the fall
ever since i learned to go clipless.. i've been waiting for this day.
i knew it was going to happen. its inevitable, and everyone does it. its almost a rite of passage, but some how, until last night... i'd avoided it.
The Fall.
the completely ridiculous, i've been riding my bike now for several months, i'm actually quite capable of coming to a complete and full stop WHILE clipping out, i swear i'm not that new... fall.
thankfully yesterday.. it could've been worse.
i rode to the park pretty early, not knowing if i'd have the same misfortune of a 20 minute stop light (really. no honestly. a few weeks ago.. i was stuck. the sensors wouldn't pick up that i was needing a green light, and... i sat. for a good 20 minutes. not wanting to dart out across a majorly busy intersection at 5:30pm on a thursday.
it was really, really dumb.) as i'd had previously, so i gave myself the extra time.
and of course wound up arriving 30 minutes too soon.
as luck would have it, though, there was only one other person i knew in the parking lot.
because as i rode up...
and my bike slowed down...
and i experienced an extreme lapse of thought...
it happened.
roughly three feet away from the back of Massage Guy's car, a weird sensation came over me. my bike was not going forward. my legs were in a completely ackward position to clip out.. and i basically froze.
what seems like 15 or 20 seconds, but i'm sure was more like 2 or 3... i just hovered. i told myself... CLIP OUT!!! NOW!!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!! UNCLIP!!!
but when i tried to move my foot.. the pedals were stuck. or seemingly stuck, and in an act of severe desperation, i unclipped the wrong foot.
NOOOOOOO! not the right foot. left. LEFT! UNCLIP THE LEFT!
my body was having none of it. knowing full well that i needed to lean right, so as to put my now unclipped foot on the ground, i of course...
leaned left.
and i knew i was done for.
"oh shit. oh shit. oh shit. oh shit" --- BAM!
i was down. my bike was on top of me and as i looked down to check for broken things.. oh great. NOW you're unclipped.
Massage Guy turns to me and just simply asks... "what are you doing?!"
well. massage guy. it seems as though i've FALLEN! as if that weren't perfectly clear. now stop laughing and help me up!... muttering under my breath.. muttering under my breath...
luckily for me... nothing was hurt. save a bit for my ego, i had no real scrapes to be concerned with, just a completely stupid situation to laugh at, and i was up and acting as though nothing had happened in no time.
either way though... i felt a little dumb.
but hey, that's nothing new right!?
right!
Comments
I'm surprised it took you this long to fall over! I definitely did it in the first couple of weeks. And I did it again a few weeks ago (after a year!). My friend Bill says the rule is that you can only fall over while clipped in if you are in front of attractive members of the opposite sex, so as to maximize embarassment.
Posted by: Danielle in Iowa | July 13, 2007 8:44 AM
OMG, this has happened to me so many times! I have matching scars on each knee to prove it. My most recent was trying to start up a hill and having it in too high a gear - plunk. I tipped right over. Thankfully it was in the grass.
I'm sure Massage Guy has done it also, if not he hasn't been riding long enough.
Posted by: Larissa | July 13, 2007 8:53 AM
after 6 months of riding i just had my first-and second-falls with clip-in pedals. i trid to clip in while starting and going up a hill. and i fell. so i tried again 2 seconds later. and fell again. some guy parked his car and got out to check and see if i was okay. omg, so embarassing.
Posted by: Audrey | July 13, 2007 9:18 AM
That, my dear, is my signature move. I've done it more than once and therefore ALWAYS clip out on both sides. I know that makes me look like a big baby but I don't like falling over so I just suck it up and whip both feet out of the clips every.single.time. Except when I forget in which case I clip out right, fall left. I've never gotten hurt.
ps - I think it is a miracle that it's taken you this long to fall over. Nicely done!
Posted by: 21stCenturyMom | July 13, 2007 9:20 AM
This makes me re-think the buying of shoes, the ones I bought Sunday and I haven't had them put them on my bike because then I'd have to use them and I Don't Want to Fall.
Come to think of it I guess I really can't use that as an excuse because on one ride I came to a stop and fell over in front of 5:00 traffic at a very busy intersection - using the cages. I'll just wrap myself in bubble wrap.
Posted by: Michelle | July 13, 2007 9:34 AM
right!
massage guys comment was da best!
we've all been there... matter of fact, i did a cartwheelin' headstand in those very pedals!!
Posted by: bold | July 13, 2007 9:40 AM
Welcome to the club.
Professional rider, Tyler Hamilton, was known to fall over in many a parking lot. So, indeed, it happens to all of us.
Posted by: Greyhound | July 13, 2007 9:44 AM
I wrote a very similar blog post a few weeks ago after my first fall; I did almost exactly the same thing as you - unclipped the left (as I always, always do), but leaned to the right. Why I did it, I'll never know..... It sucks, but like you said, it happens to everyone. Glad you weren't hurt. Personally, my pride was more wounded than anything!
Posted by: Michelle | July 13, 2007 10:54 AM
These things happen to all of us. When I first go my bike I was so excited, I rode up to my neighbor, Ryan who was about 19 at the time. "Hey Ryan, check out my new bike." I said as I rode towards him. I tried to clip out, but couldn't and bloodied my ankle right in front of him. Soooo embarassing!
It turned out that the clips were too stiff. I should've been able to clip out easily, but I had to practically do a karate kick to clip out.
Posted by: lisa Sabin | July 13, 2007 12:09 PM
These things happen to all of us. When I first go my bike I was so excited, I rode up to my neighbor, Ryan who was about 19 at the time. "Hey Ryan, check out my new bike." I said as I rode towards him. I tried to clip out, but couldn't and bloodied my ankle right in front of him. Soooo embarassing!
It turned out that the clips were too stiff. I should've been able to clip out easily, but I had to practically do a karate kick to clip out.
Posted by: lisa Sabin | July 13, 2007 12:09 PM
heheheehehe! :) it happens to the best of us! im trying out my aerobars tomorrow and im afraid there will be too much going on in my head and ill topple over! way to go, you are officially part of the falling over club!
Posted by: Kim | July 13, 2007 2:38 PM
Ohhh...I am borrowing a bike and I was thinking of having the pedals changed to clips...I always clip for spinning...but now I am really nervous...would I look like a huge dork if I wore knee and elbow pads? Then again, I typically look like a dork so what difference would it make?
Posted by: Michelle | July 13, 2007 4:44 PM
i wish i could cheer you up by telling about when it happened to me...but alas, the bikes i ride? they don't actually move.
yay spinning!
(that was a hilarious comment. laughed out loud.)
Posted by: jeanne | July 13, 2007 8:31 PM
congratulations and welcome. for me (and i hope there are very few for you) has become more spectacular. biting it in nyc traffic is always a good story. but i think an interstate trumps it. glad you are safe.
Posted by: eddie | July 13, 2007 10:58 PM
Glad to hear everything is still together and nothing is broken! I would have been frustrated with myself!
Posted by: Teacherwoman | July 14, 2007 2:48 PM
Massage guy is funny! Reminds me of the time my wife slid down a hill and got wedged between a bush and the hill. I was laughing as she said (just like the commercial) "Help, I've fallen . . BY the time I got back with the camera she was up and , well, mad :-)
Posted by: Duane | July 14, 2007 8:04 PM
That happened to me, and I don't even ride. Visiting my sister, and my Brother-In-Law was understanably sick of her telling their kids about all my running, the marathons etc. So he put me on a bike, with my feet clipped in and away we went. First major cross highway, when I was stopping I got all wobbly, and I got my wrong foot out but it trailed nicely through the air as I fell to the other side. I later told my sister to keep her lip zipped about my running in her household.
Glad you're alright.
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