View Single Post
Old 06-09-13, 01:01 AM
  #5  
Bluish Green
Bicycle Commuter
 
Bluish Green's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Springfield, IL
Posts: 726
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Don't give up! Get that body healed up, then find a way to get back on the bike and get some miles under ya.

Are there any flat areas you can truck the bike to to get some miles in? If there are any rails-to-trails type facilities in your area, those are generally good and flat (railroad engines don't like hills, either). Alternatively, a good solution could be to ride residential streets in your area. Even if you have to ride a loop several times to get your miles in, it is a good start.

Traffic doesn't necessarily have to be a barrier - some of the lighter-traveled streets can be fantastic if they have wide lanes. My favorite streets here in our town are actually minor arterials that are posted 30 mph and have just a centerline skip-dash stripe, with one super-wide lane in each direction that carries traffic and has room for occasional parked cars and more to spare. Look around, hopefully something like that is possible near you. If you ride in traffic, ride defensively, pick lower-traffic wide-lane streets, and bright clothing and battery-powered lights are great for safety. You don't need a lot - a neon shirt/jacket/jersey goes a long way toward making you more visible. There are lots of great threads in the Commuting forum if you want to explore that side of cycling in traffic - the Commuting guys are all about getting from A to B safely, in traffic and in all weather.

I just had my first fall a couple of weeks ago. Mine was a 10 of 10 in the spectacularly embarrassing category. I hit a wide longitudinal joint in the concrete that grabbed my front tire and sent me face first into a puddle on the street. My riding gloves got ripped up but saved me from road rash on my hands. I got a couple of bloody knees and a bloody elbow, nothing too bad. A motorist waiting at a cross street saw the whole thing. At least he asked if I was okay. It's been a long time since I wiped out, thousands of miles... hopefully even longer before it happens again.

Good luck! Heal up and ride again when you can.
Bluish Green is offline