slosh down the pepper!

a few misses and two hits!

"Chey" was all I got as I narrated my painful fall (from a stupid bike) to one unsympathetic audience. 2 patches of pinkish flesh surrounded by greenish blue-black marks covered my knee cap. How unsightly!

It took me only one hour to fall down twice. The first happened before a small group of NS men (embarassing yes, especially so when they didn't come forward to help me up. *&%$) when I was managing a sharp turn at a bend. My right palm had a gentle brush against the concrete ground. If this is rated '1' on a disaster scale, then the second one must be a '10'!

The second fall occurred as I released one hand in an attempt to brush back my hair that was blown across my face by the strong wind. One sec. I lost my balance. The next sec, I was on the lying on the floor, with a pose akin that of a push-up (the 'down' position). I could feel myself sliding forward. Die already lor, my $80 nike track pants gone. The synthetic material lost its waxy feel the moment the fibres were broken by the friction that arose. Small as a 10-cent coin it may be, but a big hole it burnt of my heart... :'( I am thankful that my phone remained scathe-less. Hee, but I can't say that much for the bike. As I picked myself up and got ready for more hell-riding, I discovered that the pedals were pretty much loosened. The chain got detached from the chainwheel! No more riding, no more falling. Blessed in a way.

Throughout the less-than-60 minutes of rampant biking, I nearly got my wheels on a few small kids as I struggled with controlling the brakes. The chain always seemed loose unless I cycled on grass patches. Maybe they should have some kind of grassfield for amateur cyclists. Zigzag-ing was a frequent style I use. Couple that with speed, I nearly rammed into my friend who's in front of me.

Lessons learnt:

1. Cycling should only be done during days of non-school hols. Those people are really hazards. Took up half my lane.

2. A hat should always be worn to battle the strong wind which had a tendency to mess up your hair, to the extent of covering 60% of your face, and thus your line of sight. If not, don't be lazy. Get off the bike, tidy up the hair, then move on.

3. Forget about sharp bends and turns when you are just starting out. Better to get off the bike and walk the turn than to fall down embarrassingly.

4. Master the skills of braking properly. A life savior it can be in times of emergency. I didn't, and that explains all my falls. Hmm.. perhaps it was also the brakes. Those damn brakes are situated so far from the handle! How to maneuver them properly with small hands?!

Jot it down, or turn out like this!

posted by slingwoof @ 12/03/2005 04:30:00 AM