Advocacy & Safety - A little sand

Yesterday I slipped in a little sand as I turned right, going very slowly. (I didn't see that sand!)

My shoulder got a little scraped in the fall, my ego was bruised, no big deal.

But my noggin bounced on the street. My helmet is my buddy.

:D

Originally posted by LittleBigMan

But my noggin bounced on the street. My helmet is my buddy.

Don't get too attached to it as it's time for a new one (helmet, that is).

[QUOTE]Yesterday I slipped in a little sand as I turned right, going very slowly. (I didn't see that sand!)

I did the same thing a few weeks ago. Turning right the front tyre dug in and slid, down I go, landing on bitumen. I got up washed off the blood with my drink bottle and kept riding. Nothing major just a couple of small cuts on my leg, but the next day my knee swelled up like a balloon and was very painful, I could hardly walk. It took a few days for the swelling to go down. I was quite surprised how much it hurt and how swollen it was considering I was barely moving when it happened. I have crashed a number of times but this one was the most painful. My knee must have taken the my entire weight of the fall, I guess.

I hope I never crash at high speed.

CHEERS.

Mark

Sand particularly sucks to bite it on because it's so dirty. I'd suggest what I heard from a motorcycle training video is to scan the road ahead often for obstacles but how the heck do you see around the corner. The roads here finally had all the sand swept up from the long winter of sanding trucks, just last week.

Sand is as scary to ride on as ice. All I know about avoiding it on turns it to try and go wide when turning right or left. Avoid leaning into turns when the roads are sandy. And, stay on the saddle to maintain traction on both wheels.

Also, when you do bite it and it's bleeding, don't be afraid to let it bleed a little to get all the dirt out. I have a little blue mark on my forhead because I didn't let a cut clean itself out enough.

Speaking of which, does anyone else have dirt trapped inside a scar? I'd really like to have it removed but I doubt health care here would cover lazer treatment. It's only a couple centimeters long.

I see more sand on the Iowa curbside than the sun worshipers see in all of Florida. The city loves to pour down the sand in the winter and then seems to forget about it in the summer. There is a large gathering of sand in the street in front of my house. I would sweep it up, but I am sure it is full of salt, so I would have no use for it. I have not fallen on any sand, but I am very diligent about watching for it.