I went for my last tune-up ride before Eagleman yesterday. At the end of my ride I’m appoaching a red light with parked cars on my right and traffic on my left. Being the moron, that I apparently am, I was in my aerobars. I started getting way too close to the parked cars and panicked. I veered to the right, just missed the last parked car and went headlong into the curb and went over the bars and sliding across the sidewalk. I got some road rash on my right leg with a softball size scrape on my hip. I got up, made sure everything was working and road home, about 1 mile. I get home, stoped in the driveway, forget to release my feet and fell straight over and banged up my left elbow. I’m sure my neighbors were trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with me. With lots of swearing over I bring my bike into the basement. We have an outside door with steps leading down to the basement. I slip on the top f**cking step and fall down the steps with my bike.
Any of you going to Eagleman, I advise you to stay away from me. I’ll probably veer over and take both of us out. I’m considering getting some of that yellow caution tape to wrap myself in.
Seriously, I think you were probably exhausted from the ride and didn’t take in enough nutrition, when you get to that stage your mind just wonders off and that’s why you were falling down so consistently.
How long was the ride?
David
P.S.
Or you might actually just be the dumbest biker out there ;-).
A month or so ago I was prepping for my 1st race of the season. It had rained all week and I couldn’t get outside. So, I get the kids to bed and ask my wife if it is OK to go down in the basement and fool with my bike for a little bit. I wanted to do a couple of things including check out the bike and practice a transition or two.
I ride a few laps around the basement, on aero bars, and then come into my transition area. Now, I’ve done well over a 100 Tri’s and practice transitions outside frequently. It all seems so different in the basement. I forget to loosen the straps on my shoes while trying to slip my feet out and leave the shoes onn the pedals. This doesn’t work by the way, particularly if you get too close to the shelves! So, there I am upside down, pinned against the shelves, disk wheel pointing, the wind knocked out of me, and completely stuck! I was determined to rot and die before I would call my wife for help, and it almost happened.
I finally got out of my predicament and told my wife I was ready to race!
Ha! Great Story, It’s good to see that your able to laugh about yourself it those situations. My advice it to crack open a beer. Carbo load and rehydrate at the same time.
Although I wasn’t nearly as bad as you, I tipped over at a red light yesterday and scraped up my knee. Clearly you were worse than me. However, I’m also going to Eagleman. Must have been something in the air yesterday.
That’s not stupid at all. There are two kinds of cyclists: The kind that have fallen and the kind that will.
Everybody goes down once in a while. On our Tusday ride last night someone went down like a ton of bricks and destroyed a brand new $200 Giro Atmos helmet (but saved their head).
Accidents happen, you did fine- good to hear you didn’t get hurt.
Hope you’re doing ok…heal fast and race well… ouch…hell I almost fell down my back porch stairs this morning. After my morning training ride, left for work forgot my coffee, thinking about work and my nephew refusing to see Shrek the other day and wham…almost did a face plant at the bottom of the stairs…caught myself but thought am I getting stupidly clumsy? is this the start of a neurologic problem? LOL
Glad to hear that I am not the only idiot out there! Two weeks ago I went for my typical Thurs laps around Central Park ride. A quarter of the way I get a drink and go to put my h20 bottle back into the cage. Like an idiot I completely miss it sending the bottle the ground to follow me down the road interfering w/ everybody who is either running or cycling. I finally stop, a bit embarrassed, and a jogger runs over and hands me the bottle. I grab the it and proceed to take off again to escape from my embarrassment. Once again I proceed to put the bottle back in its cage. And once again I miss the cage. But this time I didn’t drop the bottle - this kid is no moron people! I learned my lesson the first time. Instead I get the spout caught in my brake cable and in the effort to release it, pull the cable and slam on my brakes. Of course I cant get out of my pedals in time - especially since I just had knee surgery - and quickly crash to the asphalt. I feel a little pain in my right calf, but don’t think too much of it as I am sure I just banged it on the sprocket - done this many times before (mt biker). Get my bike upright and look at my leg. I have 6 even slices in my leg in the exact circumference as my 53 w/ one small flap of skin hanging. Being the MaGuyver that I am I quickly grab some of the electrical tape I have wrapped around my frame and prepare to “suture” my leg (I knew it would come in handy). Decide that since I am already out, I will continue my laps. On my way around I nearly get run off the road by an SUV thinking that I am in his way (the Park is supposed to be close to cars after 7, it is 7:30) I stop by 3 different cops to report the cars and to see if they have real band-aids to patch my self up, or course they don’t. What!?! Police officers w/o the even basics of a first aid kit? I guess in NY if I have not been shot or stabbed, it does not matter much. Get home & patch myself up. Really need stitches, but I am late for a date so I just grab a few butterfly bandages and do a home repair. Proceed to meet my date (late) for dinner. After appetizers I look at my leg to see how it is doing. I see a couple of red spots on my jeans -just think it is leaking a bit. Go to pull up my pants leg to check on it, when I grab my pants my leg is soaked w/ blood! My date freaks out and states that maybe we should call it an evening. I say no problem my dad’s a TV repairman, I can fix it. I ask for some band-aids from the waiter and proceed to patch up my leg - sure the waiter has a first aid kit, but not the police! After several people banging on the bathroom door I finally finish - leaving behind an entire wastebasket filled w/ bloody paper towels. People going in after me thinking I was shot. I guess maybe I should have been -perhaps the police would have had something then!
Dude! You’re halfway to my next tattoo - a chainring scar on my inside right calf.
Every time I brush my calf on the big ring it leaves black marks on my calf that I think would make the coolest cycilist’s tattoo. When the pain of my M-dot disappears (in my brain, but its been a few years now), I’m gonna get it.
I took my son to the doctor Monday and found out he has strep throat. Today I feel kind of run down, dry throat and no enthusiasm to do anything. I really hope I’m not getting the same thing my son had. He did bounce right back as soon as he started taking the medicine the doctor prescribed.
I really needed to hear something like your story to cheer me up a bit. Thanks for sharing such an embarrassing moment. You are not alone however.
After coming home from my Monday night club ride, I slipped on the top step of the basement stairs as I was trying to carry my bicycle downstairs. I bounced down about a half dozen steps before I finally stopped. I was wearing my cycling shoes, but I did have cleat covers on thinking that would reduce the chance that I would slip and fall.
