Has anyone ever fallen asleep riding a bike?

"Asleep at the wheel: second driver reports nodding off before fatal...," by Tom Held.

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Permalink Reply by daWillinChi on August 1, 2012 at 8:09am

Does almost count?

I almost did when we rode to WI and back with Alex - this was before lunch.

Permalink Reply by daWillinChi on August 1, 2012 at 9:19am

I don't think that a bicycle would be comfortable enough for its rider to doze off like that. On an recumbent, maybe.

Plus, if you did fall asleep, you'd probably stop pedaling and lose your balance first and fall sideways before anything. Of course, this is just a personal and non-scientific observation from my part.

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on August 1, 2012 at 9:41am

I have fallen asleep on a lengthy downhill grade while on aerobars. I don't know how long I was asleep, and I didn't crash, but when I opened my eyes again, I got that unsettling adrenaline rush you get when you realize that your eyes have been closed for some length of time. 

Serge Lubomudrov said:

On a tricycle, perhaps, or quadricycle ;)

. . . But I think it is yet another argument for riding versus driving, eh?

Just Will said:

I don't think that a bicycle would be comfortable enough for its rider to doze off like that. On an recumbent, maybe.

Plus, if you did fall asleep, you'd probably stop pedaling and lose your balance first and fall sideways before anything. Of course, this is just a personal and non-scientific observation from my part.

Permalink Reply by O on August 1, 2012 at 9:50am
Bob Breedlove died in this fashion:

http://www.rusa.org/newsletter/08-03-07.html
Permalink Reply by Derek on August 1, 2012 at 11:55am

I've passed out climbing sandy trails on a mountain bike.   The loss of balance and resulting impact woke me up though.

Permalink Reply by Gort 12-mile Pinklegneep on August 1, 2012 at 11:56am

I've ridden home absolutely smashed and only slightly confident of going in the right direction, incapable of forming words or standing upright, but not actually asleep.

Not posting a lot of danger to anyone but myself crawling along side streets at four miles an hour.

Serge Lubomudrov said:

On a tricycle, perhaps, or quadricycle ;)

. . . But I think it is yet another argument for riding versus driving, eh?

Just Will said:

I don't think that a bicycle would be comfortable enough for its rider to doze off like that. On an recumbent, maybe.

Plus, if you did fall asleep, you'd probably stop pedaling and lose your balance first and fall sideways before anything. Of course, this is just a personal and non-scientific observation from my part.

Permalink Reply by Mike Bullis 5.5-6.5 miles on August 1, 2012 at 2:09pm

I dozed off while riding a number of times during the 1991 PBP. I figured out that if I started hearing the theme music to 'I Love Lucy' in my head, I knew I was heading into la la land. Strange, really.

Permalink Reply by mike w. on August 1, 2012 at 4:07pm

Nodded off during a brevet a couple of years ago... riding head down into a tough wind, staring at my front wheel... woke up as i rolled onto the gravel shoulder.

 

Years ago was riding from about Harlem & Touhy to Northbrook Velodrome around dawn... was on the track doing laps when i suddenly realised that i wasn't sure how i'd got there... then i got sleepy and inattentive on the way home and crashed into a stalled car. Have a 2-inch scar on my leg as a reminder.

Permalink Reply by O on August 1, 2012 at 4:37pm

Remember reading a ride report from PBP a few years ago. The author had ridden the ride on a SWB recumbent with a very reclined seat. He mentioned that on very steep sections when his generator hub was not turning fast enough (and thus could not see the ground) he lost a sense of the horizon. This is somewhat similar to what pilots experience when they find themselves flying upside down and decide to climb out of what they think to be a dive.

Since I ride a recumbent with a fairly upright seating angle I have less problems when riding at night on lonely unlit roads. But I learned long ago that a better option than a generator hub with a halogen lamp for visibility to use an LED setup. That way no matter how slow I am going at least some light is being generated, helping me to maintain my sense of orientation with the horizon.

Here is an interesting ride report from a PBP participant:

http://www.njrando.com/blog/?p=160

Clearly sleep deprivation is not something that mixes well with cycling.


Mike Bullis said:

I dozed off while riding a number of times during the 1991 PBP. I figured out that if I started hearing the theme music to 'I Love Lucy' in my head, I knew I was heading into la la land. Strange, really.

Permalink Reply by Barry Walter on September 6, 2014 at 3:13pm

Yes. I have fallen asleep twice and injured myself each time. The first time was about 3 years ago on the New Jersey shore. I had biked about 25 miles on a very hot humid day. I stopped for a slice of pizza about 3 miles from my hotel. When I started up again on a very quiet street going very slowly I appear to have fallen asleep, ran into a parked car and was rushed to the hospital with a couple of gashes on my forehead (no helmet.)

The 2nd time was in Sept. 2014 riding on a very short, slightly hilly ride. Again it was hot and humid. I had not ridden more that 5 miles but the 3 days prior to the ride was filled with activity: tennis, raquetball, canoeing, a wedding, drinking and more. This time I had come up a short hill and begun a mild descent. The next thing I knew I was in an ambulance being rushed to a hospital.

This is scarey stuff. What's happening? My theory is this is related to heatstroke brought on by the heat and excessive activity but I would love to hear other opinions. I plan to visit a heart specialist to see what the experts can suggest.

Permalink Reply by Mike Schwab on September 6, 2014 at 4:04pm

If you watch the movie Bicycle Dreams http://www.bicycledreamsmovie.com/ about this RAAM race, Bob could lay down on a cot, instantly asleep, and wake up in 15 minutes completely refreshed.  He didn't fall asleep, probably his heart had an electrical failure and stopped beating.  They didn't find anything wrong in the autopsy.
 
Serge Lubomudrov said:

So, he did kill a cyclist, but that cyclist was he himself.

O said:

Bob Breedlove died in this fashion:

http://www.rusa.org/newsletter/08-03-07.html
Permalink Reply by David Barish on September 6, 2014 at 5:58pm
I don't think I fell asleep while riding but when I was younger and stupider I rode home from a bar after our softball team won our league. I have no idea how I got home and awoke under my bike on the front porch of my apartment the next morning.

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