Saturday 20 June 2009

First Fall of Summer

I fell off my bike. At a stop sign. Again. How humiliating.

I had to stop quickly and wasn't able to clip out of the pedals in time to get my foot down on the ground ahead of the rest of my body. My left palm beat my left foot. I was rooting for my foot to win. Either foot!

This time, unlike the last time I fell in Quebec, I had drivers and bikers, walkers, etc...coming to my aid. It was refreshing to know not all people native to this province are insensitive to others. Oddly enough though, it was all women who came to my aid. Last time there had been no women present for my big fall so maybe that explains why I got no offer of help. Men just tend to stand there watching you bleed. Nature of the beast I suppose.

As I cycled on with one pulpy purple hand, a dripping bloody leg, and many stares, I noticed that not one of the other cyclists that I passed had injuries. Old or new. Why is it that everyone else out there can manage to stay on their bikes. Many of them have clipless clip-in pedals just like me. Is it because they have spouses that love them and aren't trying to kill them in some sadistic way by insisting clipless clip in pedals give you a better workout? Death through biking? Is it possible that they are just more coordinated than me and the ones that aren't know better than to get on this kind of a masochistic contraption? (Right White Mocha;-)

One woman offered a suggestion that I loosen the grip on the pedals so I might slip out more easily. I can think of something even better though. Good old fashioned pedals, sneakers and keeping my speed under 20kms. Yah! That's the ticket, eh!

3 comments:

Kurt said...

Why are your feet attached to your pedals? That's just crazy. What kind of bikes do you have up there in Canadia?

BONNIE K said...

I'm thinking walking is just safer.

Serena Lewis said...

I'm with Kurt....I don't think I would like riding a bike where my feet weren't free to move right off the pedals in an instant.

Sorry you were hurt in the fall. :(