did a ride this morning and pulled the stupid trick of not unclipping at an intersection that I was sure I would not have to stop at. I stopped on the ground. Minor physical damage. I thought when you got older the years of experience were supposed to protect you form stupid.

"The more we study, the more we know. The more we know, the more we forget. The more we forget, the less we know. The less we know, the less we forget. The less we forget, the more we know. Why study?" This I remember from a joke book I read in 1st grade. But the name of some one I met 5 minutes ago at a party...phhht!

No.. the older you get then more you forget.

It's not being stupid, it's being old.

Trust me, you won't forget again. (for a few years)

If you were sure you would not have to stop at the intersection, no stop sign and no traffic, why did you need to unclip? And if you did not need to unclip, now did you fall over? I suspect a typo or?

Regardless, glad you are OK!

Stupid traffic/cycling mistakes have nothing to do with stupid people (even age related stupid). We all take turns making the stupid mistakes.... on any given day... it can and will be your (or my) turn to be the idiot.

Thanks for taking the turn... for today!

Welcome to The Club - 'the Club Tombay' https://www.bikeforums.net/fifty-plus...ub-tombay.html

Experience = opportunity. The more experience I get, the more opportunities for bad outcomes.

What it all comes down to is muscle memory. Before we start riding clipless anytime we are faced with an emergency we pull our foot off of the pedal. It takes a while before we develope the muscle memory to kick our heel out. It will become almost second nature. I find myself kicking my heel out when I come to a stop on flat pedals.

It had been years since I fell off from not unclipping, but a couple of months ago, I just did it wrong - unclipped on my usual left side, while my center of gravity was to the right. In front of some very experienced riders, who probably thought that I'm in idiot. But there was no injury apart from pride.

As to feeling stupid, I think it's a normal part of life. There are people I know who never feel stupid, but that's not a complement.

Yes, My judo Sensei told me once "that if you do a move correctly 1000 times it is yours" However, I also think it works the other way; if you do it incorrectly many times it is also yours.

Club Tombay, IMO, is an exclusive club reserved for those of us who challenge our multitasking abilities to the extreme. There are bazillions of people riding bicycles who find it senseless clipping their feet to the pedals on the premiss that more efficient power transfer will result. Ride on after your introduction to THE CLUB and be warned that there are some of us who have Lifetime Membership in this honorary club due to our uncanny abilities to forget simple directions at times of importance.

For a few years???? Wishful thinking in my case.....

The fact that I forgot there was a stop sign at the intersection makes sense and is a good excuse. However it is 600 feet from the house were we have lived in for 30 years.

As I get older even my muscles are losing their memories.

Age does protect you from stupid, but it doesn't protect you from hubris.

LoL

I only forget to un clip when I'm In front of at least five people.

More than 10 and It's a given

They were all probably feeling better about the last time it happened to them.