First Crash
 

Today's crash actually didn't involve ice, snow, or any other common winter themes. However, I've had my studded tires on for about two weeks now, and I've been feeling pretty good about my commute.

I teach at a public high school, and I get to school around 6:45 each morning. Since we have had a bit of snow and ice this past week, I've been extra careful on corners and other such things.

To get to our bike rack, you have to ride onto a broad sidewalk in front of the school, make a left onto another broad sidewalk that runs alongside the school, and ride up to the rack. I get to school so early that no one is ever around, so I don't worry about riding on the sidewalk.

Being extra cautious I've been cutting through the grass at the sidewalk corner so as to not slide on any ice there. Well, irony of ironies, cutting through the grass caused me to crash today.

As I was trying to get back onto the sidewalk from the grass, my front tire went into a water-filled rut that runs between the sidewalk and the grass. Being stupid, and it being early in the morning, I tried to ride out of the rut and onto the nice, smooth pavement.

The tires decided to stay in the rut while everything above the tires' point of contact with the ground, including me, landed with an audible CRASH!!! on the concrete. :eek:

The Good News: I don't think anyone saw me crash. The bike seems to be ok. I don't think I broke anything.

The Bad News Someone undoubtedly saw me fall like an idiot.

I took a corner to fast, over corrected, slid and crashed into the curb during rush hour. All I could do was giggle at myself. At least one guy was nice enough to ask if I was okay. The rest of the cagers didn't seem to concerned.

Sometimes labelcd6 all we can do is laugh at ourselves. Especially when everyone else is.

There's a certain pedal position, about 8 - 9 o'clock on the right side, where the crankarm interferes with my shoe disengaging (speedplay frogs).
When I come to a stop, I normally have left foot forward, putting the right foot at this interference location. It took me two slow topples to realize that if I was wobbling to the right, I would need to move that pedal if I wanted to disengage before hitting the ground. One topple was waiting at a cross street for traffic to clear for me to turn right. Plenty of witnesses... Gotta love it!

A co-worker of mine who is car free took a spill last winter at an intersection, he promptly jumped to his feet and took a bow in all directions. He said people clapped as they drove by.

That's hilarious!

Hey - everyone needs to just topple over sideways while not moving at least once in life, but hopefully only once. My two crashes since I started commuting were both the result of underestimating the angle or hop it took to get the front wheel up onto the sidewalk. Once the first week of a new bike with thinner tires, trying to get to where I could hit the crosswalk button at an intersection which requires that. Went down pretty fast and hard. The other time I was "squeezed" up onto the sidewalk by a cager. It was slow and no big deal. I'm hoping I've learned just how easy it is to get a tire caught in a groove!

[QUOTE=labelcd6;10124147]Today's crash actually didn't involve ice, snow, or any other common winter themes. However, I've had my studded tires on for about two weeks now, and I've been feeling pretty good about my commute.

I teach at a public high school, and I get to school around 6:45 each morning. Since we have had a bit of snow and ice this past week, I've been extra careful on corners and other such things.

To get to our bike rack, you have to ride onto a broad sidewalk in front of the school, make a left onto another broad sidewalk that runs alongside the school, and ride up to the rack. I get to school so early that no one is ever around, so I don't worry about riding on the sidewalk.

Being extra cautious I've been cutting through the grass at the sidewalk corner so as to not slide on any ice there. Well, irony of ironies, cutting through the grass caused me to crash today.

As I was trying to get back onto the sidewalk from the grass, my front tire went into a water-filled rut that runs between the sidewalk and the grass. Being stupid, and it being early in the morning, I tried to ride out of the rut and onto the nice, smooth pavement.

The tires decided to stay in the rut while everything above the tires' point of contact with the ground, including me, landed with an audible CRASH!!! on the concrete. :eek:

The Good News: I don't think anyone saw me crash. The bike seems to be ok. I don't think I broke anything.

The Bad News Someone undoubtedly saw me fall like an idiot.[/QUOTE]

The Really Bad News is that every one that visits this forum knows about it. Do any of your students visit here?

I'm filing that one away. I'm sure I'll have a chance to use it eventually.

Hopefully it was too early and no students saw you. If they did you'll hear about it soon enough.

This reminds me of my recent topple in front of an entire crew of construction workers. I stopped a little too quick next to a curb and didn't get my foot out fast enough. I rolled onto my bag and was fine but had to lay there laughing for a while before I got up. I smiled at everyone and walked my bike through the construction. I'll remember to bow next time.

You missed the security video, posted on U-tube, I take it.

I rode towards my school's bike rack one time, tried to pop a cool fixed-gear skid towards the rack, and it was just a little bit too wet and I went down HARD. in front of about 10 people...good times. but I'm also "the kid who bikes" and I'm always coming in slightly hurt or with my arm in a sling, as was the case a month or so ago. I don't usually hurt myself on commutes though...

No, I found it.

Click for a Direct Feed to our School's Security Cameras

hilarious!

It sounds a bit like your are bragging. I can't help thinking that you are just a wee bit disappointed that no students saw you.:innocent:

That's too bad because I can envision facebook and twitter getting all backed up with the news, and the school coming to a standstill with autograph seekers and students who want to see the flying professor.

Actually, I am pretty sure it was this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYTb5wzEaBY&NR=1