Oy--first big fall :(

[elk]

ouch! now I'M scared!!!!
But you all just keep on...inspiring!

Heal quickly!

[teawoman]

ouch! now I'M scared!!!!
But you all just keep on...inspiring!

Heal quickly!

Awww...don't be. I've learned lots...and I'll just be wiser next time. And whimper a bit at the top of hills.

[Tri Girl]

Wow teawoman- so glad that you're "mostly" ok! Sounds like it could've been a lot worse had you not been so good at handling your machine flying down that hill. How scary!
Take care of yourself. Stay away from things that make you sneeze (or people that make you laugh a lot- sometimes that can hurt just as bad ).

Is your bike ok (sorry- had to ask about the bike, too)?

[PinkPilot]

Well, since this is in the New Riders category and I have no access to group rides at the moment to learn these things, I feel compelled to ask a very stoooopid newbie question: what are the hoods and the drops?

Heal quickly, teawoman!!

[Torrilin]

On a drop (or racing or road) handlebar, the different parts of the bar have names. The flat part near the stem and headset is the "flats". The gently sloping part on top of the curve is the "hoods". And the curvy bit where you can reach the brakes easily is the "drops". Most bikes are set up so you can brake some from the hoods, but it's harder.

(to go with drop bars, you'll also see people talking about shifters. Brifters are shift levers stacked with brake levers. Bar end shifters are stuck in the holes at the bottom ends of drop bars. And stem or downtube shifters are little shift levers that aren't on the bars at all.)

And Teawoman, I'm glad you're mostly ok. The idea of falling on a hill really scares me, since that's the one time it's easy for a bike to go fast.

[PinkPilot]

Thanks, Torrilin!! That helps a lot and gives me a better picture of what took place.

[SouthernBelle]

Totally understand about the broken ribs, they are painful. When I crunched mine, I was back on the bike in a little less than a month.

Get better soon.