I was going downhill and decided to make a U-turn and go back to him. I wasn't going fast, but I was going faster than I realized, couldn't turn tight enough, suddenly saw I wasn't going to miss the curb and -- again, my reactions were wrong, and not fast enough. I hit the curb and went off the bike.
It's much better to ditch the bike than hit the curb. In that instance I probably would have slammed on the brakes at the same time I put my foot down on the uphill side, but while I was laying the bike down. If you do it in one motion, your foot lands far enough away from the bike that you're kind of stepping off it as it gets lower to the ground, you let go with your uphill hand, then your other leg follows in a step beyond the first. Another step and your uphill foot won't get caught under the bike while you let it drop to the ground with your other hand.

It's more of a controlled fall than a dismount, but it's better than endoing. I do not like for my bike to hit the ground hard, so I can manage to stay upright doing this maneuver and still hold onto the upper end of the bar and gently lay the bike down before I have to let go. Momentum will usually require me to let go, but I have been able to stop with the bike still in the air.

I don't know if it's really a technique, per se, but it is something that has happened to me more than a few times in my life. It's a great alternative to falling over, if circumstances are right. It doesn't look very graceful, but it saves the old kneecaps.

You could practice it. Just practice laying the bike down and walking off of it to the side. You can put the other foot on a curb for balance, and just lean the other way. If you do it on grass, and do it to the left, you won't damage your deraileur. But it works in either direction.

Karen