My First Bike Accident!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! and boy do I have a lot to be thankful for!I think I got my dates mixed up because my last post, November 2nd, was the day my new bike tried to kill me. It happened so quickly I really can't even say what exactly happened. I was making a very slow u-turn and the bike just shot out to the right and left me in mid air. Then I was on the ground looking at the sky for a second or two, jumped up as I kept saying to myself "you're okay, you're okay, you're okay" - picked the bike up and shot this photo. Then, I realized I really wasn't "okay" and called my husband to take me to the ER. Luckily, nothing was broken, but here it is 24 days later and I still can't cough or laugh or sneeze without some pain on my left side. I don't remember my ribs hitting the cement, but I do remember the sound of the SMACK!! when my helmet hit the pavement. Thank goodness I had a helmet on. I'm sure I wouldn't be here if I had not been wearing one. ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET!! and NEVER CONTINUE TO WEAR A HELMET YOU'VE HAD AN ACCIDENT IN - EVEN IF IT'S NOT CRACKED. [Note! Mine was a TREK helmet, and because I've had it less than a year I can send it to them and they'll send me a new one for free!]

I've since come to the conclusion that you can't make sharp u-turns on those skinny tires, especially if the ground is wet (duh) and whatever you do, don't brake suddenly. I started riding again last week - my commuter bike though, not the new one. My commuter bike "Bob" has a very soft, comfy ride and I feel safe on the fatter tires. I'm sure I'll get back on "Wraith" (so named for obvious reasons) soon.