A Crash in a Beautiful Morning


This morning ride was a sheer perfection of weather, which I managed to make unpleasant at my own fault.
It was a slower ride (19 km/h) in nicely chilly predawn. The cycling track was quiet and the seemingly burning clouds in the sunrise were a real treat.

Dawn on the track by Spirovski Bozidar
We did a 16 kilometer ride, which turned painful at the 13th kilometer, when my phone rang.

I pulled the phone out of the jersey pocket and pressed on the brake to slow down. I flew over the front wheel and crashed with the bike on top of me. Luckily, i got through with just a big bruise on my leg. I landed on my hands but the gloves saved me from scraped palms.

After a quick check that nothing is displaced or broken and a finished phone call, the rest of the ride was nice, although with a hurt ego.

This is my first painful crash on this bike, and this is what I have learned:

  1. Dont talk on the phone while cycling - stop and take the call, it's much less painful
  2. Never brake only with your front brake - especially not when you are not optimally balanced and with two hands on the handlebars
  3. Wear cycling gloves - they help with scrapes on the palms
  4. Headgear is a must - crashes happen when you are cocky, and can be quite nasty even on slower flat rides
I don't use clipless pedals, so my legs cleared the bike cleanly. I keep thinking whether having my feet locked into the pedals would have stabilized me and prevented a crash or simply caused more injuries as the bike flipped over me.


What are your experiences with crashes? Tell us in the comments!
Share on Google Plus

About Bozidar Spirovski

    Blogger Comment
    Facebook Comment

0 comments:

Post a Comment