tcmedara
November 28th 03, 02:39 AM
Pre-turkey ride this morning. Weather was dry, temp in the high fifties, so
I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get in a quick ride. No chance for
anything too long with a house full of relatives, but the fact I was on the
bike was enough to give me joy. I'd just bought a new saddle for the tried
and trusty hardtail, so I had to try it out. Headed out for the close ride
at the local city park. Nothing too spectacular, but its a familar and fun
set of trails I can just about ride without thinking.
About halfway through the ride I saw my buddy Jeff through the trees and
gave a shout. He slowed up and we BS'ed for a bit then took off again.
Jeff is a much better rider than I, so I like riding with him 'cause he'll
push me. I was hanging pretty well and was starting to feel good about it
when, with little warning, I found my bike going sideways and my noggin
slamming into the dirt. I lied there for a few seconds to make sure there
was no damage, and then got up to figure out what happened. In my zeal to
keep up with Jeff, I got a little too complacent in a corner and a root
reached up, grabbed my front tire, and flung me to the ground. The
combination of wet leaves, exposed roots, a hair too much speed, and a
strong desire to not get dropped all contributed to a rather undramatic
thump on the ground. My knee smacked a root pretty hard, and my stem was
knocked about 30 degrees of center. No permanent damage to me or the bike.
Knee's a bit stiff tonight, but the worse part is being reminded of how
silly it felt lying there on the ground wondering what the hell happened.
If it had been some gnarled out technical section, I'd be bragging about how
I threw caution to the winds and almost made it. This crash was just
embarrassing. My son saw the blood on my knee and asked what happened. All
I could say was, "I fell down." He was cool though, he thought for a moment
and replied, "Yeah, I've done that before, too"
Roots suck.....but I the boy-wonder is all right.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Tom
I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get in a quick ride. No chance for
anything too long with a house full of relatives, but the fact I was on the
bike was enough to give me joy. I'd just bought a new saddle for the tried
and trusty hardtail, so I had to try it out. Headed out for the close ride
at the local city park. Nothing too spectacular, but its a familar and fun
set of trails I can just about ride without thinking.
About halfway through the ride I saw my buddy Jeff through the trees and
gave a shout. He slowed up and we BS'ed for a bit then took off again.
Jeff is a much better rider than I, so I like riding with him 'cause he'll
push me. I was hanging pretty well and was starting to feel good about it
when, with little warning, I found my bike going sideways and my noggin
slamming into the dirt. I lied there for a few seconds to make sure there
was no damage, and then got up to figure out what happened. In my zeal to
keep up with Jeff, I got a little too complacent in a corner and a root
reached up, grabbed my front tire, and flung me to the ground. The
combination of wet leaves, exposed roots, a hair too much speed, and a
strong desire to not get dropped all contributed to a rather undramatic
thump on the ground. My knee smacked a root pretty hard, and my stem was
knocked about 30 degrees of center. No permanent damage to me or the bike.
Knee's a bit stiff tonight, but the worse part is being reminded of how
silly it felt lying there on the ground wondering what the hell happened.
If it had been some gnarled out technical section, I'd be bragging about how
I threw caution to the winds and almost made it. This crash was just
embarrassing. My son saw the blood on my knee and asked what happened. All
I could say was, "I fell down." He was cool though, he thought for a moment
and replied, "Yeah, I've done that before, too"
Roots suck.....but I the boy-wonder is all right.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Tom