Crash! Boom! Bruised!

[cinderly]

(I didn't want to hijack Sydney's thread with my whining, so I'm starting my own.)

Summary

Lesson learned: hills require lower gears than flats

Price of lesson: big, purple bruises and bloody shins; damage to ego for crashing on a BEGINNER trail

The Epic Novel

Sunday morning, the Other Human and I loaded our bikes into his Saturn (and made them fit, darnit!) and drove out to Earthquake Park for a nice, easy ride on the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. It's a paved trail that winds along the ocean from the southwest of the airport through the city and into the heart of downtown.

There are a few hills and valleys, but they're easy fairly climbs (even for a wimpy beginner like me) and most of the mileage is flat.

We cruised the first 3.6 miles at a decent -- but not punishing -- pace. I needed to rest at the trailhead, but was back on the bike within 5 minutes. Since the alternative was to battle traffic through Downtown, we turned around and headed back up the trail the way we came.

About 1/2 mile or so into the ride back, I needed to stop -- my water bottle wouldn't come out of the cage. We pulled off into the first rest stop we came to, but the benches and overlook were at the top of a small hill. The Other Human cruised right up the 4 foot knoll, and I followed. In 2nd gear.

I was in trouble almost immediately. Frantically, I tried to downshift as my progress slowed to a standstill. My bike began to roll backwards, so I started to bail. No time. The bike's going over. So I roll with it, absorbing most of the impact of the fall with my left hip and part of my well-upholstered rear end. Cool. First crash, no big deal.

Except it wasn't over. My bike went cartwheeling backwards over me, catching both lower legs with the pedals. I was bruised and bleeding and stunned. I managed to get to my feet, check myself and bike over, and get myself back onto the trail with relatively little fanfare.

Unfortunately, I was bleeding in rivulets down both legs. I got lots and lots of curious stares from people I passed on the trail. Now, I've got some slowly-healing scrapes and some gorgeous, giant bruises as my battle scars. (Word spread fast at the office -- I spent half of today hiking up my pantlegs to show off my war wounds!)

So, next time you're feeling down or blue, remember this -- you didn't do a backwards endo on a paved beginner's trail. (I had to tell you guys, because most people don't understand why I find the whole thing funny.)

[Lise]

Whoa! What happened? Were you clipped in? A backwards endo on a paved trail. OUCH! Keep those scraped areas clean and covered. Scrapes can be brutal, man. My worst running injury was from tripping on about 1" of broken sidewalk. Worst skinned knee I've ever had. Thanks for the pictures of the trail! Heal quickly. L.

[Geonz]

A *Backwards* endo - I'm impressed!!!!

[SalsaMTB]

Ouch! That sounds painful!!

[CorsairMac]

Oh Cinderly - first and foremost I'm sorry to hear about the scrapes and bruises but glad to hear it wasn't worse but..................I was in stitches! A backwards endo - would that be a Backendo? I could just picture you and the bike rolling backwards downhill and then both of you cartwheeling.

[cinderly]

I'm still not entirely sure how I didn't manage to hit my Eject Button -- I've got Power Grips instead of clips because they're so easy to get out of. I'll have to talk to my Bike Shop guys next time I'm in about how to get OFF the bike in a hurry.

I'm still amused that it was a little bitty hill that kicked my butt like that. Guess I'm not quite ready for singletrack! (I've been joking that if we do the 20-mile lakeside trail anytime soon, I'm doing it in a survival suit.)

Honestly, the worst part of it is that I'm off my bike until the aches subside a bit more. I tried to go out last night, just for a nice, slow 1-miler around the neighborhood. I got to the end of my street and had to throw the towel in.

If I'd been seriously hurt, it wouldn't be funny AT ALL. Since I'm not, I find it utterly hilarious. According to the Other Human, I managed the slowest crash, ever. Apparently, when I'm in trouble, I move in slow-mo.

[slinkedog]

Glad you're okay, but I have to admit that I was laughing too... only because you're such a great storyteller and I can't believe I haven't done the same thing yet!!