dreadedmonkeygod . net

I wish you could have seen it. It was spectacular. Missed the line on Chumash's toughest rock garden, and ended up endoing badly. From there, I rolled forward for about 15 feet, straight toward a big-ass boulder. I managed to lean left, so my bike hit the boulder and I went around, and crash landed somewhere further down the trail.

During all that, I had time enough for exactly two concious thoughts: Get off the goddamn brakes, and Am I going to break anything?

Johnson Rd. - Chumash

I did get off the breaks, which saved me from going over the handlebars into a rock, and no, I did not break anything. I think somehow Krav has gotten me used to painful things happening fast, and gotten my brain to get past the oh shit! and into how do I minimize this?

Of course, once I hit the ground, the fun wasn't over. I lay there for a second, waiting for the pain of broken bones or flayed hips and shoulders, but I was basically fine. Some nasty-lookng scrapes, but nothing serious. Then I heard it: Fssssssss!

My front wheel had pinch flatted when it hit the boulder.

Luckily, I just started carrying a spare tube on my rides. This is the second one I've ever taken a spare tube on. Hoo-rah!

As I was changing the tire, I could hear someone huffing and puffing up the trail, and before long I spotted Fred, the rider I met last time I did this loop. We swapped crash stories for a few minutes (he informed me that the local emergency room charges $1000 to check for concussion), and parted ways once I got my bike back on the trail.

Back on the bike it became clear that I had zero energy left. And while I'd checked my brakes and wheels before setting off again, I'd forgotten to check my chain, which was off the chainrings and totally useless. I found this out the hard way, when I tried to push hard to climb a short rise, and threw myself over the handlebars and tumbled off the trail for my second crash of the day.

I can now attest that the steep, overgrown slopes on the chumash trail offer a soft landing. Just keep your wits about you and roll.

I gathered myself and my bike and climbed back up to the trail where I performed the thorough flight check I should have done after the first crash.

Strangely, I wasn't gun shy the rest of the way. I did walk a couple of sections, but simply because I just didn't have the energy reserves: being sick this week really took a lot out of me, and on hindsight, I think the crash happened mostly because I was overtired. I've nailed that line a dozen times, but today I just got careless and drifted left. Whups.

So I'll make sure I get plenty of protein tonight, and plenty of rest, and get my bike fixed this week. (The front wheel needs to be trued, the right brake lever is bent, and I need a new bracket for my GPS unit.)

And even hurting from the scrapes on my arms, it was such a beautiful day today that I couldn't help enjoying the rest of my ride.