Injury rates climb as e-bike popularity grows and lockdown prompts cycling boom
Tuesday, 5 January 2021
New cyclists and those rediscovering the joys of biking are believed to be behind an increase in ACC claims.
ACC figures show the total number of cyclists making claims for injuries in the first 10 months of 2020 was almost as high as the total number for 2019.
Nearly 29,000 cycling-related claims, costing taxpayers $48 million, were made in 2019. As of October 31 last year, there had been 27,063 claims, also worth about $48m.
Cycling Action Network spokesman Patrick Morgan said biking had boomed in popularity since New Zealand went into lockdown in March, causing a bicycle shortage.
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The number of people buying and riding e-bikes had also skyrocketed in recent years, as had ACC claims for e-bike crashes (such claims rose from five in 2013-14 to 137 in 2017-18).
Many of those buying bikes and e-bikes were older people rediscovering the hobby, Morgan said.
“Often these are people who haven’t ridden a bike for a while so it’s not surprising that they have teething troubles.”
Queenstown real estate agent Megan Osborne said she fitted into that demographic.
Osborne and her husband David, both aged in their 50s, decided to buy e-bikes after lockdown.
“We were a wee bit round after eating and drinking too much,” she said.
She had not cycled for about 30 years, but was keen to make the most of her new hobby and quickly headed for some of Otago's more technical tracks.
Her overeagerness meant she had experienced several crashes over banks or after hitting rocks, resulting in bruises, grazed skin, a fat lip and a broken bone in her hand.
“I am a bit rip, s… and bust and I do like the excitement of speed, so now I am learning to be more cautious,” she said.
She put her injury rate down to inexperience, ignorance and over enthusiasm, but said being out on her bike was great fun and made her smile.
“I’d jump up and get back on and the next day I’d find these massive bruises everywhere.
“Mostly it’s just my pride that’s hurt. It’s really embarrassing if someone comes up behind me and I’m down a bank.”
Osborne had not made any ACC claims for her injuries, but was with her son’s girlfriend when she took a tumble and broke her nose and an arm, resulting in several surgeries.
Osborne said she would be keen to take mountain biking classes if they were available and had already picked up some good tips, including putting her seat down and shifting her weight to the back while going downhill.
Bike trainer and e-bike specialist Megan Page said quiet roads during the Covid-19 lockdown also encouraged a lot of parents to get their children riding bikes, which led to an increase in the number of children riding to school once the lockdown lifted.
It was better to start on a standard bike before progressing to an e-bike, which was much faster and heavier, she said.
Most e-bike “crashes” happened while people got on or off them, she said.
Morgan said one of the best things new cyclists and those returning to cycling could do was to train with a qualified Bike Ready instructor.
Most injuries were the result of a slow speed fall and did not involve any other vehicles, he said.
“People often overestimate their skill.”
For some mountain bikers, the inherent risk was part of the fun.
Cycling was responsible for the second highest number of individual sport claims made to ACC in 2019, behind only fitness/gym claims, which totalled 45,575.
There were almost two times as many claims by men (18,771) as women (10,169).
More than half of the injuries were soft tissue injuries such as sprains and bruises (58 per cent), followed by cuts (22 per cent) and fractures or dislocations (12 per cent).