Can we talk about crashing?

[SadieKate]

Not me. Lots of women on TE who know more, bit I did findsome cool how-to videos lately.

Look for the 4-part cross series.
http://www.velonews.tv/

http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6...7837-1,00.html

[Andrea]

Think of your bruises/scrapes as temporary tattoos with much better stories

[Nokomis]

I've got a lovely collection of bruises from the Alpenrose clinics. I managed to stay mostly upright - until that first practice lap. 4 falls. The changing colors in the trees have nothing on my banged up knees!

If you have a choice - fall on Sand, then Mud, then Grass, then.... Just don't fall wrists out and break anything! Since you are already falling & practicing on grass, would be a great time to pick up clipless pedals and learn how to use them. Then you'll get the quick starts too! Actually - don't. Sounds like we'll be in the same beginner field, I don't need one more person off the front kickin my butt! haha

The pedal in your back? I think part of the problem is having platform pedals - those are a fairly large blunt object. If possible, see if you can have the pedal out front before you pick it up. I haven't noticed any interference from my egg beaters, but I think they are down/front position by the time I attempt to pick up the bike. Instead, I have bruises on my shoulder and forearm from shouldering and wrapping my arm thru to hold the bars tight.

[spokewench]

Not to make you feel bad, but you might have been better off with tennis shoes instead of clipped in bike shoes your first time. It is much easier to dismount and remount with tennis shoes than when you have to get unclipped, off the bike; run; jump on the bike and get clipped back in. So be prepared and remember unclip both sides before you try to dismount the first time! Once you get better, you can unclip the foot you take off first and then as you come through and go to run, you can unclip the second foot sort of simultaneously as you come off. Remember in mud, this can get tricky, cause unclipping doesn't happen as easily! Just keep trying it gets easier and easier.

spoke

[blueskies]

Since you are already falling & practicing on grass, would be a great time to pick up clipless pedals and learn how to use them.

Oh, I do have clipless pedals. I just lost my cleated shoes & hadn't replaced them yet, because I was still hoping they'd turn up. I am more comfortable doing the dismounts when clipped in, because my sneaker on an SPD pedal is not very stable when riding over a bumpy field.