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| Helmet, First Aid Kit, Cell Phone, my three essentials |
Soon after I
started riding with riding shoes and cleats I was getting ready to ride with a young friend for the first time. After taking my bike off the car rack I clipped
into the pedals without first checking the brakes and gears. Clipped in, I
started to pedal away but my pedals went round and round and I went nowhere but
down onto the paved parking lot, in full view of my young friend and a few other riders
in the lot. Clipped in, I starting falling over before I had time to unclip and
stop the fall.
My chain had
obviously come off the chainring when I put the bike on the car rack, during
transport, or when I removed the bike from the rack. When I tried to pedal
away, all I had was a stationary bike. Had I checked all the bike’s components
before clipping in I would have seen the problem and fixed it. Fortunately, the
only thing damaged and injured was my pride.
A few weeks later I
was nearing the completion of what would be my second longest ride of the
season. I was riding on a semi-remote and unpaved section of The Panhandle Trail, Cruising downhill at perhaps 12-15 mph. I crashed into a bush. Cycling can sometimes be very meditative for
me and apparently I had zoned out. All at once I realized I was just a couple
of feet from a low hanging thick branch sticking out from a bush and the
branch was at about eye level. I closed my eyes, ducked, and the next thing I
knew I was under my bike, on the ground, under the bush.
I continued to lie on
the ground a few moments to assess my condition and the situation. When I got
out from under my bike and stood up I realized that my sunglasses had been
knocked off my head and that my rearview mirror had been dislodged from my
sunglasses. I had a few scratches on my arms and legs and a scraped shoulder
but was otherwise fine. My bike was also fine. A few days later, however, I
noticed that my helmet was cracked! I can’t imagine what my condition might
have been if I had not been wearing a helmet.
A few weeks after
that, I was riding along a paved section of the Montour Trail when a rider
having trouble controlling her bike and coming toward me from the opposite
direction forced me off the trail in order to avoid colliding with her. I
recovered without spilling but recognized the incident as a close call.
The lessons I have
learned from these two accidents and one near miss is to always check the essential components of my
bike before clipping in and attempting to ride away, always wear a helmet, and
to be more aware of myself, others, and my surroundings when I ride. In
addition, I also always ride with a small first aid kit that I know
how to use and a cell phone to call for help if I need it, though I am not
always guaranteed of having a good cell signal.
I now consider my helmet, first aid kit, and cell phone my three safety essentials. What do you, what should you have with you when you ride in case an accident happens? And accidents will and do happen that are sometimes beyond a cyclist's control.
I am posting this
installment less than a week after five cyclists were killed and four more were
injured after a group of riders was struck by a pickup truck in near
Kalamazoo, Michigan. As many in the cycling community already have, I express
my sympathy to the family and friends of those killed and hope for the speedy
recovery of those injured.
Riding Shoes with Cleats (Fifth Installment)
Be Kind to Your Behind (Fourth Installment)
Combating Hand and Arm Numbness (Third Installment)
Reading and Riding (Second Installment)
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