The trainer mentioned in that LondonCyclist article is my boss!

Heh, cool!

Bike-part-failure is the only thing that does slightly worry me, but only really because it's a bit of an unknown -- the only time it's happened to me was a brake snapping halfway across a roundabout, which was a bit startling, but just a question of carrying on and stopping in a safe place afterwards & going "what the hell was that then?".

I suspect your bike is subject to a lot more stress than mine with all the long rides you do...? Or does it not work like that?

And yes, I hope my instinct if I did fall would be to protect the bump ... but then my instinct so far has clearly to put my hands out (which would not be a bad start from the bump's point of view, though probably less good for my wrists/hands/etc).

I kind of wish I had done more judo-ish stuff to learn how to fall safely, but that's the sort of exercise I almost certainly shouldn't be starting now. :-}