William
03-09-2009, 04:19 AM
It was a nice New England weekend. Highs about 60, Sunny on Saturday and part of Sunday. As we were eating breakfast I could see a number of cyclists heading out into the Rhode Island backcountry for nice late winter rides. I was itching to get out but I had things scheduled with the family and errands to do so my work out later in the day consisted of Krabi-Krabong (highly aerobic) and weights. On Sunday I decided I was going to get out on the bike so after taking care of some things around the house and playing with my children I headed out on the beater SS to enjoy a nice ride in the country. It was very warm for this time of year and not wearing arm or leg warmers felt really good. Still lots of sand on the road and you have to be careful carving corners but I was having a blast and the squirrels were leaving me alone so all was good.
When I got back to the house both my son and daughter had their bikes out and asked me to take them for a ride. I made sure their helmets were secure and we headed down the road to a dead end street with a hill that they like to ride up and down. I was feeling good from my ride, muscles warm and blood pumping and everything was good. After another run to the bottom of the hill we turned around and were headed back up the street when I decided to pull a wheelie up the street. I’ve done it a hundred times on the Zanc with no issues…..but the Zanc also has a slightly longer wheel base then the SS. The front end came up faster than I expected, and there comes that point where your brain realizes that things are going wrong fast. As I registered the fact that the front end was coming up over the top I tried to unclip but I felt something snap and my foot hang up. It was then that the horizon line where I had just seen my children and the road in front of me turned into slightly overcast gray sky….and I finally felt my foot come free, but it was too late. The next thing I know I feel the jolt of pain as my right glute, knee, elbow and right side of my calf hit the pavement…the gritty sandy pavement. At some point in there my right palm hit the ground too. Now, my ego was still in good shape since my children were in front of me and no one was outside to see me. My kids heard a crash, and turn to see Dad laying on the ground. The road rash didn’t really hurt much but I had a nasty Charlie horse in my right glute (butt cheek) that has formed into a huge knot. My kids were asking if I was alright and what had happened? Keeping a good attitude I chuckled and asked my son to please pick up my bike while I slowly picked myself up off the ground acting like nothing really hurt. I had to be honest, “Dad was being silly and he popped a wheelie and crashed”, “I think we’ll head back to the house now”. I checked out the bike and everything seemed fine, not even a scratch on my AR wrap. As I went to slowly climb back on the bike I realized that my right cleat was broken. Snapped the side off my old Speedplay cleat, bent metal and all. That would explain why I couldn’t get out.
After explaining to my wife what happened and getting into the shower to clean out my road rash, I decided to jump on the foam roller to work the knot out of my glute muscle. Now, I can tolerate pain. I’ve been punched, kicked, kneed, elbowed, and even head butted and hit with sticks. But when I tried rolling that muscle loose it lit me up like a pinball machine…Ouchy-mama!!! After a good night’s sleep I’m sitting here with a sore arse, knee, elbow, hip, shoulder, and back and thinking that maybe, just maybe I’ll say no to cycling acrobatics the next time I get the urge. :)
William
When I got back to the house both my son and daughter had their bikes out and asked me to take them for a ride. I made sure their helmets were secure and we headed down the road to a dead end street with a hill that they like to ride up and down. I was feeling good from my ride, muscles warm and blood pumping and everything was good. After another run to the bottom of the hill we turned around and were headed back up the street when I decided to pull a wheelie up the street. I’ve done it a hundred times on the Zanc with no issues…..but the Zanc also has a slightly longer wheel base then the SS. The front end came up faster than I expected, and there comes that point where your brain realizes that things are going wrong fast. As I registered the fact that the front end was coming up over the top I tried to unclip but I felt something snap and my foot hang up. It was then that the horizon line where I had just seen my children and the road in front of me turned into slightly overcast gray sky….and I finally felt my foot come free, but it was too late. The next thing I know I feel the jolt of pain as my right glute, knee, elbow and right side of my calf hit the pavement…the gritty sandy pavement. At some point in there my right palm hit the ground too. Now, my ego was still in good shape since my children were in front of me and no one was outside to see me. My kids heard a crash, and turn to see Dad laying on the ground. The road rash didn’t really hurt much but I had a nasty Charlie horse in my right glute (butt cheek) that has formed into a huge knot. My kids were asking if I was alright and what had happened? Keeping a good attitude I chuckled and asked my son to please pick up my bike while I slowly picked myself up off the ground acting like nothing really hurt. I had to be honest, “Dad was being silly and he popped a wheelie and crashed”, “I think we’ll head back to the house now”. I checked out the bike and everything seemed fine, not even a scratch on my AR wrap. As I went to slowly climb back on the bike I realized that my right cleat was broken. Snapped the side off my old Speedplay cleat, bent metal and all. That would explain why I couldn’t get out.
After explaining to my wife what happened and getting into the shower to clean out my road rash, I decided to jump on the foam roller to work the knot out of my glute muscle. Now, I can tolerate pain. I’ve been punched, kicked, kneed, elbowed, and even head butted and hit with sticks. But when I tried rolling that muscle loose it lit me up like a pinball machine…Ouchy-mama!!! After a good night’s sleep I’m sitting here with a sore arse, knee, elbow, hip, shoulder, and back and thinking that maybe, just maybe I’ll say no to cycling acrobatics the next time I get the urge. :)
William