When workouts go bad

[knapplc]

I took up biking again last year and dropped about 20lbs. Then winter hit and I stopped because it's cold as a b!^@h in this state and you can't bike (unless you're Kelly Mosier). So I hit it up again when the weather warmed up starting in February, and to my surprise I was able to get cracking at it right away. Legs haven't worn out yet, but I'm 20 or so rides into this year and my lungs are taking time to get back into shape. But I'm older, so whatever.

Anyway, I popped off a pretty decent ride today, a little over eight miles of hills, and things were going great. I saw this jogger coming up on this narrow sidewalk and I decided to take the grass and let him have the pavement - be a good egg, you know?

Well, that didn't work out so well. It hasn't rained here in a month, the ground's hard as hell, and I didn't realize that right there, there's a ridge of hard-a$$ dirt next to the sidewalk. I went to get into the grass, my wheel caught on the dirt like a concrete curb, and I went BIFF. Literally landed on my back, rolled over on my head, upside down, yard sale.

The jogger dude was pretty worried, asked me if I was OK, and startlingly, even though I was literally upside-down on my head at one time (grass stains on my bike cap to prove it), I was fine. I rode another three miles home, and recounted the ordeal to the family.

Except now, about four hours later, all the things hurt. The shoulder thing, the leg thing, the knee thing, my jaw... it all hurts. I just cracked my neck like a rotted old tree branch, and the rest of me feels worse.

I've crashed off my bike before, and as crashes go this wasn't remotely the worst. But holy hell, this hurts.

 

[Red Dead Redemption]

 

[The Dude]

Oh yeah you'll be hurting pretty good for at least a week.

Remember when stuff like that wouldn't even phase you?

 

[knapplc]

Oh yeah you'll be hurting pretty good for at least a week.

Remember when stuff like that wouldn't even phase you?

Yeah. And it's just getting better. I thought it would be funny to "rub some dirt in it" to show off for the family when I got home. That hurt. A lot.

And then I took a shower to rinse all the dirt off, and it turns out a lot of the other dirt was actually bruises. And I'm going to be screwed. Ow.

 

[NUance]

Ouch! Glad you're okay. You're living proof that no good deed goes unpunished. But I'll bet that's the last time you yield the sidewalk to a jogger.

 

[knapplc]

Ouch! Glad you're okay. You're living proof that no good deed goes unpunished. But I'll bet that's the last time you yield the sidewalk to a jogger.

I did it again about 200 yards down the street.

 

[huKSer]

One of my students asked me what it was like being old. After calming down from being called old, I thought a moment and said "Things that used to get better in a couple of days now takes a week"

 

[Red Dead Redemption]

One of my students asked me what it was like being old. After calming down from being called old, I thought a moment and said "Things that used to get better in a couple of days now takes a week"

You should have beat that whippersnapper with your walker

 

[knapplc]

I thought for sure I'd be sore as hell for a while after that wreck. I have a nice road rash on my right knee, a bruise on my left shoulder and shin, and my neck was pretty stiff for a couple of days. But by the next day I wasn't in any pain, and by yesterday my neck was fine and I was ready to get back on the bike.

Sad news about the bike - pretty sure it needs some serious work. The front fork may be bent, and the wheel definitely needs to be trued. But I had a good ride just now, and my new bike gets here in less than a week. Pretty stoked.

 

[ZRod]

First game day two years a go I took a similar spill. Yeilded the sidewalk to a grandma and her grandkids, I tried to get back on and there just happened to be a section where the grass was 2 to 3 inches lower than the pavement. My tire road that and I low sided on my back.

I wear tank tops and athletic shorts when I bike so I found out I bleed husker red on gamedays. Skinded my upper shoulder pretty good and my knee. I just said "oops!" and grabbed my bike laughing out loud at myself. Granny was worried sick about me but I just laughed it off some more and told her I was ok. The little boy was shocked but thought it was cool. It didn't hurt at all until I got home and had to shower. Ouch!!! Went to the game in some pain and bleed through my shirt. Glad it was red Hahaha! That sucked! It was painful for a couple days until it scabbed all the way over, but it made for a funny story and some nice war pictures.

 

[knapplc]

Ouch! Glad you're okay. You're living proof that no good deed goes unpunished. But I'll bet that's the last time you yield the sidewalk to a jogger.

I keep doing this. The problem is that, even though about 3/4 of my ride is nice, wide bike paths, there's always some couple walking holding hands, or someone walking their dog on those expandable leashes with the dog clear on the other side of the bike path, or some biker/jogger/walker on the narrow sidewalk. So I take the grass, because I'm a nice guy.

 

[NUance]

Ouch! Glad you're okay. You're living proof that no good deed goes unpunished. But I'll bet that's the last time you yield the sidewalk to a jogger.

I keep doing this. The problem is that, even though about 3/4 of my ride is nice, wide bike paths, there's always some couple walking holding hands, or someone walking their dog on those expandable leashes with the dog clear on the other side of the bike path, or some biker/jogger/walker on the narrow sidewalk. So I take the grass, because I'm a nice guy.

Ha ha! Yeah, I'd probly take the grass too. Bikes are dangerous. Or rather, cars are dangerous to bike riders. I've had two friends killed in bike-car accidents in the past five years. In both cases it was the car driver's fault. So there's that.

 

[knapplc]

So, after this wreck I decided it was time for a new bike. I'm still riding the old one while the new one's on order. Apparently I need a LARGE bike they don't carry in the shop. So I ordered it a week ago last Sunday.

Or so I thought.

They told me it'd be in within a week to ten days. I called to check last week and they said it wasn't there yet. I called today to double-check, and they told me THEY NEVER ORDERED IT.

Ugh.

So now it's actually factually on order. It may take another week-ish to get in. Meanwhile, it's prime riding season and I'm putting miles on this old wonky bike every day. I either need a new bike ASAP, or I'm going to need to sink some money into this old bike to keep it up and running. That crash took something out of it and it's got the wobbles, and the right pedal grinds when I crank down on the hills.

So I'm disappointed. I am ready for this new bike, only to find out it's not coming yet.

Blerg.

 

[Mierin]

Ouch! Glad you're okay. You're living proof that no good deed goes unpunished. But I'll bet that's the last time you yield the sidewalk to a jogger.

I keep doing this. The problem is that, even though about 3/4 of my ride is nice, wide bike paths, there's always some couple walking holding hands, or someone walking their dog on those expandable leashes with the dog clear on the other side of the bike path, or some biker/jogger/walker on the narrow sidewalk. So I take the grass, because I'm a nice guy.

Ha ha! Yeah, I'd probly take the grass too. Bikes are dangerous. Or rather, cars are dangerous to bike riders. I've had two friends killed in bike-car accidents in the past five years. In both cases it was the car driver's fault. So there's that.

Ugh that sucks. And the law is not kind to cyclists. Most people who make the laws don't bike. I have heard it's very hard for cyclists to win in any type of collision.
I've seen so much road rage from cars as a cyclist. Even going 20mph on a 25 with multiple lanes to pass me, and doing everything legally. I once saw a guy get out of his truck to chase after a cyclist on foot (derp) and scream at him then walk back to his truck which was parked at a stoplight.

Also been yelled at and told to "use the sidewalk, a-hole" on a bike ride at 5am in a smalltown on a road with no cars on it and room enough for 3 car widths to drive on. I did absolutely nothing to slow down the guy who yelled at me. And the sidewalk in question was in horrible shape with multiple cars in driveways blocking its path. People are stupid.

Then there are the drivers who stop everything they're doing to be overly polite to cyclists instead of follow the law of the road. For instance ignore the order of stop signs/yield and try to get the cyclist to go first which often endangers the cyclist with regards to the other cars. It's maddening close to the capitol in Lincoln because there are lots of roads with stop signs one way and not the other and every single morning I could count on a driver stopping when they had the right of way and I had the stop sign, ushering me to go.