Taking a fall

Well folks, I've had my first bicycle crash. Oliver assured me it was coming (he's a veteran of several...I mean, the man's been a bicycle messenger in Manhattan, where getting hit by a cab was really more of an annoyance than anything else) but I've been lucky so far. Actually, I still am lucky, as this could have been a lot worse.

The cause was benign enough: the highway was getting a fresh coat of blacktop, and the edge was uneven. I went over the edge at too narrow an angle, and toppled over. I wasn't going too fast, probably 15-17 mph, but it was fast enough that in that slow-motion moment of "Alrighty, I'm going down..." I did imagine that it would probably hurt. It happened fast, so all I really remember is that slo-mo start, and then my head bonking the pavement (thank you, helmet!!), and then finding myself sprawled on the pavement, with Ann Margaret sprawled next to me. Sarah K, who was behind us, told me that after I fell AM ran into me, and well, this is where it gets a little indelicate.

She hit me with her bicycle....right between my legs. With enough force that it broke her wheel. Yeah. I have no recollection of that happening (again, it happened fast), but I'm definitely feeling it now! First of all, yes, it is very lucky it happened to me and not to a guy. If it had, he probably would have had to go to the hospital. Also, it is a good thing I was wearing a helmet! If I wasn't wearing one, I definitely would have left in an ambulance. So let me just ascend the soapbox now: IF YOU RIDE A BICYCLE, WEAR A HELMET!!! I was doing nothing especially outlandish or daring, I could have easily been on my commute to school and have the same thing happen. Just as you need to wear your seat belt even if you're just driving a couple of miles, you need to wear a helmet when you're riding a bicycle, ALWAYS. Ok, lecture over.

So, after laughing so hard our bellies hurt over the complete ridiculousness of the situation, and me crying from a combination of the pain and the laughter, Sarah called the van to come rescue me. Luckily they were only a few blocks away, so we just walked our bikes there. Ann Margaret's wheel was ruined, so I gave her mine, since it was clear I wasn't going to get back on a bike. I spent the rest of the day in the van, and unfortunately it looks like I'll have to sit out a few more days.

Like I said, it could have been a LOT worse, so I'm thankful for that. A few days' rest in the van isn't the worst of fates, though I do hope it doesn't drag on for too long. In the mean time, I'm hobbling around like a 90 year old, icing myself in REALLY awkward places, updating everyone in the group constantly about the status of those awkward places (hey, they ask!), and answering to my new nickname: Crotch of Steel. Yeah.