First Crash!

**Nanci** · 05-30-2006, 06:33 PM

Well, more like a fall...Just so you new guys don't feel bad- here's me, 4300 miles on the bike with no falls, and it happens. I was waiting up for a REALLY slow rider, on a paved trail, and thought I'd just coast over to this bench on the left, and unclip my left foot only, and rest, on the bench, in a standing position, still on the bike. Well, you guessed it, as soon as I left the trail and hit the sand, oops, over I went, in slow motion, to the still-clipped-in right! Luckily, my right knee landed in sand, and my gloved right hand was protected from the pavement it hit, and my bar tape was only minimally torn, and no one saw!! Though I confessed later. So it can happen to anyone. I learned my lesson! Unclip _both_ sides when attempting a "tricky" mameuver, especially when leaving pavement.

Nanci

**KnottedYet** · 05-30-2006, 06:54 PM

Ouch! Glad all the damage was minimal!

**BikeMomma** · 05-30-2006, 09:51 PM

Welcome to the club.

Glad the initiation wasn't too bad.

**latelatebloomer** · 05-31-2006, 03:27 AM

oooh! sending you a psychic hug and a piece of chocolate - and I'm so glad it was minimally damaging.

**kiwi in oz** · 05-31-2006, 03:40 AM

Thanks for sharing - sounds like I am in good company!

Glad you're okay.

Yay for slow motion falling.

**bouncybouncy** · 05-31-2006, 04:00 AM

nanci...you are my hero!!!

i want 1/2 as many logged miles with no fall!!!! my maiden voyage (seems so long ago...but is was actually less than a year) anyway...first ride i ripped the handlebar tape, ickied up the hood, scratched the derailer, knicked the headset, sent BOTH water bottles into a frenzy through the intersection, and ended up with a perfectly round bruise the size of a volleyball and the color of some paint project gone wrong!!!

and by-the-way....those oopsicantclipoutaaaaaasomeonegrabmeiamgoingthewrongway....falls are my signature on the mtbike

gotta love the sand...

**DrBee** · 05-31-2006, 04:17 AM

Sorry to hear about the fall, Nanci. At least it wasn't gravel

**jobob** · 05-31-2006, 06:25 AM

That pretty much proves a fall like that can happen to anyone !

I've had a few "dufus" falls, but the one that gave me the most style points was early on when I was riding with a small group and we just descended a short steep downhill which was immediately followed by a short steep uphill.

I shifted into my small front ring just as I started to go up (I hadn't yet figured out the concept of using my momentum to power me up the next hill). I'm going up the hill, peddaling like a demon, wondering why I was slowing down so much.

It wasn't until I came to a complete stop, pointing uphill, feet still spinning like mad, that it occurred to me my chain had falled off.

I had just enough time to unclip my right foot. So of course I then tipped over to the left. It all happened in slow motion so I had enough time to yell "tim-ber!" on my way down.

But the best part is, since I was on an uphill, when I tipped over and landed on the fleshy part of my hip, I kept rolling and when I came to a stop I was on my back with my bike on top of me, one foot still clipped in and the tires pointing to the sky.

Once we all realized that I was completely unhurt we all cracked up. Too bad no-one had a camera.

**FreshNewbie** · 05-31-2006, 09:45 AM

Well welcome to the club!!! For me its more like "how many times i will fall today :-) " Good to know that there is no damage to you or lava. You know the saying ; there are two types of cyclists....

**Lenusik** · 05-31-2006, 01:27 PM

Welcome to the club! I am glad that you are fine.

**remigo** · 06-01-2006, 12:13 AM

so guess I'm not wise! The exact same thing as Nanci happened to me last night, except without the bench. So embarrassing. 3 nice ladies out walking the path had to pick me up, cos I was still lying there clipped in and too stunned to move. Came down kinda hard on my right wrist, I'm fine, but don't have my full range of typing motion back. So I guess I should get offline and back to RICE-ing!

**fatbottomedgurl** · 06-01-2006, 08:15 AM

Not quite a crash...lucky no one saw you.
I have crashed three times on my two group mtb rides. Two due to loose sand on hardpack at slow motion, one going too fast downhill and hopping off the path and into a rut. I just kind of fell over (not too fast).

**Nanci** · 06-01-2006, 10:17 AM

I can't tell you how many times I've crashed HARD on a MTB. For some reason, that doesn't scare me. One time I ripped a fingernail off the evening before I was leaving on a week-long trip to MTB in North Carolina, so I had to emergently find a nail salon who could put a fake one on to protect it...EEW! Another time I crashed on a sand hill and ripped my elbow open so badly I refused to ride without elbow crash pads for like a year. Then, not a crash, but I was riding, breathing hard through my open mouth, and ran into a pine branch, and the needley brach scraped all the skin off the outside and inside of my lower lip. So, you wouldn't believe how much the slightest wind hurts skinless lips! I tried to tuck my lip inside my mouth and bite down to keep it there, but then I was afraid I'd go over a bump and bite the whole thing off! Luckily, it healed quickly...

I'm terrified of a road bike crash, though.

Nanci

**cusepack** · 06-01-2006, 11:20 AM

Nanci -

Glad to hear you and Lava are doing well

My red baby and I took a tumble about 3 weeks after we were united. No major damage - first thing I thought about was the bike!! I did get some road rash, but at least now I have a war wound to talk about - it left a nasty scar on my knee!!

K

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First Crash!

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