barry burton

the Wreck

This afternoon was bright and sunny and warm and perfect for a ride around the local neighborhoods. Accordingly, I found the old green Schwinn, pulled it from the garage, and began cycling. I turned into Southern Pines and started picking up speed as I headed up the hill. When I reached the first turn, I was humming along and powered through the curve. Midway through the turn, the combination of my lean and the low point of the pedal stroke was too much — the bottom of the pedal bit asphalt. Suddenly the bike tips to the right and the frame is almost perpendicular to the direction of travel. I saw everything happen in slow motion. Cliché but true. Unfortunately, though I could watch the events unfold at my leisure, I could not actually respond. When the side of the bike slammed into the pavement, both feet were pressed against the pedals, and both hands were clutching the handle bars. Like I said, I was going pretty fast, so I then slid for a little bit. Oh joy. There are various cuts and abrasions up and down the right side of my body. The strange part is a long protruding bruise, topped with a small laceration, on my left thigh. My only guess is that around the time of impact, my left leg somehow became lodged between the bottom of the seat and the top tube. While the slow motion film was playing, I just never glanced in that direction. The bruise is seriously raised about half an inch off of my leg; it looks like my left quadriceps has its own quadriceps. Honesty, the crash really did not hurt at all. I rode on into Meadowbrook before turning back. The homeowners out working in their yards often seemed concerned to see someone with an elbow like mine riding past. Maybe they were only fearful for my health. Upon returning home, and ceasing to ride, my elbow and knee quickly stiffened. This is when the pain started. Showering and washing the wounds most definitely hurt the most. Actually, the pressure of the shower was too painful, so I had to fill up the bath tub to do the initial cleansing. It has been a while since I have taken a bath, and maybe before I lacked a conscious reason, but I now know that baths are disgusting. Seriously, I know I was more dirty/sweaty/bloody than usual, but I was sitting in water contaminated by the filth I was attempting to remove. How much sense does this make? So after my many lesions acclimated to the presence of water, I drained the tub and cleaned all the cuts with soap while showering. Now I know that pedal grabbing ground is the most amateur of all bicycling accidents, and I am duly embarrassed, but you have to see this pedal. Instead of the reflector being located on the side of the pedal, it is actually descended another three quarters of an inch from the bottom of the pedal. I really feel like an extra three quarters of an inch of clearance is all I needed. :) See Flickr for Gross Pictures. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. :)