Um… ooops!?
So, I thought, before I go off on my 170km tester weekend, I should have a quick run out, and check out the aero-bars, and the gear adjustments…
So, to start with, it was pretty windy on the way out, so I hunkered down on the aero-bars and hid from the wind. Felt pretty comfortable there, and saddle felt comfy. All good. Had a little Strava Segment race up the little hill beyond the Dog & Fox, got a PR, felt a bit playful. All good. Went a bit wide on a corner, recovered, note to self – pay attention. All good. Found myself nearly unseated over a bump, note to self – pay attention. All good….
Now, there is this lovely back road, with lovely West Country country lane verges and stone walls, and it winds its way down a long gentle gradient. The tarmac is pretty smooth, and there’s a lovely view. It’s very quiet. Never seen a car on it. Anyway, so I tuck down onto the aero-bars, and put in a bit of effort, and it’s great and fun. Until the chicane…
There’s a little chicane in the road, and it’s quite tight, and I know it’s there, but… um…
So, I don’t know, really, exactly what happened… I remember I couldn’t quite decide what line to take, or remember how much dirt there was in the middle of the road so there you have The Moment of Indecision. I think I may have been confusing (due to the aero-bars) how an unladen tri-bike might go round a corner with how a fully laden graven bike with all sorts of things attached might go round said corner. I may have forgotten all those warnings about getting used to how the handling of a bike changes as you attach things to it, or move your position. I might have forgotten that tight corners at 40km/h (I checked on Garmin afterwards) are Tricky Propositions and best attempted with hands where they can reach the brakes. Probably a little bit of all those things. Pay Attention! (too late)
Anyway, I don’t think I actually hit the stone wall, but from careful examination of the bike and myself afterwards I can surmise that I went a little too wide, touched the verge, then there was some sort of wiggle and near recovery, but that it ultimately ended in some sort of diagonal somersault during which the bike and I revolved around each other (in the air I think). I can certainly confirm that
- The bike hit the ground hard
- I hit the ground hard
- The pain in my left thigh was intense and left me speechless for a moment or two
- I will have a bruise the size of a piglet down the left side of my leg for some time….
I don’t know if you did this to each other at school, but there’s a phase where you give each other “dead legs”. So, if you know what I mean, that’s where the impact was (not sure what exactly hit me – but felt like a cannon ball).
Anyway, the good news is, the bike is OK. A couple of scratches on the lowrider, and the brake lever on the offside needed straightening out a bit. Wheels still look in trim I think, and I can’t find any actual damage. Which is a huge relief.
I’m, well, slightly worse off… I got home OK.
I have applied ibuprofen, whisky and ice (in that order). I can walk, just about. Nothing broken, but slightly grazed and very bruised.
So, my plans for the weekend, are now rather in jeopardy…
- The weather looks rubbish
- I am not confident I will be walking very well tomorrow, let alone able to cycle 85km.
It’s a bit depressing, and I’m feeling a bit stupid.
On the plus side, that time adjusting the derailleurs yesterday was well spent, gear changes were slick and precise. Very happy with the result. Aerobars were comfy enough, although the pads are a bit sweaty.
Anyway, here’s the Strava – see if you can spot the “incident” (you’ll have to click through to Strava for the details)
[activity id=1763083137]