Just need to share my disdain for curbs today ;-).

I've taken a few spills (albeit "gentle") in the past year and a half since I started riding again. Seems like every time I have an embarrassing moment in public on the bike it's because I'm desperately trying to avoid or get out of traffic. Nerves get to me and I end up making a bad call. Happened twice in the same area, which is on my daily exercise route. Riding on the sidewalk is legal here and in my town there is a turn on a main road that is basically unavoidable with no shoulder. Unfortunately the sidewalk alongside it can double as a pump track (driveways and some really steep ramps to get up on raised concrete medians in between.) Both times I ended missing the ramp and end up banging into the straight curb, followed by a not very elegant roll to the side ;-).

...Luckily since I started riding I'm down 130 lbs. so the show is probably a little bit less entertaining for the witnesses...

Two other times I was riding in unfamiliar areas. Didn't notice loose gravel on a ramp to a sidewalk and "whoosh" bike out from under me, another time I rolled down a sidewalk ramp to cross a side street and on the other side was greeted by a 90 degree curb instead of ramp (was looking for cars and not at the sidewalk itself...)

There really is no point to this post, not trying to blame anything but myself here. I just need to work on being a bit more focused, nimble with steering, better brake control and be more willing to take the lane instead of yielding it...

*I suppose some similar experiences from people riding longer than me may help my bruised ego ;-)