Stupid Things We Have Done

[Aiacha]

Fallen being unable to get my feet out of the clips. Standing perfectly still.

When I first started using the clipless petals, I quickly got the knack of taking my feet in and out. Then I went for my first (well it was supposed to be) longish ride with them. I was with a friend who just got on a bike and I had gotten to the top of a little rise, waiting for her. I was almost perfectly still, until something happened (lost my balance, wind blew hard, who knows) and I found myself going shoulder first into the grass.

Since then I've gone down three more times, all while standing perfectly still.

[bmccasland]

Ride 40 miles on an MS training ride with rubbing brake pads, not knowing my brake pads are rubbing, push hard, think I'm a wimp, or having a bad day, and, give myself an asthma attack. I was pretty used to having good days and bad days with my lungs, but refusing to give up. The wonderful SAG volunteers are trailing along trying to get me to stop. I finally stop, rest, and quit. And feel like a quitter, like I let someone down. SAG crew takes great care of me, loads bike, and hauls me back to the parking lot. When I load my bike in the car, I discover the brakes have been rubbing. Now I check them, twice, before every ride (have to take the
front tire off to get bike in the car).

Have also fallen over with my feet stuck in the clipless pedals, resulting in a minor break to my nose. My helmet probably saved me from having worse injuries from the face plant to the concrete steps.

[out_spokin']

some good ones...reading through just reminded me of pretty much my worst adult crash. going to meet a friend at the bagel shop, taking the uncool but hey it's early in the morning and no one's really out "shortcut" by riding the 1/4 block up the sidewalk instead of going two full blocks around to hit the one way streets correctly...huh, there's a guy power washing the sidewalk, better watch that hose across my route...yeah, wet hose, very slow moving tire = unbelievably quick trip to the ground! Road rash, sore hand for weeks, and SUPER grateful I wear a helmet! dumb....

[LilBolt]

Yesterday...packed the pannier with clothes for the office, including my suede boots. Grabbed a perfectly ripe pear and tossed it in on the way out. Yikes! Picking pear pulp out of the suede was a nice distraction during a particularly long staff meeting.

[Zen]

Fallen being unable to get my feet out of the clips. Standing perfectly still.

That's so not uncommon that I don't even count it at a stupid thing at all, just something that happens.
If I thought that was a qualifier to post in this thread i would have done so much sooner.
Said Zen, who fell at the corner of Connecticut and L street in downtown DC

[Selkie]

Said Zen, who fell at the corner of Connecticut and L street in downtown DC

That was you? :-)

I once got stuck in my pedals. New pedals, didn't test out the tension before I took out (a mistake made only once). Tried to unclip and both feet were firmly stuck. I stopped by a parked car, leaned against it, and took off was able to free myself.

[bmccasland]

Yesterday...packed the pannier with clothes for the office, including my suede boots. Grabbed a perfectly ripe pear and tossed it in on the way out. Yikes! Picking pear pulp out of the suede was a nice distraction during a particularly long staff meeting.

At least the pear pulp was on the outside of your boots!

[Miranda]

After getting home from a vet appointment in which the vet told me my dog had food allergies, or something worse, and would be on mega expensive dog food forever, I...

backed my SUV over my $250+ baby stroller AND the other kids little bike in the driveway. I was a bit distracted...

The bike kid says "MOM! Of all people! How could you kill my bike? (boo hoo hoo) ". (DH hates the bikes, btw)

That's being a bad bike mommy.

Dhrrrr....

[ClockworkOrange]

In the pre-TE days! My usual foot wear was only flip flip sandals, which was fine until I changed to DMR V12 pedals.



Then one day my foot slipped and somehow both sandals came off................aaaaaaaagh, trying to pedal with bare feet on these pedals was agony!

I am now a reformed person, yes, I wear trainers.

Clock

[ladyicon]

I guess this is what my DH does...When my husband and I ride I have a tendency to stop when I see something to pick up, or when I am in pain. One day he went to stop behind me and could not clip out, over he went. On a busy road in La Jolla during the golf thing at Torrey Pines. Lots of cars with windows rolled down, he has a tendency to get turretts syndrome (kidding) and curses up a storm. Every car that passed asked if he was alright. I had to apologize about the language and say that he was ok.

[Andrea]

Last winter, I was riding behind the S.O. when I saw some cows in a field. For some reason, I kept looking at them and ended up overlapping wheels. It would have been OK, except he decided that he wanted to pull through & did so into my front wheel. I still have a knee scar from that one.

[Zen]

That was you? :-)

Did you see me?

[lunacycles]

I once got stuck in my pedals. New pedals, didn't test out the tension before I took out (a mistake made only once). Tried to unclip and both feet were firmly stuck. I stopped by a parked car, leaned against it, and took off was able to free myself.

This strikes me as wisdom, not stupidity.

[smilingcat]

Last winter, I was riding behind the S.O. when I saw some cows in a field. For some reason, I kept looking at them ...

Don't feel bad. I did something like that at Orange County Classic many mooons ago. It was a hot day, lots of nasty rollers, not small enough to be whoopdy dos but just long enough to be in a climbing mode.

I didn't drink enough fluid and my calf and hamstring cramped up so got dropped. Well Eunice, what'ya going to do. I decided to look at the scenery and just try to enjoy my ride. in the open field I saw a pack of coyote, And I was just mesermized, and in the blue sky I could see red tail hawks riding the thermals. It was a very beautiful day. Except I was sitting upright hands free going nearly 30MPH (bit of downhill). And little did I realize but my bike drifted to the curve. I must have laid there for 1/2 hour it seemed before the paramedics arrive. "were you wearing a helmet?" Stupid question so I became irritated. So paramedics thought I had head injury. Shattered my right collar bone in about 3 pieces with smaller fragments around. When you are young you heal fast. Took only 3 long month before it was one piece and another 6 month before I could put any pressure or force on it. But I was riding in about 4.

Since then, I've shattered my left clavicle in another pretty good crash. I was only doing about 25MPH (don't know, remember nothing, no memory of the sheet time... I know NOTHING of the day!!) Only thing I do know is I have a matching bump on both my clavicle.

hmm other dumb thing?

signed up for a fun ride. little did I know that on the same day there was another fun ride and two rides crossed path. I did extra 20 miles that day.

almost a dumb thing?

I think it was breathless in agony FUN ride. came to an intersection. like a 5 way stop kind of thing. and three of the roads came in at like 60degrees apart. and instruction says take left. it didn't look right... Other riders came by and we all stopped. Finally some one came by and knew for sure. so we followed him and was saved.

track standing and waiting for light to turn green or traffic to clear. Forget you are track standing and go over. DUMB!! Latest variation was about two weeks ago. Again track standing and waiting for the traffic to clear. then my front wheel falls squarly into a crack. just wide enough to fall in. Frantically bonny hopped to get the wheel out. luckily managed to unclip so didn't go over. But must looked really funny.

smilingcat

[deeaimond]

That was you? :-)

I once got stuck in my pedals. New pedals, didn't test out the tension before I took out (a mistake made only once). Tried to unclip and both feet were firmly stuck. I stopped by a parked car, leaned against it, and took off was able to free myself.

Cars that have stopped sometimes start moving.

I found out the hard way. Stopped at a red light that turned green (AFTER i began to stop), one foot unclipped, was beginning to lose balance but was next to a van, so stuck my arm out to regain balance by pushing against the van.

unfortunately, the van started to move off.. with my hand still resting on it .. I fell (slow motion) right into the path of the car behind me. fortunately he hadn't started moving off yet... extremely busy road, highly embarrassing...