Well went out for an easy ride as I ran 3 miles pushing my 3 year old son earlier today,so figured I would just do 10 or so easy miles and take some pics also.Went down a 1.5mile greenway,up by the lake,up through town,by the golf course,made a loop and came back.
On the last mile coming back up the greenway I decided to "hammerdown" for a good sprint at the end.I come around the corner and about 1/10 of a mile in front of me I can see an old man in on my side of the greenway(the correct lane) and his lil dog peeing in the grass,off the leash,on the other side of the greenway.I knew I had more than enough room to get between the dog and his owner,and as I am about 5ft-7ft from going in between them...I realize he is not off the leash,but on one of the retractable paper thin fishing line leashes stretched all the way across the greenway and I had no where to go.I locked it up,the back tire kicked to my right and "stuck"in the pavement sending me and the bike tumbling...hole in my right hand,skinned up elbow,bent front derailleur,and bent both supports for the rear rack...Owner of the dog said he didnt hear me coming.He was old so I just got up,brushed off,licked my wounds and here I am...gonna post pics of the ride(and it was a beautiful ride) in just a few minutes.

Heres the pics,some of them,from my ride....

Sorry to hear you crashed and its good nothing major was broken. Looks like a beautiful place to ride.

Thanks.I am glad nothing major either,I just went through the bike w/an LED flashlight(yes Im OC about my bike)and I could only find 2 or three scratches worth worrying about,and the derailleur,can be salvaged for sure.It is a little bent but I can bend it back I believe and then let the LBS adjust everything again.
The place I live or ride rather,is in Hickory NC,more specifically Longview, a "uppety"suburb of Hickory w/a strong running and cycling community.I love running and cycling here and the greenway is usually the safest place to ride

wow, i lived in hickory for a couple of years. i wasn't into cycling back then, just motos. it was a nice spot, i miss those hills. anyway, glad you're not badly hurt.

Glad you're O.K. Looks like a nice ride otherwise, though! Don't sweat the scratches too much. I only worry when they're deep enough to expose metal, at which point I apply a little nail polish (to the bike, not myself! Please!) and quit worrying.

Thanks guys,I appreciate that.I hate having the scratches,but like you said,just glad Im OK for the most part.
Those hills in NC are nice!!! That hill is a part of a 6mile run that I do on the regular,we run that hill plus 5 more on a run around that part of Hickory.I think thats why cycling came easy to me was the 3+years of running in this area that I had before I started riding.

Glad your ok. I also use to live in Hickory (now Lexington Nc) . I also miss the area . I don't miss the way they have the streets numbered ! lol

LOL!!! Thats pretty funny as there was just an article here on how bad the street numbering is here I actually learned my way around Hickory from running.I literally would go out for 8-12 mile runs and do different routes,go up different streets realizing this street connected here or there,etc.Before I knew it I knew my way around.Now I dont know the street names,but I can get where I need to go.

I hate those asinine 20' + leashes. Almost had the same accident a few times. My wife bought one for our greyhound "to give her a little more freedom". In 20 feet a grey can break 25 mph. Our girl weighs about 70 lb. You can see the problem for both dog & owner. And they are sight hunters. Anything appearing to be running or a plastic bag blowing around can set them off.