Recently one of my motorist friends realized that I have assorted bad habits related to bicycling and extracted a promise that I would rectify my wicked ways. I put off any changes until this weekend as I predict that my birthday presents will all be cycling related.
But the pledge did haunt me, and I noticed various things: I cycle fast on slippery surfaces, cycle when fog and rain mist my glasses and obscure the landscape, cycle at night dressed all in black without lights (or a bell).
My pragmatic brain evaluated the risk and realized that an accident was imminent. Though I was also extremely impressed that I have evolved from fearful to fearless. I am now my father’s daughter, reckless beyond reason.
This afternoon I was waiting to meet my kid and pondering the whole issue of bike safety. When the boy arrived I greeted him and turned to wheel away, not noticing that my left leg was next to a short wooden boundary post.
The spikes on my pedal caught the back of my leg, the post the front, and the velocity of the bicycle moving started a precipitous tumble face first into the road.
My mind raced through potential injuries and definite humiliation and I threw my body backwards, hyper-extending my knee and gouging the lower leg between metal and wood.
At least I didn’t fall.
The fact that I very calmly continued the journey indicated that the injury was serious. I never react to physical pain.
I couldn’t tell for a few hours if the bone was broken, but decided that if it bore weight there was no reason to go to the hospital. My uneducated self-diagnosis is that I ripped some muscles and probably sprained my ankle.
My knee is making this very interesting grinding sound whenever I move. I didn’t quite know what to do but then remembered the advice of various people over the years, and started popping Arnica.
It is difficult to scramble up and down a steep riverbank when one leg is not cooperating.
Funny that my inevitable cycling accident happened in daylight, while walking down a sidewalk.