"It never gets any easier. You just go faster." ---Greg Lemond
"Don't buy upgrades. Ride up grades." --- Eddy Merckx
"You drive like shit." ---The Car Whisperer

12.5.08

Dumb Crash Survey

What was your dumbest crash, ever? Regardless of bike, location, race/commute/circus-bear-trike whatever...


The scene: Friday night, Logan Square. I'd gotten my race bike back earlier that evening from Mission Bay after some much needed maintanence. I'd put on my new cleats and was headed out for a quick recovery ride, and to check and see if they'd been able to take care of all the noises that were coming out of my headset, plus anything else I was completely paranoid about.

It's about 10pm. I head north on Kedzie for several blocks, jumping several times and torquing the shit out of the handlebars and don't hear any noise. I turn around and then head west on Wrightwood, past the apartment in the other direction. Kick a few times, nice easy spin, getting loose for Saturday's long ride. I turn around at Pulaski.

Heading back, almost at Sawyer, I sight my line up to the sidewalk and metal gate out front. Planning on a little self-showy flair on a quick dismount. I make my cocky approach like Sorriano on a shallow fly ball...

...and miss the ramp, and hit the curb straight on.

I crash right on the sidewalk in front of my fucking apartment on an AR ride.

Rash on top my of SLO crash scars, swollen elbow and hip, and a flat front tire.

And to pile it on...as I'm lying there, swearing on the pavement (at least I wasn't in kit) a creaking, squeaking commuter comes slowly rolling by, straight out of a John Hughes movie. Doesn't even give me a second look.

Post your stories in the comments.

4 comments:

Jeff and Debi said...

Mine was yesterday. You witnessed it. LOL...

brianfmorrissey said...

In the interest of fairness, full disclosure, and maximizing Jeff's embarrassment:

Riding back north into the teeth of a 30 mph headwind yesterday, there was sand and water all over the Lakefront Path. North of McCormick Place, by the sledding hill, was a particularly large lake and Jeff went left, on to the running sand, to go CX up on the grass...instead he went ASS on the grass as his rear tire lost any traction in the wet sand.

Jeff and Debi said...

And then I got up, got back on the bike and acted like nothing happened. Very euro-suave, I must say.

Unknown said...

January 2008. Seattle, so it's "warm" (35f?) but still quite dark out.

I'm heading home from work, first ride with this particular set of lights and I'm fiddling with the clamp because it keeps sliding and the beam's not in the right spot... I'm not paying attention to the road like I should be, there's a jog to the side, I hit a bump, and with only one hand on the bars can't correct... front wheel into mud at the side of the trail and the bike comes to a dead stop. I don't. I'm laying in a puddle that's half trail and half muddy-not-trail. I just start laughing, notice that my right arm's sore as hell the next day, then get up and ride off.