There are times when I don’t want to wake up to the sound of my alarm, and last night in a split second decision I texted my friends who were meeting to ride at Flat Woods today at 7:30 to tell them I wouldn’t be there. Instead I would just ride near my house on the roads. There isn’t much traffic on Sunday mornings, so I feel comfortable being on the road. However, I don’t feel comfortable clipping in and out of my pedals quickly when a light turns green. And low and behold, today after stopping at a red light, I had trouble getting my cleat to clip back into the pedal… and I ate shit!
I must admit, my second thought after looking to make sure a car wasn’t headed right for me, was “damn, now I’m going to have a busted up leg for the wedding I’m going to next week.” Surprisingly though my battle wounds are not that bad.
My bike might need to go to the hospital though. The handle bar is a little bent. Dave and I might be able to get it “back to normal,” but I’ll feel better having a professional handle it.
Next time I won’t bail out on the Flat Woods ride. Lesson learned.
(15.68 miles in before the fall and having to ride home to admit to Dave what just happened.)
Eat Well. Live Well. Be Well. 
I’m sure you’ve heard about all the bike accidents in the news lately. Be careful. Flatwoods is a beautiful place to ride and NO CARS. Hope your leg feels better.
Hi Rebecca. Did you make it to the Veg Fest yeterday?
I have heard about the bike accidents in the news, and I think from now on I’ll ride on trails like Flat Woods. I get very nervous with cars around and having to stop at red lights and then go again!
I just saw your post about the Tampa Market. Have you been to Sweetwater Organics? I would like to go, but it is a trek for me to go out there. However once November rolls around, I’ll make it to one of their market days for sure.
Yes, we had a great time at the Veg Fest! The festival was pretty good, but it was mostly just fun hanging out in the new and improved downtown area. We popped into the Tampa Art museum for a quick art project, checked out the new children museum (awesome! we will be getting a pass for sure) and just soaked in the beauty of all the surrounding structures. Fun day!
LOVE Sweetwater. I had a membership last season, but decided not to do it this year because of driving issues and scheduling issues. But I miss it, and hope to do it again in the future. I have written lots of blog posts about it (see the label “Sweetwater” on the right-hand side.)
I really like Flat Woods, but it’s not ideal for pedestrians. On two different times, we ended up biting off more than we could chew (walking out too far, not realizing how long it would take to walk back). One time I was 6 mo pregnant, and we ended up (accidentally) walking 11 miles that day. It got dark toward the end of the walk and we could hear the wild boars in the woods. I had images of the movie Hannibal in my mind. Wild stuff.
Have a fun time on your bike!!!
Oh dear. I hope Dave can bend your handlebars back into working order!
Be careful out there!
When you ride, it is just a matter of when and not if…
Sending you a gift certificate for.a RoadID bracelet…..
E
Thanks Ed. I’m going to ride trails now on. I get too nervous having to ride with traffic and clipping in and out under “pressure” of a changing light and on-coming traffic.
Sorry to hear about your fall. After my initial adjustment period (2 months and 3 falls, all low speed, didn’t clip out when stopping falls), I did great for two years and then fell about a month ago. Extra annoying because I was stopped with one of my feet already ON THE GROUND, but my bike was off balance and wanted to go the other way, toward my right side where my foot was still clipped in.
It might not help with the clipping in and out (that just takes practice), but I would highly recommend seeking out a bike education course. After almost five years of bike commuting, I took a course in May — while I was already practicing many of the skills for riding safely with motor vehicles, I was surprised to learn some new tips and tricks.
A good course should include classroom AND on-bike components — you will leave feeling more confident and hopefully ready to ride your bike for transportation as well as recreation.
As far as clipping in and out, you can adjust (or have someone at your bike shop adjust) something either on the shoes or the pedals to make it easier to clip in and out.
Thanks for the tips. I’ll have to keep my eyes and ears open for a local bike safety course. That sounds like something that would be useful for me! I’ve just been riding at Flatwoods which is a 7 mile look free of cars lately.
Where do you live and commute on bike? Stay safe out there!
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Carolyn, we live/commute in St. Louis. I wish I could offer more specific advice on where to look for classes in your area (Tampa, right?) — this might be one place to start: http://www.tbfreewheelers.com/main/Home.php
Your local bike shops might also have some suggestions. Happy riding!
Melissa,
I was just in St. Louis to visit a friend who is getting her Master’s there. We had a blast. City Museum, a beautiful run through an old neighborhood and a camping/rafting trip!
Of course it was beautiful weather so that helped!
Thanks for the info!
Carolyn