Into a Writer's Head

What can I say, I'm talented...

I went biking with Mom again today. Really, you would not think this was cause for any large amount of concern. That is, unless you realize that I am about as graceful as a Mac Truck.
I'm the first to admit that I am slightly accident prone. I have a tendency to hit my head on things quiet often, and have been known to regularly trip over my own two feet. One friend will only walk on my left hand side as she feels i tend to "drift" when walking, and she doesn't apprecited my keys slamming into her hip.
So, we're riding along. The trail is flat and the sun isn't really out. Everything is going along fine until Mom decides she needs a drink of water. Only Mom can't get the bottle open one handed, so we need to stop. Again, not something you would think would be difficult. I've been stopping my bike for years. I've been on two-wheels since I was 7, and using handbrakes since I was 10 or so. With the exception of a run in between me and the rear end of a car (and before that a run in between me and a pole in the parking garage), I have not had any serious incidents on my bike. I'm fairly capable (though not very quick, but we've discussed this before). Mom manages to stop without incident and starts to open her water. While she is doing this, I have a sudden realization. I'm stuck. Yes, I'm stuck. My shoelace is caught in my cage and I cannot pull my left foot out. Now, You wouldn't think this would be so difficult. I have two feet, I should just be able to pull my right foot out and stop the bike. However, my left foot (at least when riding) is my lead foot. this is the foot I push off with, and the foot I release first when stopping. Apparently, if the left foot is trapped, my right foot does not know what to do and stays where it is, in the cage. So, now both my feet are stuck in their respective cages and I have braked. Want to guess at what came next?
Yes, in my infinite grace and agility, I went down like a felled tree, landing directly on my knee and now have a fancy war wound to show for it. I'm proud. Yes, I am proud because not everyone can pull off such a move.

posted by Erin @ 11:24 AM