Eating Pavement, Dirt, Grass and Sand

There is nothing quite like that feeling right before you hit the ground, of falling off of your bike while you are still clicked into your pedals.

That's right, folks. I went ahead and got The Shoes! But I must say the frequency of my falling has increased to the level where I have more bruises than when I was on the Reed College women's rugby team!

Anything can happen to throw you off your guard--be it someone asks you a question, a quick red light, or, in my situation, while biking uphill on Polk Street my chain came off.....I looked briefly up at the sky and then down at the ground and surrendered to it. There are the few split seconds where you realize that yes, you are going to fall, and you are going to fall hard.

Immediately after impact I was initially worried about who had seen me bite the dust on a crowded street. One girl asks me if I'm OK. "Yea, yea, I just ate it," I said, confidently, while trying not to cry.

The funny thing about falling off of your bike while you are clicked into pedals is that you will scrape and bruise yourself in the exact same place every time!

On another note, we have only one more weekend bike ride in the Bay Area before we go up to Tahoe for the Big Ride! I will miss Team Fried Green.....

:Idgie sits at computer, sobbing quietly: