Today I had my first "wreck."
I decided to leave studio a little bit early and go for a ride:
It's a 7.6 mile loop with a bit of an intense climb, a pretty good quick workout. The great thing about training in Blacksburg is that the routes are uphill both ways and you're always heading into the wind (it's not that far from the truth sometimes). Well, on the way out of town, I missed the turn for Happy Hollow Road and continued out into the Catawba Valley, about 5.5 miles out of my way. Once I realized my mistake, I turned around--I wasn't out to do the 18.2 mile Dry Run loop today. Climbing my way back up towards Blacksburg, I finally made it to Happy Hollow, which drops down again quickly before climbing up towards Mount Tabor. I definitely made things difficult for myself--typical.
Well, about a third of the way up Happy Hollow, my left pedal somehow detached itself from my bike and went rolling down the hill. Caught off guard, I of course went careening across the road, falling on top of my bike and breaking my fall with my hands. Upon investigating the cause of my fall, I discovered that the threading for the pedal inside the crank was stripped, and it was impossible for me to reattach the pedal by hand.
Good thing I had my phone on me. I called several friends, and Nick was able to come pick me up. What a sad sight I was by the side of the road with my pedal in my hand. On the way home we stopped at
East Coasters where they were kind enough to reattach the pedal for me. So my hands were a little red from breaking my fall, my arms and legs were covered in grease, and the tops of my shifters (?) are all scratched up, but everybody is ok. I guess I still have my first "real" fall to look forward too.
