Ouch

I spent part of yesterday and today volunteering at the Delaware MS Society's Bike to the Bay. I was feeling fairly inspired, so I decided to take my bike for a spin this afternoon. I almost did the same yesterday but opted instead for a nap and a beer. Today the weather was just too perfect...low 70s, not a cloud in the sky, and only a light breeze. The Chicago Marathon is in a week, so I didn't go to crazy. There is a nice loop of approximately 3.5 miles near my house which seemed appropriate...just enough to whet my bike appetite. I was feeling good after one lap, so I decided to go for two. All was well when a car pulled/served into the shoulder not too far in front of me, requiring a fairly quick direction change, and the rest, as they say, is history.

I am a relative newbie to biking, and although it is true that you never forget how to ride a bike, I think you do lose a bit of your finesse when you haven't done much riding in a while. I overcorrected and fell resulting in a not-at-all-graceful skid into a concrete barrier. Did I mention that I am a huge fan of helmets, even though they are not required in Delaware? I am. A silver lining in all of this is that the branches and leaves and gravel on the shoulder slowed my pace so that by the time my head hit the barrier, I was barely moving.

As I gave myself a quick once-over, hoping that no one had seen me, a nice woman pulled over to ensure that I was alright. I assured her that it was primarily my ego that had sustained injury, and I tried to gather myself to finish the ride home. My shiny new bike was relatively unscathed except for a 90 degree bend in the left handlebar. Fortunately, the bike was still drivable and brakeable, and I made it home without further incident. The hands/wrists are a bit scraped, and there is a nice bruise/lump on my left shin. I am fairly certain that I have not sustained a major head injury, but I fear I may have cracked or bruised a rib. Running over the next week and in particular next Sunday should be awesome.

All in all, it could have been much worse. A man fell during the MS ride yesterday and broke his jaw while another was hit by a car. A gentleman who stopped at the rest area today had taken a spill which, it appeared, was mainly absorbed by his face. The riders today had to be detoured an extra 2 miles because of police searching for a suspect in a stabbing nearby. I am lucky to be alert and typing and only slightly sore/stiff. Now, I am going to pop a few Advil and watch some football...if only I had been so inclined this afternoon.