Wipeout!

Well this morning was going to be my big pre-race brick workout, but unfortunately, the big guy upstairs (or maybe downstairs) had other plans. I woke up at 6:45, got all my gear together, and was on my bike a little after 7:00, heading north through Weehawkin and West New York until I hit River Road. The first nine miles I felt really strong, and was routinely riding 21 MPH or so on any flat sections. I rode up the huge hill right by the George Washington Bridge and turned around to head home.

As usual I was flying on the descent back down the hill, but unfortunately it rained most of yesterday and last night, so the road was very slick. Almost immediately my back wheel started to fishtail, and after I righted it momentarily, fishtailed even more. Before I knew it I was flying over the handlebars and through the air. My head hit the pavement first (thank God for helmets!) and I slid a few feet before coming to a stop.

When I got up to survey the damage, it was not too bad -- both knees and one elbow were a bit bloodied and my left torso and shoulder were bruised, but that was about it. Unfortunately my bike was not in quite as good shape -- both rims were bent pretty badly, although the frame/handlebars/brakes/etc. seem to be O.K. The bent rims prevented me from riding home, so after walking a bit, I was able to use the phone at a laundromat and call a taxi to take me home. I definitely consider myself lucky -- given the speed I was going (30 MPH+), things could have been A LOT worse...

P.S. I took my wheels to the bike store, and it looks like they can be trued, which is a relief. It would have sucked if I had to get new wheels (unfortunately with my cracked helmet, I do not have a choice). On that note, anyone who trains using race wheels (which I see a lot more of in the NYC area than when I lived in Chicago) is an idiot.