Just When I thought I Was In The Clear...That Is What I Get For Thinking!

Finally, after a week of rain and ugly weather, Boise got some perfect cycling weather.  To be fair, I would have gone for a ride in the rain, but I was so busy last week getting ready for a Jimmy Buffett concert, I just choose not to ride and rain sounded like a good excuse!

Today was my first real ride with my new clip peddles and shoes.   Clipping in and unclipping was easy!  I remembered to be conscious of my clips when coming to stop lights.  I did great!  

I decided to make this a "short" ride of 26 miles.  All of my leg muscles are working a bit differently with the clips.  It felt like I was riding on my tip toes and my toes were falling asleep.  This is going to take a bit of getting used to.  So I figured turning around at 13 miles seemed like a fair plan.

I rode my bike from my house in SW Boise to Kuna, just passed the city park and over the rail road tracks.  I pulled over onto the unpaved shoulder just before the entrance to a day care.  I remembered to unclip and I stopped safely along the road.

That's when it happened.....

I turned my bike to face the street.  My right foot was clipped in and ready to start peddling as soon as this white truck passed me. But the next thing I knew, I was falling to my right side.  I was clipped in, my head phones were in my ears and they were plugged into my iPhone which was in its case mounted to my handle bars.  I was tethered to that bike and down I went!  I landed elbow first then right leg on the rocky shoulder.  Thank god, I was wearing 2 layers of long sleeved shirts and my bike tights!  Even with all of that, I still managed to break the skin on my elbow and scratch up my knee and get bruising on both.

I know, it's not alot of damage, but it could have been much worse, especially if I had landed on my left knee that is still recovering from surgery!

Remember when I said I had been waiting on that white truck to pass?  Ya, I fell right as it was getting to me, and it just kept on driving (Thank God!)  Once I realized I wasn't really hurt, I started laughing and thanking the gods that "no one saw me".   I imagine that watching me get untangled would have been quite the sight.  Just as I was back up on my feet and examining the "damage" done to my right side (making sure I hadn't ripped my clothes and such) I heard a lady from behind me ask if I was okay.  OH NO!!!!  Someone saw me!!!  I turned around and laughing replied, "You know that moment when you wish people hadn't been watching.....  Ya this is that moment.  I'm great, thanks for asking."  Then I saw her turn to someone I could hardly see behind me through the bushes. It was the lady who works at the day care who came out to check on me.  What?  How did she even know I had fallen?  My best guess...I had screamed and made quite a racket when I fell.  I waved and smiled to let her know I was okay and then off I went. Clipped back into my peddles I started my ride back....feeling like I had just passed my initiation into the realm of cycling.

Now that I have THAT over with, the rest should be smooth sailing, right?  Right!

Thank you for following me in this adventure!  To find more information on the Fuller Center for Housing, the Bike Adventure, or to make a donation to my $2000 goal, please click here.