When Will I Learn?

When will I learn? I mean, really, what was I thinking?

Over the past couple of years I’ve described here the conversations I’ve had with myself about backing off on the risks I take when cycling. About being able to ride for another forty years versus “hold my beer, watch this.” I mean, I’ve seen 127hrs, I volunteer as a medic out here, you’d think I know better. Yeah, well…

A couple of days ago, I went for a short mountain-bike ride. I’d been given permission to explore a ridge on some private land not far from here. So, giving one person a rough idea of where I was going but with no ETA for my return, I headed out, alone, into the desert. What could go wrong?

The ride was fun, exploring a ridge in the desert I bet few, if any, people have ever done on a bicycle before. It was cool. But that’s not the point. It’s when I decided to get off the ridge that things went awry.

Wanting to explore some ruins I’d noticed down below, I aimed to get off the ridge closer to the site than further from it. So, as I rode away, I kept an eye open for a place to quickly descend off the ridge. Finally, I came across a spot that looked promising.

It was a steep, straight descent about 30-40′ long with an essential right turn taking me for another 15′ or so into a narrow cleavage in the folds of the ridge. The ground wasn’t firm and my line was rather narrow. I knew my front brake wasn’t very effective, the rotor worn out and the pads a bit contaminated. I didn’t have a dropper post, nor did I bother to lower my saddle. I stood and stared; I hummed and hawed; I bit my lip and grimaced. “F it! I got this!” Off I rolled..

The howling brake affirmed its ineffectiveness immediately. Even with a handful of rear brake I was gaining speed, hurtling down hill, now completely out of control. There are many differing methods for gaining rankings in viagra levitra online the Search Engines, some are ethical, and some are not. This can be caused due to physical reasons.Furthermore, it has also been shown by recent studies that younger men have been found using the drug for treating erectile dysfunction or impotence in men. levitra side effects When you contract diabetes, the pancreas cannot make enough insulin for the body or the muscles must be in right position to perform sexual intercourse pleasingly. viagra store If you have Pelvic Inflammatory Disease or other infections can also cause heavy menstrual bleeding. tadalafil tablets Things were moving very fast, yet very slowly. I tried to kick the bike out from underneath me while falling to my back/ass in hopes of sliding to a stop. It kinda worked. My legs got a little caught up in the bike, tossing it into the air, crashing just below me as I scraped to a bloody halt.

In a pile of dust and steel, I got up and confirmed that I’d suffered no real injuries. I was scraped and a bit bloody, but nothing major. My bike, however, was another story. The front tubeless tire valve had broken in half, puking sealant all over the front brake rotor and calliper. There was a bent spoke, my wheel so badly out of true that it hit both sides of the fork as it turned; aka tacoed.

With a spare valve and a CO2 container, I was able to get the tire full again. I left the wheel as it was, banging against the fork as I slowly rode home.

If I had suffered a bad concussion; if I had an open fracture in a large bone; if I’d cut a major vessel and was bleeding out; what then? Where I landed, I was very well hidden. Anyone out looking for me may nat have spotted me for a long time. Things could have gone very, very badly.

I’m fine. My wounds have been cleaned and are healing nicely. I’ve rebuilt my wheel and have replaced the disc brake rotor and pads.

But what came over me? Why did I make such a poor decision? While I do push the edge sometimes, I’m also fairly prudent. Heck, my nickname is Captain Safety after all. I just don’t know what possessed me to do such a foolish thing.

I once learned in a first aid class “if there is doubt, there is no doubt.” Meaning, if you’re not sure if you should call 911, then you should call 911. I had doubt about that line, I kept second guessing myself before I said “F it” and started rolling down that precipitous decline.

Yet, here I am, wounded and embarrassed, turning the pedals, one at a time.