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A one-handed lesson
Aug. 18th, 2008 09:38 amOn my way to work today, I decided to master a new skill. I was going to take a drink of water from a moving bicycle. I reached down and grabbed the bottle, keeping one hand on the handlebars. Next I took a tentative sip, and that was fine, then a deeper swig. Success! Why didn't I do this ages ago? Stopping to take a drink was just another "I can't" that I needed to dispell.
As I approached a minor downhill I reached to put the water bottle back and then dumped myself hard over the handlebars. I have a skinned left knee, a scraped left palm, there is a kink in my back around the lowest left rib, and my sore left wrist is currently resting on ice as I type one-handed. The water bottle was a bit crumpled, but should recover nicely.
But this wouldn't be a lesson if I didn't learn something from it. The water bottle protected my right hand, which means the left hand was on the handlebars. The left hand controls the front brake. Using the front brake shift weight forward. Reaching down to put away the water bottle shifts the weight forward. Going downhill shifts the weight forward. Three forwards equals one dump.
Therefore I should put my water bottle away with my left hand. After I heal. I think no drinking and driving for a while.
[Edited to add the important part of the story]
When I was on the ground and trying to figure out how badly I screwed up, there were two vehicles. The first was the one who motivated me to hit the brakes in the first place, who drove around me way too fast and way too close after completing what seemed to be a 27-point turn. No more energy for that one. This is about the other vehicle and the wonderful driver, Doug.
I'd never met Doug before. He drove up and stopped a safe distance from me, asked how I was doing, got out and produced a med kit with anti biotic cream and bandages. He worked as a fix-it guy, and after a quick jog a few houses down to explain to the person he was there to see that he'd be late, he popped my bike in the back and gave me a ride to work (I was still kidding myself about this just being a bruise, which is why not the hospital).
That was way cool in a way he didn't have to be cool. I need to find a way to send some good karma in Doug's direction.
As I approached a minor downhill I reached to put the water bottle back and then dumped myself hard over the handlebars. I have a skinned left knee, a scraped left palm, there is a kink in my back around the lowest left rib, and my sore left wrist is currently resting on ice as I type one-handed. The water bottle was a bit crumpled, but should recover nicely.
But this wouldn't be a lesson if I didn't learn something from it. The water bottle protected my right hand, which means the left hand was on the handlebars. The left hand controls the front brake. Using the front brake shift weight forward. Reaching down to put away the water bottle shifts the weight forward. Going downhill shifts the weight forward. Three forwards equals one dump.
Therefore I should put my water bottle away with my left hand. After I heal. I think no drinking and driving for a while.
[Edited to add the important part of the story]
When I was on the ground and trying to figure out how badly I screwed up, there were two vehicles. The first was the one who motivated me to hit the brakes in the first place, who drove around me way too fast and way too close after completing what seemed to be a 27-point turn. No more energy for that one. This is about the other vehicle and the wonderful driver, Doug.
I'd never met Doug before. He drove up and stopped a safe distance from me, asked how I was doing, got out and produced a med kit with anti biotic cream and bandages. He worked as a fix-it guy, and after a quick jog a few houses down to explain to the person he was there to see that he'd be late, he popped my bike in the back and gave me a ride to work (I was still kidding myself about this just being a bruise, which is why not the hospital).
That was way cool in a way he didn't have to be cool. I need to find a way to send some good karma in Doug's direction.
