I took my first fall of the year today. I have minor falls and dabs all the time. But this is the kind that registers as a "wreck," where it hurts.
A couple days ago on Pat's blog, I was carrying on about how I've not fallen this winter. I'm not superstitious at all, but if I were, I might attribute today's wreck to the boastful comments I left for Pat.
As I told Liza, it was a freak accident that could've happened to anyone. I was riding the still-frozen Highdrive trails. Going down some single track -- a tad faster than maybe was prudent, since I was on a bike with slicks -- and misjudged some off-camber ice patches. It was an over-the-bars-affair.
When I was younger, the thoughts that would go through my mind just as I came to a landing in this situation were something like: "crap, I hope I don't have to walk home now..." Now, as I get older, my thought today was, "crap, I hope I can still walk..."
Good news: the frame and wheels are ok. The only issue was a tweaked brake lever, which I straightened and tightened down when I got home.
Not as good: my left ankle has a small gouge that doesn't do the pain any kind of justice, nor does it encourage sympathy from Liza. And my knee is hurting more as the day wears on. Really.
You're in world-class company, John. But only Phil Liggett can really do this justice, so let's get his comments:
ReplyDelete"Landis, Freire, Leipheimer, Mancebo . . . and now Speare . . . it's as though someone dropped a bomb in the field."
Glad you came out relatively unscathed John. In my two falls of significance in the last year I managed to tweak my ribs both times and had to live with minor, but annoyingly persistent pain when breathing deeply for several weeks.
ReplyDeleteOuch! Heal up soon John!
ReplyDelete