I am glad to be back posting and in my head would like to post a few times a week but I lack thinks to post about and my work day seems to always get in the way of writing this stuff. In any case, I had been planning to write a post regarding riding your bike and pain, but was failing to come up with any notable content regarded the issue., so I didn’t write it. Come this morning, I had something of an eventful ride and blamo, content. So here are some exerts:
Wake up right at alarm;
Normal routine
Temps Low 40’s, very nice morning;
Figure out route as I go, as usual;
Startled by a guy walking his dogs, wearing a safety vest and a hard hat and facing away from the road , reminds me of the scene in Blair Witch when the guy is standing in the corner in the basement;
Ride a little faster, that shit was freaky;
End up riding right past the road I planned to turn on;
Plan reroute in head;
Turn onto Fiddler’s Creek Rd;
Normal descent heading to entrance to Baldpate;
“Climb” slight rise;
Hear to clip-clocks;
See flash of fur and brown;
Bike stops;
On chip seal;
Standing;
Fuck, Fuck, Fuck;
Walk around in road;
Fuck Fuck, Fuck;
Curse deer;
Assess body,
Walk to bike 10’ away;
Assess bike;
Tighten shoe buckle;
Find water bottle;
See front shifter is fucked;
Rear hood is fucked;
Rubbing front wheel;
Loosen front brake;
Start riding;
Leg hurts;
Parts sting;
See skin sticking out from arm warmer and sock;
Note that is “neat”;
Note pain above knee;
10 miles to home;
Commuter dude with light a plenty doesn’t catch me;
Feels cold;
Home;
Note pain above knee;
Drive to work, stop to get gas;
Attendant looks like a black version of Pearl;
Tells me real men wear pink (have a pink jersey on);
Look like an old man getting out of car;
At work.
So yeah, I hit a deer / a deer hit me this morning. It literally came out of nowhere and happened so fast (faster than the elusive left-right signal), before I knew it I was on my feet assessing the damage. I have never been one to sit around after I fall and to be honest, I don’t even remember hitting the chip seal or getting up. All in all I am lucky I was only going 15 mph as the damage to the bike and I is minimal. Front shifter is done, tape torn, rear shifter seems ok but hard to tell since it was knocked out of position and shifting was all crazy on the way home, may have to have hanger checked. I either hit right above me knee on the handlebar or on the deer and it is pretty swollen right now and I have about 50% mobility in that leg. Minor road rash on ankle, elbow, and knees, but none picture worthy, however I did take e a picture of my ankle and the inside of my sock, which has shavings of skin in it, because I think this is “neat”. I am counting my blessings as it could have been much worse. The thing I am pissed about the most is that today was supposed to be a double ride day for me and that looks to be thwarted. There are worse things.
So anyone have a working front SRAM shifter in my model they want to sell?
So That’s What Hitting a Deer on a Bike is Like
I don’t think it is supposed to look like that
