Saturday, August 11

It has been really boring and I have been trying to come up with something to liven this thing up...little did I know!

Last week I managed to 35 miles, 23 Saturday and 12 on Sunday. Pretty lively, huh? Tuesdays & Thursdays still reserved for short 'training/conditioning' rides.

Then there was this week! I had followed the bike route of the Over the Mountain Triathlon. Twenty seven miles with a start near our home and heading south through both the Kings Mountain National Park and the Kings Mountain State (SC) Park. In order to get home, I would easily be pushing forty miles. I had planned to do this Labor Day weekend.

How about a warm up today? Guestimating I could cover about eighteen miles of the total and then if I felt good, press on to Waco on the return trip to give me a thirty mile trip for the day.

This was not to be. Somewhere around the eighteen mile mark, the front tire slipped off the pavement to about a two inch drop off to the shoulder.
Instinct told me to just whip it back on the road. NO, in the future I will brake hard, hold it steady, reduce speed, and if necessary, completely stop prior to getting back on the pavement.

Oh yeah, we were talking excitement, right? Well, the attempt to return to the pavement sent me down to kiss the asphalt. Glasses were smashed and I had several abrasions. The glass lens was deeply scratched in a one by one inch area. I was bleeding slightly somewhere above my eyebrow.

I got up and checked everything out, all bones seemed functional. I grabbed my cell and called BB to come get me. I got back on the bike and began peddling. In no time she was there. We loaded the bike and headed for the emergency room in Shelby.

Eight stitches later and a cat scan, determining a mild concussion resulting in temporary disorientation (the doctor had no prior history to judge this against so how would he know), all abrasions cleaned and bandaged, we departed the hospital.

I do want to recognize Dr Paul Pinedl and his wonderful staff! I wish I could name them all but i forget...hmmm. Not that a care to give them any more business but should the need arise, I do hope they are all there again.

I am being told I need a new helmet. Doesn't appear to be damaged that badly but seems to be a rule of thumb. No way to evaluate the structural integrity after a crash. SO I suppose I will be down a few days, until I can get a new helmet anyway. Wonder how I would look with one of those full face helmets like the NASCAR guys wear?

Keep pedaling