Ride Report with not too much fun, Just posting for fun and pictures:
I went down on Bald Peak "Rd near the Park at the top of thehill. I didn't stop at the park butrode past it going North. Shortlyafter passing the park I passed two bicyclists on the right just before thefirst curve. MY guess is that I wasdoing 40mpg and maybe slowed to 30-35 while passing giving the cyclist plentyof room. The road was dry and prettyclean from gravel etc. After clearingthe next corner the gravel increased but there were clear tire paths. The road had some small bends but you couldsee through them to where it clearly made a strong left. With the gravel I was setting up for theleft hand turn marked 15mph, which also came together in a "T" with MelottRd. Prior to the turn is a slight right(no speed marking). This is where thefront wheel just seamed to have whipped out from under the bike withoutwarning. This section of road had moregravel on it and I was making note as to whether to notify Dale Allin, butthought that our general notes regarding end of winter gravel still being onthe road and all should be careful would be enough. Seemingly at that instance I was down rubbing my helmet onpavement thinking first and foremost, I was rubbing my helmet on the asphaltand that I hadn't done any quick movements or excessive braking to make thishappen. It just happened. The GPS pinpoint the point where the bikestopped, just before the turn and says that I had completed 181.7 miles of my251 mile ride. Average speed 25.6, movingspeed 36.4, Max. speed 73 on I-84.
That morning I rode up to Sandy by the back roads like SETen Eyck Rd and east on Marmot Rd. which climbed above 1000 feet where I wasrunning into snow and ice in the shaded sections and I was getting to the end ofthe farms, so the tree lined roads were going to become more common, so I founda nice barn to take a picture of and then turned around and went back to Sandy.
I have to admit that going down surprised me as I was ridingvery carefully, taking no chances, meaning I was riding slow, smooth and beingvery watchful for shade, wet, ice and gravel, and therefore having the bike tojust zip out from under me was a surprise. I received bruising no worse than falling off a bicycle going about thesame speed. Maybe a mild concussion byusing my head as a point of contact. Ilove my Nolan Trilogy 43 helmet and will replace it with exactly the same makeand model. They cut off my jacket, aFirst Gear Kilimanjaro unit that has worked very well and never leaked, myCortec Ventura pants only suffered a few small rips at the knee and a scrap atthe hip, my gloves are missing, must be with the bike but the heated liners areperfect. They saved my warm and safejacket liner but cut off the wool sweater and the Nike thermal tops. They removed my socks and pulled off my LDComfort long johns. Since I didn'tappear to have any leg trauma, they were thoughtful. One of the paramedics' rode CBR600 so he may have taken just acouple of seconds to recommend removal verse cutting. I thanked him for his thoughtfulness. They kept asking me the same questions over and over, my brainwas always saying to myself "they just asked me that", most likely it made myanswers come out slower. Next time Iwill answer before they ask (wink).
I'm writing this because I think it is a good reminder thatbeing safe and doing things right will save you most all the time, but therewill come a time when even doing the right things and being safe that there isstill a possibility that something can go wrong and down you will go. The gear that you wear will come into playat that time just as it does when you make a mistake. In my case the padded shoulder, knee and good boots most likelyplayed a part in why I have no abrasions and minimal trauma. So other than that, it was a nice sunny daywith mostly good roads and I was out riding and having fun. I will see you on the road in a few weekstrying to pick up my Big Money, Dam Tour and Grand Tour checkpoints. This ride wasn't associated with any ofthose, just having fun on an unusual sunny day.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kenhattan/sets/72157629513802199/
