It was a nice warm (relatively speaking) day yesterday here in Austin, Texas, so I headed out at about 1:30pm on my usual ride north on Parmer Lane / Reagan Blvd. At the top of a hill I decided to take a short detour off the road to read a sign on the gate to a ranch. As I headed back to the road, I looked both ways to see if there was any traffic coming, then I looked where my front tire was headed. At the end of the gravel driveway right at the edge of the pavement was a pothole. It was too late to swerve right or left, my front tire dropped into the pothole and came to an immediate halt. Unfortunately, I and the rest of the bike continued forward right over the handlebars. Down I went with the bike on top of me. No major damage, just a bruise on my left palm and left knee, and a few minor scratches on the bike. The good news is that I was able to put the chain back on the complete my ride. I don’t know if age has anything to do with it or not, but you have got to keep your eyes and ears open and ready for anything. Accidents seem to happen when you least expect them to. Ride carefully, but ride!

-Spoke