Injuries in a 1-day recreational cycling tour: Bike New York.

Publication/Presentation Date

1-1-1999

Abstract

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To describe injuries during a 1-day urban cycling tour.

METHODS: During the May 1996 "Bike New York" tour, we monitored EMS calls to identify injuries in a cohort of helmeted cyclists shielded from traffic. We collected demographic information from entry records, injury data from ambulance call reports, and follow-up on transported patients from telephone interviews with emergency physicians. Data were summarized using proportions, relative risks (RRs), 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and chi2 RESULTS: Approximately 28,000 cyclists participated, of which 23,502 (84%) were officially registered. Sixty-eight percent of registered bicyclists were male, and 92% were between 18 and 55 years old. Of the 140 EMS calls made during the tour, 136 (97%) involved participants; this yielded an injury incidence of 5 per 1,000 riders, or 12 to 13 per 100,000 person-miles. Injury was more common among younger cyclists (RR=1.4 for age 35 years; 95% CI, 1.0 to 2.0; P

CONCLUSION: Injuries during the largest 1-day US cycling tour were uncommon. More data are needed to determine the relative importance of injury risk factors. Data collection during mass events may help guide distribution of EMS personnel.

Volume

33

Issue

1

First Page

56

Last Page

61

ISSN

0196-0644

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences

PubMedID

9867887

Department(s)

Department of Emergency Medicine

Document Type

Article

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