I made a classic clipless fall at the very end of my MTB ride Sunday. We had ridden a pretty hard 10 miles of trail with lots of little rises and technical turns and I was pretty well worn out. At the very end of the ride is a quick 4 foot rise up to parking lot level and I simply had no strength left to make the effort required. I pushed as hard as I could, hoping to keep a tiny bit of momentum going to keep me upright and moving, but alas, the bike stopped and I tumbled to the right side. Without enough energy left to disengage the pedal, I lay there on the ground for what seemed an eternity, unable to twist my right foot enough to make the cleat come away from the pedal. It would have been hilarious if it hadn't been so painful and embarassing. I'm still limping a little bit today from the bruise on my hip and from an earlier incident where I did manage to unclip but took a solid pedal strike to my left shin. Ah, the joys of mountain biking.
