What a great 1st ride today after my first fall
 

Last Tuesday I had my first hard fall from my bike because of a front tire blowout, and fell hard on my left shoulder, elbow hip, knee and shin. No broken bones but a lot of blood and road rash. I was pretty nervous about my first ride after the blowout since I was going pretty fast when I fell. So I told myself that I would take it easy today, ride just 10-15 miles instead of my normal 30-35 miles. I decided to ride in a more scenic area, down by the beach. I left my headphones off so I could hear the sounds of the peaceful morning, since I started riding at 6:30am. Let me tell you, it had to be the most satisfying ride I have had in quite some time. In the past I would try to ride as fast as I could to get the 30-35 miles in in about 2 hours. I wouldn't even stop for a few minutes to go onto the boardwalk to see the water, because that would slow me down. Today, I rode slow (averaged between 11 and 12 miles per hour), said hi to hello riders and joggers/walkers,, headed up onto the boardwalk a few times, rode down a fishing pier I hadn't rode on since I first started riding, and even ventured onto some paths and roads I hadn't been on before just because. Before I knew it, I wasn't thinking about another blowout, another fall off the bike, I was just enjoying the ride, which turned out to be about 21 miles. Had so much fun, I think I'll do it again the exact same way tomorrow. Thanks for listening!

Great ride story. I know the feeling, if not exactly from the same perspective. I had a great, quiet, slowish and very satisfying ride on Sunday. After having gone out for an intended short and easy ride Saturday which instead found me hooking onto a paceline that was way too fast for me. Kicked my ass in short order.

Glad you remounted and on road more than expected...:thumb: One crank rotation after another and if you decide to burn up the roads again, have at it. Just make sure it remains FUN.

Starting at 6:30AM is great, but for myself midnight or shortly after is even better. Less traffic, longer darkness, getting the 100 miles in before sun rise-or not, slower pace-or not, by myself-or not.

That is absolutely great. It sounds like you had a great attitude towards your ride and it was more fun as a result. True? False?

Most important part of a bike is a good front tire. I ride puncture proof tires and make sure they are in top condition. A blow out at 20-plus mph is not a good experience.

old guys know stuff ;-)

True Dougman

"You cry.., you learn, you lose.., you learn."

-Alanis Morrissette-

Dang. That was 21 years ago. Now I really feel old. And she still looks like she did then.

Glad you had a great ride. :thumb:

Riding with headphones??? Scary!!!! I like to hear the sounds of nature and any traffic (including other cyclists) behind or around me.

Good work!! The only way to get over a good crash is to get back on the bike.