First Fall
Okay, it's my first fall where I was actually riding, rather than at a stop.
I met up with a buddy for a 40 mile ride at 7:00 a.m. this morning. I was riding my recumbent, he was riding his shiny new QuickBeam.
We were on a deserted road riding side-by-side, and I wasn't paying enough attention, and dropped the front wheel off of the paved road and down about four inches into gravel. I tried to steer back on to the road, but it wasn't going to happen.
I was doing at least 15 MPH when my butt landed on the road. I was still gripping the handlebars as the bike and I slid down the road. I saw everything happen in slow-motion, but was powerless to stop it.
After the bike and I stopped sliding, time returned to normal, and I felt the pain. I have road rash on my bottom and my back. The bike had some minor scuffs. It wasn't too bad. I only needed a few minutes to collect my thoughts, and I was back on the bike for the rest of the ride.
I really got lucky. My bare skin was never against the road, there was always clothing in the way. That saved me from getting much worse road rash.
So, my lesson for the day: "Pay Attention!"