A couple of years ago, I was invited on a ride one cold March day witha group of guys to celebrate one of the rider's birthdays. He didn't know it at the time, but the ride was to end with a surprise party for him. Well, the weather was all kinds of nasty. I think we encountered every form of precipitation, from rain, to snow, to sleet. To get to the party, we had to cross a number of railroad tracks in an urban/industrial area of town. I bit it one one of them and went down on my hip, hitting the track hard. I laid there for about a two seconds before some jerk of a driver started honking like crazy. So, I barely had time to take a breath before I was up and on my bike again. Oddly, the first thought that went through my mind was whether I'd ripped my Gore jacket (I love that thing). Anyway, I felt embarrassed at first, but the guys were impressed that I picked myself up so quickly and got moving. My hip was fine; just really bruised. I still get nervous going over tracks now.