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12-30-02, 03:57 PM
The temperature here in St. Louis today was at least 65 degrees F. I'm off work all week, so when I saw at 7 a.m. that it was already 60, I knew that, even though the roads were very wet from an early morning rain, I'd be riding. One of the first things I did, though, was smash my foot into a cabinet and break (again) my little toe. Ouch. The weather was too nice to let that stop me from riding, so I decided to ride to the YMCA to sign my daughter up for basketball. The foot was ok on the ride, but as I was crossing the parking lot, approaching the bike rack, I realized I had forgotten to shift into a bigger cog, so I shifted, turned into a slightly tight circle, and watched the bike slide right out from under me.
I must admit that I had been harboring a certain smugness when reading posts about falling off bikes--couldn't happen to me. I suppose I've been educated. The bike is undamaged, and I, except that I landed on the hurt foot, am also undamaged. I locked the bike to the bike rack, took care of my business in the YMCA, then headed out for a shorter ride than I had wanted--the foot had become painful. When I got home, I noticed that my cable lock had disappeared; I must not have snapped it into the holder that well. I later drove back over my route and found the lock, but something had already run over it and snapped its bolt. I won't even mention the phone call from the auto mechanic telling me how many arms and legs it will cost to fix my van.
Despite all this, it's been a fine day. Wish I could have ridden about 20 more miles.
I must admit that I had been harboring a certain smugness when reading posts about falling off bikes--couldn't happen to me. I suppose I've been educated. The bike is undamaged, and I, except that I landed on the hurt foot, am also undamaged. I locked the bike to the bike rack, took care of my business in the YMCA, then headed out for a shorter ride than I had wanted--the foot had become painful. When I got home, I noticed that my cable lock had disappeared; I must not have snapped it into the holder that well. I later drove back over my route and found the lock, but something had already run over it and snapped its bolt. I won't even mention the phone call from the auto mechanic telling me how many arms and legs it will cost to fix my van.
Despite all this, it's been a fine day. Wish I could have ridden about 20 more miles.