take up much space. I keep it in one of the larger size freezer bags.

RandyA

[friesman]

glad things worked out for you.

 

that was an experience that i am glad you posted.

 

 

 

i will not get on my bike if my brain does not feel 100 percent.

 

 

I was just wondering how the heck you got so many miles on the bike this summer then.... you musta been having one of those moments when you did the oil dump (change) in the parking lot in Nelson.

 

Glad you had a good trip, bud

Brian

[Yammer Dan]

Fatigue and dehydration combined will knock a good man down quicker than anything I know. I saw it in action today during a Patriot Guard Mission. I recognized the warning signs and placed the Rider in the shade and pumped the fluids into him. When all looked well we then placed him into an air conditioned Cage for the rest of the Mission. When he left the Mission I and another RC escorted him home just to be sure he made it safe.

 

 

Boomer......the eagle-eyed Ride Captain who does more than just ogle the wimmen..

 

 

Boomer is starting to Ogle the men now?????:rotfl:

 

 

 

Good Job!!

[BoomerCPO]

Boomer is starting to Ogle the men now?????:rotfl:

 

 

 

Good Job!!

 

Only when they are on the Patriot Guard Flag Line.....I have not lost a man yet.

 

Boomer.....who knows somebody has to look after the old coots on scoots.

[BuddyRich]

And in those famous words " A man has got to know his limitations "

[SilvrT]

And in those famous words " A man has got to know his limitations "

 

 

and how does one know his limitations??.... by pushing the limits

[Yammer Dan]

and how does one know his limitations??.... by pushing the limits

 

 

:sign **** happens:

[juggler]

Fatigue and dehydration combined will knock a good man down quicker than anything I know. I saw it in action today during a Patriot Guard Mission. I recognized the warning signs and placed the Rider in the shade and pumped the fluids into him. When all looked well we then placed him into an air conditioned Cage for the rest of the Mission. When he left the Mission I and another RC escorted him home just to be sure he made it safe.

 

 

Boomer......the eagle-eyed Ride Captain who does more than just ogle the wimmen..

 

Those PGR missions can drain a person. I've done several where we left at 4am and I only had 2 hours of sleep from the day before. Then we ride a hundred + miles, stand in the sun all day and the ride a hundred + miles back home. We all watch each other and we make sure we have plenty of fluids around.