Tuesday, June 10
OUCH!
monday 10:30pm. dark-ish, rain, almost home from work.
i just turned off the ravenhill road onto park road, about 200-400yds from home.
i'd done pretty good time (under 45min) and was cranking it to get home quick.
i noticed my seat was kinda leaning back, which i thought was weird cause i'd put it forward and tightened it a few weeks ago. "i'll check when i get home" i thought to myself.
then crack. the sound of metal snapping.
immediately i thought twas the seat post that had just broken, but i didn't have time to assess the cause, i was on the ground.
it all went very fast, the crack, then the sound of scraping, sliding metal, skin and polyester on wet tarmac. it felt like yards. i moaned.
i got up, got off the road and assessed the situation.
two broken lights, a broken seat, ripped shirt, ripped gloves very sore shoulder and knee (with what felt like a gaping hole), ripped gloves and very sore hands (which also felt like they had been torn).
a bloke accross the street asked me if i was ok. i said i was, i wasn't even embarassed as i usually am when i stack it in front of someone. the guy had seen it and saw i wasn't fooling! the pain was too much to be embarassed!
i picked up as many bits as possible to check it all out at home. i wanted to get home asap cause i knew the pain would increase once the numbing stopped.
i put all the stuff in my rear shirt pockets (including the seat) and rode home slowly leaning my leg against the seat pole, still sticking out, and moaning.
once home i got my shirt off, thankfully the thermal wasn't ripped, just the cycle top. no other apparent injuries but my knee, hand and shoulder.
i checked out the fault: all was intact except for the screw holding the seat to the post, which had just snapped clean. wow! i shuddered and thought 'bout what could've happened if it had been at 20miles and hour in from of a car...
my hand and shoulder were sooooooooo tender (broken??) and my right knee revealed and blunt hole. why always my right knee?? that's at least three times now! there's no more room for new scars!
i showered, cleaned up the wounds then desinfected 'em, patched em up and off to bed. "hopefully they'll be better in the morning".
this morn they're soooooo sore, but i don't think there's any internal damage!
bummers:
--have to buy a new screw (if possible) or a new seat post attachement.
--very sore hand, shoulder and holy knee.
--ripped shirt (still wearable).
--broken front and rear lights.
you little ripper!! praise points:
---was wearing gloves so i still have fingers and skin on hands!
---two layers of clothing up top meant ripped shirt but not skin!
---happened 400yds max from home (not 10 miles), so i could've walked it back!
---no cars behind me + slippery road so i skidded and less rippage??!
---didn't have my big expensive cat-eye light = money saver!
---had just turned a corner, so less speed.
---only superficial wounds (i think).
so there you go, a horriffic experience which puts my teeth on edge when i think of the sound and feeling, but it could've been much much worse!!
monday 10:30pm. dark-ish, rain, almost home from work.
i just turned off the ravenhill road onto park road, about 200-400yds from home.
i'd done pretty good time (under 45min) and was cranking it to get home quick.
i noticed my seat was kinda leaning back, which i thought was weird cause i'd put it forward and tightened it a few weeks ago. "i'll check when i get home" i thought to myself.
then crack. the sound of metal snapping.
immediately i thought twas the seat post that had just broken, but i didn't have time to assess the cause, i was on the ground.
it all went very fast, the crack, then the sound of scraping, sliding metal, skin and polyester on wet tarmac. it felt like yards. i moaned.
i got up, got off the road and assessed the situation.
two broken lights, a broken seat, ripped shirt, ripped gloves very sore shoulder and knee (with what felt like a gaping hole), ripped gloves and very sore hands (which also felt like they had been torn).
a bloke accross the street asked me if i was ok. i said i was, i wasn't even embarassed as i usually am when i stack it in front of someone. the guy had seen it and saw i wasn't fooling! the pain was too much to be embarassed!
i picked up as many bits as possible to check it all out at home. i wanted to get home asap cause i knew the pain would increase once the numbing stopped.
i put all the stuff in my rear shirt pockets (including the seat) and rode home slowly leaning my leg against the seat pole, still sticking out, and moaning.
once home i got my shirt off, thankfully the thermal wasn't ripped, just the cycle top. no other apparent injuries but my knee, hand and shoulder.
i checked out the fault: all was intact except for the screw holding the seat to the post, which had just snapped clean. wow! i shuddered and thought 'bout what could've happened if it had been at 20miles and hour in from of a car...
my hand and shoulder were sooooooooo tender (broken??) and my right knee revealed and blunt hole. why always my right knee?? that's at least three times now! there's no more room for new scars!
i showered, cleaned up the wounds then desinfected 'em, patched em up and off to bed. "hopefully they'll be better in the morning".
this morn they're soooooo sore, but i don't think there's any internal damage!
bummers:
--have to buy a new screw (if possible) or a new seat post attachement.
--very sore hand, shoulder and holy knee.
--ripped shirt (still wearable).
--broken front and rear lights.
you little ripper!! praise points:
---was wearing gloves so i still have fingers and skin on hands!
---two layers of clothing up top meant ripped shirt but not skin!
---happened 400yds max from home (not 10 miles), so i could've walked it back!
---no cars behind me + slippery road so i skidded and less rippage??!
---didn't have my big expensive cat-eye light = money saver!
---had just turned a corner, so less speed.
---only superficial wounds (i think).
so there you go, a horriffic experience which puts my teeth on edge when i think of the sound and feeling, but it could've been much much worse!!
